A gentle drink of strained, simmered barley, sometimes with a little lemon, given to the sick, the feverish, and those with urinary or kidney complaints — a soothing, cooling, easily-tolerated fluid.
Barley water passed through Caribbean and Black American households as the drink for the bedridden — the Caribbean diaspora especially keeps it as a familiar sick-room and cooling beverage. It is the gentler, cooling counterpart to the warming ginger tonic.
Barley water is the classic invalid drink of the Old World sick-room, and it earns the role: the simmered barley releases soluble beta-glucan and a gentle, easily tolerated carbohydrate that soothes an irritated gut and provides mild nourishment when solid food is too much. Traditionally it is given for fever (as a cooling, hydrating fluid), for urinary and kidney complaints (its mild diuretic, soothing reputation), and during recovery from illness or surgery when the body needs gentle fluid and energy. With a little lemon it becomes a refreshing convalescent drink that goes down easily when appetite and stomach are weak.
Simmer 1/4 cup barley in 4-5 cups water for 30-45 minutes until the water turns cloudy; strain. Serve warm for sickness or cooled for fever, with a little lemon and a touch of honey (for those over one year) if desired.
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