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Mai Ya麦芽

Hordei Fructus Germinatus · Sprouted Barley · Barley Malt

Herbs that Relieve Food Stagnation 消食药《药性论》

Overview

Barley grain sprouted and then dried — sweet and neutral, and the member of the digestive group that suits starch: rice, noodles, bread, dumplings sitting undigested in the middle. It also loosens a constrained Liver qi, so it earns its place where a poor appetite comes with a tight chest, sighing and a flat mood. The dispensary stocks three forms and a prescription should say which: the raw sprout moves Liver qi best and carries the effect on milk supply; dry-fried Mai Ya is warmer and gentler, better suited to a weak digestion; honey-prepared Mai Ya is sweeter still and more harmonising to the middle burner.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet · Neutral

Channels

Spleen · Stomach · Liver

Typical Dosage

10–15 g in decoction
麦芽Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Reduces food stagnation, harmonises the middleFullness, belching and poor appetite after starchy food; sluggish digestion in children; a thick tongue coating after overeating.
  • Frees constrained Liver qiPoor appetite with chest and flank tightness, sighing and irritability — the digestive complaint that follows stress rather than food.
  • Affects milk supplyA double-edged action worth knowing about: a large dose of the raw sprout is used to reduce and stop milk at weaning. Those amounts are far above this herb's ordinary daily range and are a practitioner's decision, not a self-prescription.
  • Processed forms Mai Ya · Mai YaDry-frying warms the herb and softens its moving quality, which suits a cold, weak Spleen; honey-frying adds sweetness and makes it more harmonising and tonifying to the middle. The raw sprout keeps the strongest Liver-qi and lactation effects.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Mai Ya

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Fullness, belching and poor appetite after starchy food
    - Sluggish digestion in children
    - Poor appetite with chest and flank tightness from constrained Liver qi
    - Weaning, at practitioner-directed doses well above the ordinary range

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

IndigestionBloatingPoor appetiteLactation suppression

Contraindications

Cautions

Our dispensary data flags Mai Ya as an allergy risk, and the reason is straightforward: it is sprouted barley, so it contains gluten. It is unsuitable for anyone with coeliac disease, a wheat or barley allergy, or non-coeliac gluten sensitivity — say so before anything is dispensed, and check any formula that may contain it, since it is a common ingredient in digestive prescriptions. Separately, it reduces milk supply: a mother who is breastfeeding and wants to maintain her supply should not take it as a routine digestive, and the large weaning doses belong to the practitioner. For ordinary digestive use keep to 15 g a day.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific pregnancy restriction — practitioner judgment applies. The restriction that matters is during breastfeeding: the raw sprout reduces milk supply and is avoided unless weaning is intended.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Yao Xing Lun《药性论》 (classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.