Alternative medicines and home remedies are growing in popularity as traditional allopathic medicines become more expensive. Many are unproven, but a few show promising early results. Toasted barley tea is a proven anti-coagulant, or blood thinner. This is good news for people who have issues with blood viscosity but who may not be able to tolerate high dosages of prescription blood thinners. Consult with your doctor to figure out the best combination of medications for you.
Toasted Barley Tea Facts
Toasted barley tea is made from toasted barley seeds, either hulled or unhulled. Technically, toasted barley tea is a tisane because tea comes exclusively from the Camellia sinensis plant. Toasted barley tea is a staple beverage in Japan and Korea and is served both hot and cold. Its flavor is similar to that of coffee, but it does not contain caffeine and is less bitter than coffee.
Blood-Thinning Facts
Your blood needs to be thinned when it has a high viscosity, which means that it is overly thick. This causes it to move more slowly through your body than is normal. This can be caused by blood vessel or heart disease and can result in less blood flow to your brain. It can also raise your risk for blood clots or stroke. Blood thinners reduce the viscosity of your blood, helping it to flow more quickly and smoothly.
Benefits
Prescription anti-coagulants like warfarin and heparin can have unpleasant side effects. Known side effects of warfarin are abdominal pain, diarrhea, hepatitis, nausea, rash and skin necrosis. Warfarin also interacts with many antibiotics, which means you would have to stop taking it if you had a bacterial infection requiring treatment. Heparin can cause chills, fever, itching and runny nose. Using it over a long period of time can cause a low platelet count or osteoporosis. Toasted barley tea has no side effects or known interactions, but it may not be strong enough in normal doses to treat your particular issue.
Warning
Never try to self-diagnose or treat blood pressure problems. Many allopathic doctors are familiar with and respectful of alternative medicines, so talk to your doctor about naturopathic remedies. Never take a remedy such as toasted barley tea that has known anti-coagulant effects while you are taking blood thinners.
References
- MedlinePlus: Blood Thinners
- Swarthmore College Computer Society: Herbal Tea
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Effect of Barley Coffee on the Adhesive Properties of Oral Streptococci
- MayoClinic.com: Cholesterol-lowering Supplements: Lower Your Numbers Without Prescription Medication
- University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign Carle Cancer Center: Medications
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