Germinated Barley … Classic Formulas
Mai Ya · Fructus Hordei Germinatus
Primary Actions
- Promotes digestion and reduces food stagnation - Mai Ya is especially used for retained grains, starches, milk, and childhood food accumulation with fullness and sourness.
- Soothes the Liver and relieves constraint - traditional use extends to distention or breast and hypochondriac discomfort when food stagnation and qi constraint overlap.
- Reduces lactation - larger or targeted use is classically associated with suppressing breast-milk production during weaning or when overfull lactation must be checked.
Classic Formulas
- Bao He Wan modifications with Mai Ya - food-stagnation strategy when retained grains and poor appetite are central.
- Jian Pi Wan-style digestive support - later practice uses Mai Ya when weak transformation and lingering food retention occur together.
- Jiao San Xian lineage comparison - Mai Ya is the raw-malt baseline from which the stronger charred digestants are derived.
Classical Text References
- Traditional herbology describes Mai Ya as sweet and neutral, entering the Spleen, Stomach, and Liver to promote digestion, soothe the Liver, and reduce lactation.
- Classical cautions repeatedly note that the same quality that helps disperse milk accumulation can undesirably suppress lactation when milk supply should be maintained.