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The dried germinated fruit of Hordeum vulgare (Poaceae). Enters the Spleen, Stomach, and Liver channels. Sweet and neutral, it is the key herb for digesting starchy food accumulation. Used raw it courses the Liver and relieves constraint; stir-fried it digests food and suppresses lactation. Commonly paired with shan zha and shen qu as the 'Three Charred Immortals' (jiao san xian).
长于健脾和胃、疏肝行气，多用于肝郁胁痛、肝胃不和
性偏温，长于消食化滞、回乳消胀，多用于米面食积、断乳
长于消食止泻，多用于食积不化、脘腹胀痛、泄泻
消食健胃常用10–15g；回乳或治疗乳汁郁积宜大剂量30–60g。生用偏于疏肝消胀，炒用偏于消食和中，焦麦芽偏于消食止泻。
Reference range for non-pregnant adults. Not a personalized prescription. Pregnancy, lactation, and pediatric use require specialist supervision.
Protective guidance only — when to avoid or use with caution. This block deliberately omits pregnancy, lactation, and pediatric dosing: any such use must be managed by a qualified TCM practitioner or appropriate specialist.
哺乳期妇女不宜服用（大量服用可回乳）。无积滞、脾胃虚弱而非因食停者慎用。《药品化义》言其能消肾，久服损肾。
哺乳期妇女服用大剂量（60g以上）可回乳，需授乳者禁用。孕妇慎用。含淀粉酶，高温久煎可降低其消食之效，宜后下或不宜久煎。
《神农本草经》未载，后世《名医别录》《本草纲目·谷部》载麦蘖，言其消食和中、下气、开胃健脾。
@misc{bencaodian-mai-ya,
author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
title = {Mài Yá 麦芽 (Barley Sprout) — Hordei Fructus Germinatus},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/herbs/mai-ya},
urldate = {2026-04-17},
note = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}© Bencaodian Editorial · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
麦芽含淀粉酶、麦芽糖及大麦芽碱，具助消化、回乳及调节胃肠动力作用。
Germinated barley contains amylases, maltose, and hordenine with digestive-enzyme, lactation-suppressing, and prokinetic activity.
麦芽消食健胃，尤善消米面薯芋之积；生用回乳，炒用消食。
Reduces food stagnation, especially from grains and tubers; raw for lactation suppression, dry-fried for digestion.
生麦芽含活性淀粉酶，炒后酶活下降但消食作用保留；临床大剂量可降低泌乳素。
Raw malt contains active amylase; frying reduces enzyme activity but preserves digestive action; high doses clinically lower prolactin.
《中国药典》以性状及淀粉酶活力为质量控制指标。
Chinese Pharmacopoeia uses macroscopic identification and amylase activity as quality controls.
This section is provided for academic reference only and does not constitute medical advice.