Setaria Germinans, Su Ya 粟芽
Italian Millet Sprout
Su Ya (TCM)
Khra ma ཁྲ་མ་ (Tibet)
Setaria italica
Dodoens [Dodonaeus ], R., Stirpium historiae pemptades sex, sive libri XXX (1583)
Setaria italica
Kreutterbuch, Matthiolus, 1586
Botanical name:
Setaria italica
Parts used:
Seed Sprout
Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry. Sweet and Bitter
Classification:
Uses:
1. Strengthens the Stomach, Clears Food Stagnation:
-Indigestion from undigested starchy foods
-Indigestion and poor appetite from Spleen/Digestive deficiency
-the grain (not germinated) is used in Tibet to increase strength and improve appetite
Dose:
Decoction: 10–15 grams
Substitute:
Millet Sprout may be replaced with Barley sprout (Mai Ya)
Preparation:
Stir-fried Millet Sprouts:
Millet sprouts are stir-fried in a wok until yellowish and aromatic. This makes it warmer and more aromatic, therefore better for the spleen. However, overburning or scorching reduces its effects on food stagnation, so they should only be stir-fried until yellowish and aromatic.
Main Combinations:
1. Food Stagnation, Millet sprout, Radish seed, Hawthorn fruit (Shan Zha), Citrus Chen Pi
2. Indigestion, poor appetite and epigastric distention, Millet Sprout, Citrus Chen Pi, Amomum Sha Ren
Major Formulas:
Cautions:
None noted
