More Lactogenic Beverages made with Barley

Barley - An Ancient Galactagogue

The barley grain has been treasured as a galactagogue for thousands of years. It contains high levels of beta-glucan, a long-chained sugar molecule that has been shown to increase prolactin, the very hormone that signals the need for milk production to the brain.

To learn more about barley, please see my articles on beer and malt.

Barley Water - A Home Remedy

Barley Water is a traditional "cure all," used on the British Isles for a range of common family ills such as indigestion, a cold or flu, diarrhea or constipation. It also "works" to increase milk supply, and is used across Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia.

Barley-Water is made by simmering about a half cup of barley in about 2 quarts of water for at least 20 minutes and up to about 2 hours. (The longer it simmers, the more potent the brew.) When it is done, lactogenic spices such as fennel or fenugreek seed or astragalus root  is added in, and steeped for about 10 minutes longer. Barley-Water can be sweetened with a natural sweetener such as honey, or with stevia. 

A few cups of barley water spaced between meals throughout the day is a powerful support for low-supply mothers! Amazingly, mothers report that the barley-water is comparable to domperidone, a prescription medicine that is quite effective, but that leads to weightgain and mild fatigue in many mothers when used long term.

Barley and Gluten

Today, a large number of mothers (some experts believe the number includes all mothers and all of us) have some degree of slight inflammation present in the body--in the nerves, the brain, the intestines, liver, other organs, etc. This inflammation is due to our diet of refined and processed foods, and also to our exposure to pesticides and other toxins. 

Many foods exacerbate such inflammation. The best-known trigger for inflammation is gluten, a difficult-to-digest sticky protein that is found in high concentrations in wheat, but also found in barley, in rye, and to a lesser extent, in oats. 

"Dandy Blend" and gluten

Dandy Blend is a coffee substitute that, like many such traditional coffee substitutes, is based on barley grain. 

On the phone, a Dandy Blend representative explained that their product is gluten free. Apparently, their product is manufactured through water extraction of the starch of the grain, and no protein or gluten is extracted.

The company claims to have sent samples to laboratories to have its gluten content measured, and the results have consistently come back negative. No gluten present. 

If what they claim is true, it appears that hot water extraction effectively removes the starch, including the beta-glucan from the grain, and leaves the gluten-protein attached securely within the grain. 

It is possible that barley-water, which is made by gently simmering barley in water on lowest heat and then removing the barley from the liquid, is nearly gluten-free.

However, if you are avoiding gluten, I wouldn't try this out. There are other galactagogues of equal efficacy to draw from, without risk of gluten.

The Possible Impact of Electromagnetic Fields on Low Milk Supply

Are you aware that there may be a connection between a certain kind of electromagnetic field (EMF) and low milk production?

Look at this: a study based on 12 dairy farms in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota reveals that high-tech milk pumps that emit "dirty electricity" even at minuscule levels, cause cows' milk production to decrease--so much so that farmers notice and complain.

But even sources of EMFs that are located farther from the cows can have an impact on their milk production. In this review, the "dirty electricity" given off by a cell phone tower is directed into the earth. From there, it's harmonics are carried along by underground pipes to surrounding farms, schools, etc., affecting the health, behavior and milk production of cows. Once an appropriate shielding is put in place, however, the cows' health improves and their production recovers.

It is now well-known among lactation consultants, from sharing and comparing their observations, that cases of low milk supply are on the rise. Could it be possible that some unexplained cases, including those that do not respond to herbal galactagogues, domperidone, pumping, and other interventions, might improve if the mother removes or reduces the EMFs in her home? 

Well, it's certainly worth a try. Reducing these fields can only improve the quality of her family's health.

While the influence of EMFs on the health and development of children has been much studied and documented, as you can read for instance in this article from the International Herald Tribune, its effect on women's hormones and upon our ability to produce milk is still an unknown. 

But wouldn't it be a great and wild discovery if mothers create an EMF-free or greatly reduced zone in their home where they sleep and breastfeed, and their supplies rebound? For a complete list of steps to take to reduce EMFs in the home, see http://www.electricalpollution.com/solutions.html

Here's a definition from the same IHT article: "Dirty electricity: is unusable electromagnetic energy that is created by many electrical devices – caused by interruptions and fluctuations in the flow of normal power traveling through wires and electrical systems and appliances at home and at work. These interruptions result in voltage spikes or surges which combine to form a complex and potentially harmful electromagnetic field."

What kinds of machines and devices create such spikes and surges? 

