Barley varigate, has been introduced for cultivation as an ornamental and pot plant for pet cats to nibble. In English folklore, the figure of John Barleycorn in the folksong of the same name is a personification of barley, and of the alcoholic beverages made from it: beer and whisky. In the song, John Barleycorn is represented as suffering attacks, death, and indignities that correspond to the various stages of barley cultivation, such as reaping and malting. Barley Barley ("Hordeum vulgare"), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the
Alcoholic drinks in China liquor, the seed mash described above can also be made to be eaten or drunk as a sweet dessert. Traditional Chinese medicine frequently employed alcoholic drinks (associated with yin) and alcoholic drinks were likewise used as medicine. Alcohol including extracts of plants, herbs, animal parts, or minerals are not as common as they once were but may still be encountered. One example of such a medicinal alcoholic drink is realgar wine: consumed during the Dragon Boat Festival, realgar wine consisted of "huangjiu" mixed with realgar, an arsenic sulfide also used as an insecticide. It appears in the Chinese legend of