Introduction: "All grains, wheat, and soybeans, when soaked and allowed to sprout, gain the upward-moving qi of growth, which reaches the liver to regulate the spleen and stomach, hence their ability to promote digestion. In cases of depression leading to symptoms like bloating and obstruction, (wheat sprouts) are wonderfully effective. People know that they aid in digesting grains but are unaware of their ability to soothe the liver."

Grain and Wheat Sprouts Containing the "Life-Generating Qi"

Feng Songjie

Rice and wheat, ranked among the Five Grains, have served as daily sustenance for the common people since ancient times. As stated in the *Neijing*, "The Five Grains provide nourishment, the Five Fruits offer support..." These grains have formed the fundamental components of the Chinese diet for millennia. Moreover, the medicinal use of rice and wheat sprouts is documented as early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties period in Tao Hongjing’s *Mingyi Bielu*.

Rice and wheat sprouts are sweet and neutral in nature, non-toxic, and act on the spleen and stomach meridians. Endowed with the harmonious and substantial Earth Qi, medical practitioners commonly classify them under digestive aids, frequently employing them in clinical practice for digestive disorders of the spleen and stomach. Their properties, functions, and indications have been extensively discussed throughout history. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* notes, "Malt, rice sprouts, and millet sprouts all aid in the digestion of grains, flours, and various fruits." The *Authentic Materia Medica* elaborates, "Malt tastes sweet and has a warm nature. With a subtle salty flavor, it softens hardness. Its warmth promotes free flow, enabling it to digest food and grains, as well as treat all cases of stagnant food and cold Qi, fullness in the chest and abdomen, warming the middle, directing Qi downward, dispelling irritability, stopping cholera-like disorders, resolving phlegm fluids, and breaking up abdominal masses. Consuming fried malt alone can inhibit lactation." The *Principles of Medicinals* adds, "Barley malt, when fried and aromatic, opens the stomach to relieve irritability and restlessness. When used raw, it exerts a potent effect, primarily digesting wheat and flour accumulations, relieving abdominal masses and Qi stagnation, distension and fullness in the chest and diaphragm, stagnant phlegm fluids, and infantile impairment due to milk. It also helps to activate stagnant blood in the upper energizer."

However, this perspective is not entirely comprehensive. Both rice and wheat sprouts possess the biological characteristic of "sprouting," akin to plants in general. They support transformation in the middle Jiao, invigorate the spleen and stomach, and harbor the vitality of growth and generation. Moreover, they exhibit a sweet, neutral nature without being drying. They aid digestion while fostering vitality, achieving remarkable effects through their mild and unassuming properties. For instance, the *Annotations on the Materia Medica* states, "Malt...its Qi of generation and development also assists the stomach Qi in ascending, activating Yang movement to support robust transformation and transportation, thus primarily opening the stomach and supplementing the spleen..." The *Exploration of the Origins of Materia Medica* remarks, "When grains such as wheat, rice, and soybeans are soaked and sprouted, they all acquire the Qi of growth and ascending, reaching the liver to regulate and transform the spleen and stomach Earth. Hence, they can promote digestion. For conditions such as distension and blockage resulting from constraint and depression, (malt) is wonderfully effective. People know it digests grains but are unaware it soothes the liver." Wu Jutong, in his *Book on Treating Diseases*, also notes, "Millet and sorghum grow in firm soil and possess a firm nature, excelling in supplementing the spleen. Rice grows in damp soil and has a soft nature, excelling in supplementing the stomach." Zhang Xichun, in the *Record of Heartfelt Experiences in Medicine with Reference to the West: Medicinals*, similarly praised their nature, stating, "They are inherently effective in digestion and also promote urination and defecation. Although they are medicinals for the spleen and stomach, they are actually skilled in soothing liver Qi. The liver governs free flow and serves as the mover of Qi for the kidneys. Because they possess the ability to soothe the liver and adeptly assist the liver Wood in free flow to move kidney Qi, they are also effective in inducing labor." The formulas he created—Regulate Qi and Nourish the Spirit Decoction, Subdue Liver and Extinguish Wind Decoction, and Nourish Spleen and Soothe Liver Decoction—all incorporate malt. The reason lies in the fact that malt, as the sprout of grain, resonates with the liver due to sharing the same Qi nature. Hence, it can enter the liver meridian to regulate and free liver Qi, truly making it an excellent medicinal for soothing the liver. Evidently, rice and wheat sprouts are not merely digestive aids; they also supplement the spleen and stomach and relieve liver constraint.

Often for conditions caused by liver depression and spleen deficiency, malt is used heavily, either alone or in combination, to promote mental function, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and also to achieve its ability to soothe the liver and relieve depression. With its mild nature yet potent effect, it has the power to invigorate the five organs, and has proven to yield excellent results in clinical practice.

Malt also serves the dual purpose of promoting and suppressing lactation. As for its raw or fried use, opinions vary among medical practitioners. The "Danxi's Methods of Treatment" first documented the use of fried malt to treat "postpartum fever, blocked lactation and engorgement, as well as to reduce milk production in non-pregnant women." Later, "Essentials of Medicinal Properties" also noted: "If a woman's qi and blood are robust, or if a postpartum woman without a child is lactating, with breast swelling and pain, Danxi used two liang of malt, stir-fried until fragrant, pounded, and peeled, divided into four doses to reduce lactation." Zhang Lu, in "Origins of the Classics" stated: "For postpartum breast swelling and unwillingness to breastfeed, half a liang of malt is used; taking it will stop lactation, indicating its ability to deplete essence and blood." Clinical evidence suggests that raw malt promotes lactation, while fried malt suppresses it.