Dehydration, the sick, and Barley Water?!

[bunnyjadwiga]

Causaubon's Book linked to these two pages on the Rehydration project site:
Signs of dehydration: http://rehydrate.org/dehydration/index.html
Homemade Rehydration Solutions: http://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm

Apparently, including starches and sugars with the water helps it be absorbed.

Thus, apparently, the barley-water treatment for the ill. I've looked briefly for recipes for barley-water using Doc's MedievalCookery.com site (if you don't already use the Medieval Cookbook search, go bookmark it right now: http://www.medievalcookery.com/cgi-bin/booksearch.pl
Most of the recipes that did turn up-- in the Libre de Coch-- also called for chicken and almonds, prime sources of protein. But I know of other barley water recipes that call for barley, water, and salt/sugar...

Comments

[landverhuizer.livejournal.com]

not a perfect search (would like to see more books added too) but sure beats the other ways to search online sources and it is so great in a pinch. Love it!
There seems to be two very different types of period barley water, it seems for two different uses though even up to more modern cookbooks (post period), it seems to be a favorite in invalid cookery sections...
makes sense!

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

I've seen late, no doubt degenerate, versions that made barley water a form of lemonade.