Well, any that have a "variable flow" component, that is, a variable frequency drive (VFD) or  variable speed drive (VSD) or controller. These components are used instead of old-fashioned mechanical motor switches, and are found in computers, laptops, iPads and similar devices, but also in newer home "smart" machines such as heaters and air-conditioners, smart meters, water pumps, solar and wind energy generators... Holy Cow, who knew?

To simplify the picture for those who, like me, don't understand much of anything about electricity, just think, "erratic interruption." Anything that interrupts the nicely fluent, rhythmically pulsating electric current that flows into our homes is a potential problem. 

Here's a big one: the common light dimmer causes a massive increase in the dirty electricity field in your home.

Do you dim the light to check in on your baby? 

Do not use light dimmers! Seriously. We used one of those devices to measure EMFs in our home and discovered that any time a light was dimmed, the EMF in that room, but also all along and within the walls in surrounding rooms and the corridor, basically, wherever electric lines were laid--would resonate with an unbelievable increase in EMF. The measurement went from barely detectable to HOT! Since that day, no lights are dimmed in our house.

We also discovered that our laptops emit powerful radiation when they are plugged in to the wall, but not when they are running on their own batteries. There is something about the back up of electric flow when the computer does its interrupting thing with its variable drive. It's not the interruption alone--it's the way it backs up and creates an erratic rhythm--the surges and spikes--in the flow of electricity along the lines leading to and from the interruptor.

(An old-fashioned am transistor radio set to static will resonate with EMFs and give you a good idea about hot spots in your home.)

Another source of fairly strong EMF in the bedroom would be any multiple outlet power boards/surge protectors. These should be turned off at night, or moved far from the bed where you sleep.

Wireless phones, cell phones and smart phones do radiate frequently, sometimes constantly, and should be turned off or placed outside of sleeping areas.  

Basically, if it is "smart" it is potentially dangerous--especially for infants and children, whose tissues, muscles, organs, nervous system and brain are developing, and who depend upon a steady and clean "environment" not only of nurturing and love, but also of invisible energy fields. But the danger is very real for all of us, regardless of age, because it is believed that damage from EMFs can occur incrementally, bit by bit. We might not notice the results, our lack of energy, our lack of focus, or insomnia, until many years pass and the damage (asthma, cancer, Alzheimer's, chronic fatigue) is beyond repair.

Reducing your exposure to "dirty electricity" may possibly be the most crucial thing you can do to improve the quality of your family's health. 

Below are two documentaries on this topic. Please take some time to review them. Gather up your partner and your children, and discuss possible lifestyle changes with the whole family.

In this first documentary, you can learn many mysterious and marvelous things about energy frequencies and their impact on health.

In this second documentary, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt talks about his decades of research with people with all kinds of illnesses and syndromes that were rare or virtually unknown 40 years ago. He is an expert in the treatment of autism, Lyme disease, and other unfortunately-no-longer-so-rare conditions. He also presents some suggestions to reduce the fields.

Please comment here and share your experiences with electromagnetic fields and your health. Thank you for reading! 


And please like my Facebook Mother Food Page, and stay in touch. More articles are in the works!

Simple Solutions: Molasses for Iron Deficiency and Anemia

Mothers often ask me if molasses is a galactagogue, that is, if it increases milk supply.

The easy answer is yes--it provides a source of minerals that nourish and support your body in making more milk. 

However, as with all vitamins and supplements, molasses alone is not a substitute for a good diet.

Mothers today affirm that BLACKSTRAP molasses is helpful for lactation.

But historically, I've found only one source that documents the use of molasses specifically to boost supply--from a 19th century United States cookbook.

Blackstrap molasses is the mineral rich sap of the sugar cane--the part that is removed so that sugar can be perfectly white, denuded, as it were, of its true mineral content. The minerals appear to be easy to absorb, as molasses is famous for increasing iron levels in iron-depleted mothers, for diminishing fatigue and preventing the onset of full-fledged anemia. See my article about anemia, and this article for more suggestions on how to build iron for more information.

Our nerves depend upon the electric conductivity of minerals to function well, as do all the cell walls of all the cells in the body. We are truly a "Body Electric."

Of course, nerves are involved in lactation. For instance, through the stimulation of the nerves in the nipple, the pituitary produces prolactin, a hormone of lactation.

Everyone understands that we need a balance of "electrolytes" in our blood -- tiniest "mineral salts" that keep our blood "electric," and that provide the nerves and cell walls with plenty of super-conducting minerals.

