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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 14, 2015 19:58:41 GMT
I have had this problem since the day I was born. I am not kidding and I think I may have solved the problem. I was introduced to barley tea in Japan 30 odd years ago. It doesn't have a lot in it other than barley and water. It doesn't have calories, carbs, nutrition or anything. All it does is flavour water. Or so I thought... I bought a box of it and I started going to the bathroom on a more frequent basis. This is NOT normal for me. I am not a regular person and never had been. (I used to take 20 Senacot once a week to go if that gives you any idea what it was like.) I started drinking more of the tea because I like the flavour. I thought ok what is causing this comfortable feeling. I am drinking 3 or more big glasses of the tea a day (it's iced and it tastes good-I think it tastes good, but I am a fan of it so YMMV). I contacted a doctor friend in Japan and she said she had never heard of barley tea helping constipation, but did give me a long lecture why I need to go daily. (She is a doctor...) Fast forward to a month later. I am still drinking the tea. Nothing else has changed in my diet. I still take pain meds for my hand as needed, I still take antidepressants daily, I exercise by running to the fridge and back and I am still going daily. All that is different is the tea. I don't know if it will work for you or not. It is simple to make. I have a 3L Rubbermaid juice jug in the fridge. I fill it up and put 3 tea bags in. It steeps for 2 hours or so and it's ready. I like it strong, but you may like it weaker. Either seems to be fine for me. As long as I drink it every day, it's like a miracle! I found this www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-health-benefits-of-barley-tea/ and I don't know if all those things are true or not, but it seems to work for me. I can't believe I didn't know this before. (I liked to drink it, but it was a summer drink and I never made it in North America). |
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caro
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Refupea 1130
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Post by caro on Nov 14, 2015 20:20:19 GMT
Where do you purchase barley tea?
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 14, 2015 21:06:43 GMT
I buy it at a Japanese grocery store. I have seen it in Korean grocery stores and Chinatown.
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Post by FrozenPea on Nov 14, 2015 22:01:35 GMT
I googled and found this:Koreans swear that barley tea is essential to the digestion, and relieves constipation. wholegrainscouncil.org/node/6046/printEta I looked at a few other sites and they say it helps because it is high in fiber. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 14, 2015 23:28:38 GMT
I googled and found this:Koreans swear that barley tea is essential to the digestion, and relieves constipation. wholegrainscouncil.org/node/6046/printEta I looked at a few other sites and they say it helps because it is high in fiber. I read the package and it has nothing in it, though. There are no calories or carbs or nutrition. It is just brewed from barley. That could explain why I feel the way I feel though! The Japanese have an onomatopoetic word for the feeling and it's "sukkiri suru" and translates to ahhh relief but has more emphatic emotion in it. |
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Post by gailoh on Nov 14, 2015 23:51:29 GMT
hope I can find it here in the states then. I am having issues as well...
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Post by gailoh on Nov 15, 2015 0:00:27 GMT
Just thought I may find this at a health food store...anyone try that?
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Post by gailoh on Nov 15, 2015 0:12:22 GMT
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Post by gailoh on Nov 15, 2015 12:08:34 GMT
btt
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Post by anonrefugee on Nov 15, 2015 14:45:51 GMT
When you say steep in the fridge, do you start with hot water?
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 15, 2015 15:47:45 GMT
I like House brand as House is like Kraft in Japan. I have trouble getting it here. House brand food stuffs are good quality. I am just getting a cheap brand of mugicha now as it's what Fujiya carries. The mugicha I drink has 0 fibre in it. I read the ingredient list on it and it said 0g fibre. I can't explain how this works for me if it has no fibre in it. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 15, 2015 15:48:11 GMT
When you say steep in the fridge, do you start with hot water? No I put 3L of cold water in a jug and put in 3 tea bags. It's easier than making Kool-Aid. |
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Post by anonrefugee on Nov 15, 2015 17:31:02 GMT
Probably TMI but this was is good info for me today. I called local Japan store, they carry two brands (may-gee is phonetic spelling of one) but not House. I'm going to try it. Thank you!
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Post by birukitty on Nov 15, 2015 21:47:42 GMT
While I haven't found tea to fix my problem I also used to suffer from constipation but that completely disappeared once I switched to a whole foods plant based diet. Now I'm as regular as clock work. One of the major parts of this diet is whole grains. Here in America so many of us are used to eating white bread, pasta and rice that have been stripped of much of the fiber our bodies truly need. I was eating wheat bread but it's wasn't a whole grain variety. I've since learned to not believe what is written on the front of the label, but to instead look on the back label where the ingredients are-it has to say whole wheat. Or whole grain. Multi grain alone doesn't cut it. We are now eating whole wheat pasta and yes, at first it tasted really strange but now we all prefer it. Brown rice is whole grain. My favorite bread is from the Whole Foods bakery and is called "whole grain, multi grain". It's very dense so it fills me up quickly. But here are lots of options for other whole grain breads on the market. The best thing to look for is to read the ingredients label and first look for whole grain, wheat, or whatever you like, and then look for natural ingredients and as little of processed ingredients as you can find. I like to say if I can't pronounce it  Debbie in MD. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 16, 2015 1:01:52 GMT
The tea has worked for me today. I am a little um sick of that urge to go at this point. It isn't painful (remember those days!) It just keeps happening over and over. I am good 1x day and 3x is a bit too frequent. The tea must have fibre in it and that's causing this. I have never had this soft an abdomen in my whole entire life. There is no bloating like I would get from Metamucil and other senna based laxatives. There is just none of that.
