Some people prefer drinking "flavored water" such as carbonated beverages and sweet drinks. However, while these drinks taste good, they offer no health benefits and can actually worsen symptoms of indigestion when consumed in excess. So is there a beverage that can both relieve summer heat and quench thirst while also promoting digestion? Barley tea is an excellent choice.

Some people prefer drinking "flavored water" such as carbonated beverages and sweet drinks. However, while these drinks taste good, they offer no health benefits and can actually worsen symptoms of indigestion when consumed in excess. So is there a beverage that can both relieve summer heat and quench thirst while also promoting digestion? Barley tea is an excellent choice.

Many office workers have experienced this: starting work full of energy, but after some time, feeling fatigued and listless; after a few more days, noticing dull yellow complexion, decreasing appetite, constipation and other issues appearing, with a small belly gradually protruding. Actually, these are all caused by sitting for long periods in front of computers, drinking insufficient water, and having the gastrointestinal system "go on strike."

That prolonged sitting harms the stomach is an established fact. Due to lack of whole-body movement, gastrointestinal peristalsis significantly weakens, digestive secretions decrease, and over time symptoms like poor appetite, indigestion, and abdominal bloating appear. During hot summer days, people are already prone to gastrointestinal dysfunction and reduced gastric acid secretion, accompanied by mental lethargy. Combined with work pressure, these adverse reactions become more pronounced.

The expert's prescription is very simple: get up and move around every hour, drink two more glasses of water to replenish fluids and regulate mood. But drinking water requires consideration. Some people prefer "flavored water" like carbonated and sweetened beverages. Unbeknownst to them, while these drinks taste good, they offer no health benefits and can worsen indigestion symptoms when consumed excessively.

So is there a beverage that can both relieve summer heat and quench thirst while also promoting digestion?

Barley tea is an excellent choice. According to introductions, barley is sweet in taste and neutral in nature, with effects including relieving food stagnation, harmonizing the stomach, clearing heat and quenching thirst, promoting qi and water metabolism, strengthening blood vessels, fortifying the five organs, and transforming grain food. Barley tea has the benefits of cooling and detoxifying, strengthening the spleen and aiding weight loss, clearing summer heat, removing fishy and gamey odors, cutting through grease, and aiding digestion. It can eliminate feelings of chest tightness and abdominal distension while enhancing gastric motility. Office workers who sit at computers for long periods might consider drinking several cups of barley tea daily. After some time, you'll discover not only improved gastrointestinal function and gradually disappearing constipation, but also an overall feeling of refreshment—truly "killing multiple birds with one stone."