Lactogenic foods and herbs to the rescue! Many are extremely rich in minerals--as is thick, slightly bitter blackstrap molasses. Sports drinks are not a good solution, as some contain toxic food coloring, plus they do not serve up the complete palate of nutrients and micro-nutrients found in food.

To the extent that blackstrap molasses provides iron and helps build blood cells, it also participates in the oxygenation of the body--including of course of the mammary glands. The body functions better if there is plenty of blood supplying oxygen and nutrients to all the cells.

Personally, I have had excellent experiences with blackstrap molasses, and very positive feedback from mothers who use it. (Obviously, however, if you are avoiding any and all potent sources of sugar, you will want to avoid molasses as well.)

How to use it--one to two tablespoons a day. I like to dilute a heaping teaspoon (or more) of blackstrap molasses in a cup of boiled water, and add in raw milk or Half & Half. It tastes somewhat like a rich, bitter-sweet coffee, and is a nice coffee substitute.

Malt as a Galactagogue - A Brief History

Stone Age Times through Ancient Civilizations

Before there was bread or beer, there was barley, a hardy, nutritious grain that grew in all kinds of difficult terrains. The discovery of barley as a food source was huge for the advancement of humanity. In fact, it is thought to have been discovered and cultivated as our earliest grain, even before wheat. Because grain such as barley and wheat could be dried and stored, it provided protection from hunger and starvation. This enabled humans to settle down and get on with things, building communities, domesticating animals, and generally laying the groundwork for civilization.

The cultivation of barley--planting in fields and harvesting for the winter--began over ten thousands years ago in isolated settlements. Eventually, its cultivation would spread across Europe and Asia.

Barley, when it is sprouted and dries, develops enzymes that break down the carbohydrates in the grain. This dried grain is called "the malt," and its enzymes continue working in the fermentation of beer.

Barley therefore became the primary grain used in the production of malt, beer and bread. These three forms of “food production” would be advanced and specialized, and this spurred the development of technology.

We take fermentation for granted. Fermentation allows us to enjoy bread, beer, yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, pickles and wine. We don't think twice about fermentation as we buy our food from the store. But think what fermentation must have looked like to primitive people, to see beverages ferment into inebriating brews, to see flour puff up into bread, and to see the sprouted, dried and enzymatically digested barley grain turn into yummy malt sugar.

It must have looked like the invisible world of the gods was interacting with the human world of food.

Malt as a Galactagogue – Some Insights

I craved Ovomaltine after the birth of my first child. I guess this was my body's way of getting malt.

The word malt  triggers memories of Ovomaltine, Malt-O-Meal, malted milk and shakes. These icons of childhood are beloved due to their taste which is warm, nuanced, sweet and bitter. Malt’s flavor speaks to its range of sugars, with their array of subtle taste differences, in combination with the satisfying bitterness of malt’s high mineral content.

In the above section, I explain that malt traditionally derives from barley. We know that barley is highly lactogenic. It contains copious amounts of beta-glucan, a polysaccharide (long-chained sugar molecule) that studies show has the potential to increase prolactin, a central hormone of lactation. Beta-glucan is a primary reason that malt and beer are so popular among breastfeeding mothers.

There is another reason that malt is lactogenic. Through the malting process, the nutritional components in the barley grain are separated out into their smallest constituents by the malting enzymes. In a sense, the enzymes "pre-digest" or "break down" the grain for us. This means that the minerals, vitamins and micro-nutrients can be easily absorbed by a mother.

Many lactogenic foods follow this rule: they are both nutrient-rich and easily digested. The weeks after childbirth are a time of recuperation. In Eastern medicine, it is said that a mother’s digestive energy is low. Her body is healing, and putting all its energy toward creating a milk supply. Any food that offers mothers a lot of easily digestible essential nutrients is welcome and supportive of her milk supply.

Galactagogue of Ninkasi

I have described elsewhere that many dietary galactagogues are associated with mother goddesses. This connection underlines how our foremothers valued dietary galactagogues for breastfeeding. Consider Ninkasi of Sumer, the goddess of both malting and beer, shown in this statue from about 1800 BCE. Note her confident breasts. What is she carrying in the basket on her head? Could it be malt?

Consider the verses in The Hymn to Ninkasi.  This hymn contains step-by-step instructions for malting and brewing. It may have been sung by as an instructional song to pass the skill on to the younger generation, it may have been sung by the workers, helping them maintain an ecstatic state of mind while focusing on the task at hand, preparing the sacred foods of Ninkasi: malt and beer.

