Is Barley safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Barley. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Studies in animals indicate that a polysaccharide found in barley is apparently responsible for an increase in prolactin after beer ingestion.[ 5 , 7 , 8 ] Refer to the LactMed record on Alcohol for details. A double-blind study compared a commercial galactogogue product (Femaltiker, Nutropharma Llc., Poland) containing barley malt, 70% barley glucan and powdered lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis ) leaves to an identical placebo in the mothers of preterm infants. Mothers took one packet twice a day for 2 weeks, starting within 3 days of delivery. Milk volume was measured by mothers after extraction using an electric breast pump. Forty mothers in each group completed the study. On day 14 of the study the mothers in the barley group produced more milk than the mothers taking placebo (average 95 mL vs 62.5 mL). The total milk volume over the 2-week period was also greater in the active group compared to the placebo group (average 6036 mL vs 4209 mL).[ 9 ] The study had a rather high dropout rate and the results were not subjected to intention-to-treat analysis. A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled studies in the mothers of preterm neonates examined the efficacy of various herbal galactogogues in increasing milk supply. The authors concluded that a commercial product of barley malt with lemon balm (Femaltiker ) provided a significant increase in milk volume on day 4 postpartum, but low certainty evidence that it increases milk volume at day 7 and very low certainty evidence that the product increases milk volume throughout the 14-day intervention period.[ 10 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.