Barley tea is well-known among the people of East Asia. As the name suggests, this tea is made from barley seeds that have been roasted. Famous for its slightly bitter taste, barley tea has been used by Chinese people as an ingredient in traditional medicine to treat health problems such as diarrhoea, fatigue, and inflammation.

Barley seeds are known to contain nutrients that are good for the body. Barley is very rich in vitamin B and minerals such as iron, zinc, and manganese. Thanks to its nutritional content, several studies have proven that barley tea is very safe for consumption and can even provide health benefits. Rich in antioxidants, barley tea is known to help prevent cell damage from free radicals. Antioxidants such as chlorogenic acid and vanillic acid in barley tea can help maintain body weight by increasing the amount of fat your body burns at rest. In addition, barley tea also contains the antioxidant quercetin, which can help improve heart health, blood pressure, and brain health.

Also, barley tea can be consumed "to your heart's content" thanks to its very lowcalorie content, which may be “zero” depending on the manufacturing process. However, make sure you don't add sweeteners, milk, or cream to this drink if you want to gain all of its benefits. In addition, thanks to its high antioxidant content, barley can potentially help prevent cancer. However, further research is needed regarding these benefits.

Apart from its anti-cancer potential, barley tea is known to contain small amounts of acrylamide, an anti-nutrient that has the potential to cause cancer in the body. Although not many studies have studied this potential, there are study results that show that high acrylamide intake can increase the risk of colorectal and pancreatic cancer. In contrast, the results of another study found that acrylamide intake was not associated with cancer risk.

To help lower the acrylamide levels in barley, make sure you roast the barley seeds until they are dark brown before brewing. In addition, this drink is not suitable for those of you who are on a gluten-free diet, considering that barley is a grain that contains gluten.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Google Search Images

Source:

• Healthline - Barley Tea: Nutrition, Benefits, and Side Effects (2020). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/barley-tea-nutrition-benefits-and-side-effects, 3 September 2020.