Malt In Europe Today

Today as in ancient times, malt is used in countries around the Mediterranean region to increase milk supply. It is popular in the rest of Europe, too. In Switzerland where I lived and had my babies, malt was given to me as a gift by my husband's aunt. She didn't know why she brought me a can of malt syrup when she visited me after the birth of my first child. She had never had children herself. But this was simply what was done--it was tradition to give a new mother malt.

"Biomalz" is the brand of malt given to mothers after birth in Switzerland. Look at this advertisement, it must have been from the mid-20th century as the German lettering is modern.

I looked at that can of "BioMalz" rather helplessly, unable to imagine any situation in which I would use the thick syrup. Years later, I learned that it is a powerful galactagogue. Whenever I lost my supply, which was highly volatile, I would take four soupspoons-full between meals, 3 - 4 times a day. Within a couple of days, my supply would fully rebound.

In Germany, birth professionals today recommend that mothers drink malt-beer, a non-alcoholic malt-based soft drink.

Although no studies directly link malt with increased milk supply, German researchers nonetheless explain this popular usage with barley malt’s beta-glucan content.

Malt for American Mothers

In 19th century America, several cook-books mention malt-tea as a galactagogue.

The tea was made by stirring 3/4 cups of malt powder into a quart of hot water, leaving it to stand and cool, filtering the tea, and drinking it throughout the day.

It is intriguing to consider that in pre-refrigeration days, powdered malt might have served the same function as today’s super-foods or energy bars: easy to store, rich in calories and contains a range of important nutrients.

Malt's Reputation as a Galactagogue is Independent of Beer

All of the above clarifies that, independent of its use in beer, malt has been known and used as a galactagogue, both in Europe and the US.

Malt is surely a galactagogue, the gift, as it were, of a Sumerian goddess.

Changes in Brewing Malt

Beta-glucan is actually undesirable in brewing. It acts as a thickening agent and is  problematic when filtering the beer, adding cost to beer production.

One way modern brewers manage this is to add other grains to the malting process such as corn, wheat, rice and other grains that contain less beta-glucan. With these other grains, however, the product’s lactogenic properties are diminished. Oats are an exception, as oats also contain lots of beta-glucan.

In recent decades, strains of barley have also been cultivated that contain less beta-glucan, and yeast has been genetically enhanced to digest more of it. This means that very little beta-glucan is found in most beer by the end of the brewing process.

It's too bad, really, as beta-glucan is healthful, immunity boosting, and good for the heart.

This stark change in the composition of malt reinforces the goal of this blog. I want to help you understand that we truly cannot compare the beer that our foremothers drank to the beer that is drunk today. To do so would be to grossly misrepresent the history and significance of beer and malt as galactagogues.

Guinness Stout and a few other dark beers are maintaining their reputation with breastfeeding moms. With Guinness, flakes of raw barley grain  are purposefully added to the brew in order to increase its beta-glucan content. Here, its function as a thickening agent is desired.

The identical principle applies when oat flakes are added to produce Oat Stout. Oats also contain beta-glucan.

Barley and oats are well-known galactagogues!

Do I recommend Malt as a Galactagogue?

No, I do not. At least, not as a main galactagogue.

Sign up to my newsletter here and receive a free handout of my Recommendations for Beer as a Galactagogue.

The reason?

Powdered malt sugar--even from "good" brands--is often mixed with dextrose (corn sugar), which in the US is undoubtedly derived from GM corn.

Malt powder, too, that is used to make malted milk or malted milk shakes, is commonly combined with dextrose from GM corn.

If you follow my work, you know that I do not endorse GM foods.

Another negative: all barley products contain gluten, which many breastfeeding mothers will want to avoid.

In the United States, several products do claim to be pure organic barley malt syrup.  Eden Foods Organic Barley Malt Syrup is an example. It can be found online and in health food stores.

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This article represents my original research, and is an excerpt from a book in progress, The History of Low Milk Supply and the Lactogenic Diet. All rights reserved. Do not re-print or use without my permission ©hilaryjacobson 2011-2016

The Meaning of "Mother Food" -- Examples from Poetry and Myth

While working on my book, I went back and forth on the title. When "Mother Food"  came to mind, it instantly struck me as right. It conjured up images of creation and feelings of wholeness.

I googled the name. This was 2003, and I found the name only in studies from China in which "mother food" meant, simply, the nourishment of the mother. Today, a similar search brings up many more references from different cultures, to describe to the mother's diet.

Carl Gustav Jung said that in our dreams and art, the ocean often represents the source of life, the mother, the womb, as well as the subconscious mind.  