It works. It really works!
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Post by jenjie on Nov 16, 2015 2:30:19 GMT
The tea has worked for me today. I am a little um sick of that urge to go at this point. It isn't painful (remember those days!) It just keeps happening over and over. I am good 1x day and 3x is a bit too frequent. The tea must have fibre in it and that's causing this. I have never had this soft an abdomen in my whole entire life. There is no bloating like I would get from Metamucil and other senna based laxatives. There is just none of that. It works. It really works! [ Maybe try drinking it every other day. Or half a glass. Or could it be that you are eating differently with everything going on? Or anxiety loosening your bowels? I was never like you but I am regular now where before I would have issues with constipation. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 16, 2015 4:34:47 GMT
I would say I am just comfortable now. It is weird not having your gut ache all the time because you can't go. I will cut back on how much i drink and see if it changes anything. It isn't the problem of having to go per se, it's that if I am not at home I have to go in a public restroom and that terrifies me! |
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Deleted
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May 13, 2024 17:36:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2015 4:45:34 GMT
E: I'm happy for you! I began having that issue when I got put on pain meds a few years ago. I eat pretty healthy foods and drink tons of water, but I do have that pain in my stomach and just wish I could "go" daily or even a few times a week. I'll see if I could get this tea (even though I can't stand to drink anything but water or seltzer). Thanks for the info!! Hope all is well!
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 16, 2015 5:16:24 GMT
E: I'm happy for you! I began having that issue when I got put on pain meds a few years ago. I eat pretty healthy foods and drink tons of water, but I do have that pain in my stomach and just wish I could "go" daily or even a few times a week. I'll see if I could get this tea (even though I can't stand to drink anything but water or seltzer). Thanks for the info!! Hope all is well! It's not like our western tea. It's nothing like that at all. It's like water. That has a wheat flavour to it. It has almost no taste. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2015 13:21:45 GMT
It's not like our western tea. It's nothing like that at all. It's like water. That has a wheat flavour to it. It has almost no taste. Okay, you convinced me then. I'll try it. You said that 3 bags makes 3 liters of water? How many glasses of it do you have to drink to get results? TIA! |
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Nov 16, 2015 13:56:12 GMT
I just want to add that I've had issues my whole life. I've dealt with tears and bleeding. It's always been difficult for me. 6 months ago I switched to a better diet and now I can't go back. And I haven't been constipated at all once. As part of my new diet I started drinking more and this has also helped a lot with constipation. So glad you found something that worked for you!
P.
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Post by librarylady on Nov 16, 2015 14:23:27 GMT
FWIW, my SIL had terrible constipation for years. Tried all sorts of solutions. FINALLY (through allergy testing) learned that her reaction to onions was what locked her up. No onions=no constipation for her.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 16, 2015 20:26:09 GMT
It's not like our western tea. It's nothing like that at all. It's like water. That has a wheat flavour to it. It has almost no taste. Okay, you convinced me then. I'll try it. You said that 3 bags makes 3 liters of water? How many glasses of it do you have to drink to get results? TIA! I was drinking 3 glasses of it a day. I don't know how much you have to drink of it to be honest. I *like* the taste of mugicha because it is comfort food for me. I mean I have been drinking it for 30 years. 3 L jug and 3 tea bags. If that is too strong for you, then water it down. I sometimes have to do that if it's too strong. I can't explain it. I had the same problem as Paige did. I am embarrassed to say how many problems and appointments I have had to discuss this issue. I am going to cut back to 2 glasses of it a day. The problem I have with cutting back is I like to drink it. I am not drinking it to go to the bathroom. Heck I didn't even KNOW this about it. This is my drink of choice. When I have my mugicha I think of miso soup, rice and maybe some salted salmon. I did NOT think of the correlation between it and bathroom success. I still don't know if it's a success or not. *Nothing* else is different in my life. Stress is still the same, health is still the same, food is the same, coffee is the same. The only thing different is this tea. It may not work for you. I don't know if it will or won't. It works crazy well for me. I have to brag for a moment but my stomach and intestines are so soft now and comfortable. That may sound bizarre that I am saying something like that, but if you have suffered your entire life, you would be bragging about it, too! Good luck! |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2015 1:25:41 GMT
E: Thanks for the info. I'll try it. I do find that eating small meals (& MUCH less food!!) has helped me with the bloat-feeling, but I still suffer with the whole process, so I'll try this asap!
Librarylady: That's SO interesting! I've never had these issues before in my life until I had to begin pain meds for chronic pain. I was taking high dosages of aspirin daily and I suppose that helped keep me regular, but these pain meds block you up, despite your healthy diet. I don't know if I could cook without onions, but the testing for it sounds interesting!
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sharlag
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Post by sharlag on Nov 17, 2015 2:25:00 GMT
I keep flashing to a comedian's routine: "Do you suffer from constipation? No, I enjoy it!"
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Post by librarylady on Nov 17, 2015 3:31:52 GMT
Allergies: Unless you are having many problems most allergists won't test for food allergies. My SIL has several allergies and was going to have some expensive treatments. Along the way food allergies were tested and that is when she found out she was allergic to onions and that was the source of her misery for years.
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