In the same way, "Mother Food," to me, represents the source of life, the sustenance of life, and the interconnections between good food and the survival of our species, as well as the quality of our existence and culture--beginning with pregnancy and birth of every child.

In Hinduism, the lotus is called "padma," and "Padma" is also the name of a mother goddess of the harvest. In Hinduism, the lotus represents the creative womb of the universe. Out of the lotus, which resides on the "Great Water," (ocean) the universe is born. The root of the lotus is also used in India to increase milk production. I do not believe that such connections are  coincidence. Plants that increase milk production are frequently part of the imagery and tale of religions. 

 In world mythology, I have found many examples of galactagogues that are associated with mother goddesses, affirming to me that "Mother Food" (lactogenic foods and herbs) are historically linked to the "Great Mother." In many instances, these foods and herbs are used to make beverages that increase milk production. For instance, barley, the sacred grain of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess, was used to make barley water, a renowned galactagogue. Often, the same drink used as a galactagogue was also used in religious rites, sometimes combined with hallucinogenic herbs. This was the case with Demeter. Barley water was combined, most probably with poppy, and used in her rites that were said to give visions of the afterlife.

Another example: pulque, the fermented juice of the manguey cactus, is used traditionally in Mesoamerica to enhance milk production. Pulque itself is pale white, and looks like mother's milk. Pulque is also sacred to the breastfeeding mother goddess Mayahuel, who lives within the cactus. Mayahuel was called a goddess of many breasts, and was sometimes depicted breastfeeding a baby. 

Pulque is also associated with the Great Mother Goddess of Mesoamerican tradition, and was used, with added, hallucinogenic ingredients, in her sacred rites.

In the writings of Lao Tse, the great Chinese mystic philosopher, I recently found an English translation of a verse that refers to mother food that I find particularly inspirational.  

 


Point of beginning is always there, it is the motherfood.  
Door to the birth, it is the root of the world. 
Babies exist, yet motherfood is not exhausted. 

An understanding for the meaning of Mother Food is rooted deeply in traditional cultures. Mother Food is an archetype for the inexhaustible source of life that for a baby is represented by breastmilk, and for a mother by the foods and herbs that promote the production of her breastmilk while maintaining her best health.  

Deny that Mother Food exists (as is still commonly the case in the west), trivialize its importance for the mother and the baby, and the interconnection between food and optimum health and the development of human society is blurred at best. 

Beer, Anemia, Lactation, Copper - and of course, Galactagogue

Last week, a mother wrote to say that she drinks a pint of Guinness beer every day to help with her anemia. Never having heard of beer as a remedy for anemia, I did a little internet searching.

An article called "Beer: it does a body good" on Prospectus News relates how Guinness beer has been wrongly promoted as a good source of iron in Ireland for pregnant women. Hm. Talk about a country standing behind its national product, regardless of medical truth or consequences for their vulnerable population. Read more.

Studies from Africa reporting on the medical condition called iron overload, point to people's high consumption of home-made beer. Read more. It turns out that materials used in brewing increases the iron content of some beer, but also that certain people of African descent carry a gene that predisposes them to iron overload. Read more.

So is Guinness different from other beers? Yes, not because it contains more iron than other beers, but because it contains more beta-glucan, an immune-boosting and lactation-boosting sugar that unfortunately is reduced to a minimum in normal commercial beer brewing. Beta-glucan is the secret ingredient that makes Guinness and similar dark stout beers special for breastfeeding mothers. To learn more, read The Best Beer for Breastfeeding and other related posts about beer and malt as a galactagogue on this site.

So what was going on with the mother who drinks Guinness for her anemia? 

That search lead me to a website describing something called "copper-deficiency anemia." Beer is actually a good source of copper. Read more.

I contacted the mother and she reports that she does indeed fit the description of copper-deficiency. She also finds that while Guinness makes her feel less fatigued by providing copper, it also supports her very fragile milk supply.

Could copper be crucially involved in milk supply? 

Something new to investigate... and after a quick search, there seems to be something to it. This study on rodents concludes: "lactation markedly enhances the avidity of the mammary gland for copper, diverting most of it from liver and kidney to that tissue" Here is the entire study. Any thoughts? I am reminded of all the copper-rich seafood traditionally recommended to increase lactation: oysters, octopus, eel, fish.

Good news: blackstrap molasses is an easily available and good source of both iron and copper, and this may be behind its use as a galactagogue -- two tablespoons a day. 1 Tablespoon mixed into very hot water with a bit of milk tastes a bit like coffee.