What is Talbina? How does it helps reduce Depression?

What is Talbina?

Talbina is a barley flour porridge produced by mixing milk and honey with dried barley powder to make a thick porridge. In Arabic, laban means yogurt, and the name originates from the fact that it resembles yogurt in texture and appearance since it is soft and white. An exceptional blend of prophecy and Islamic medicine produces unfathomable outcomes for alleviating disease. There are therapeutic powers to this calming porridge, which is created from whole barley grain and has a high nutritional value owing to the high dietary content found in barley. Furthermore, it is metabolized swiftly in the digestive tract, allowing the nutrients to reach the body system more quickly.

When one of you cleans the dirt from his face with water, it (Talbina) comforts the sick heart and cleanses the weak soul. Talbinah is a barley syrup that is boiled with milk and sweetened with honey, and it is a traditional Arabic dish. According to the Prophet Mohammad (SAW), in his renowned Hadith on Talbinah, the herb is suggested when tragic events occur because of its impact on calming hearts and alleviating despair. This randomized clinical study with a 3-week crossover design was undertaken in Seremban to investigate the effect of Talbinah on mood and depression in institutionalized elderly people.

Talbina Porridge

Earlier Historical Developments

Depression in the elderly is a serious public health problem all over the globe since it is a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments. Depression has been linked to poor mental and physical well-being, a reduction in life quality, and an increase in the death rate. A greater frequency of depression has been documented among the elderly who stay in long-term care institutions than among the elderly who live in the community.

According to research, eating is one of the things that might impact one's mood and level of depression. It has been shown that macro-and micronutrients influence mood and cognitive performance. Specifically, Wurtman postulated that a perfect carbohydrate diet is connected with fewer minor depressive symptoms and energy. It is believed that carbohydrate ingestion boosts serotonin production by increasing the release of insulin, which improves muscle absorption of amino acids but not tryptophan, and further raises the ratio between tryptophan and ample neutral amino acids (tyrosine and phenylalanine) in plasma.

Materials and procedures may be discussed in detail.

An open-label, crossover randomized clinical trial was done at a publicly financed long-term care facility over seven weeks (3-week intervention, 1-week washout period, and 3-week intervention), utilizing a crossover design. The information was gathered between September and November 2011. The Ethical Committee of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia approved the research procedure. All participants signed a permission form to confirm their participation.

Criteria for inclusion

Participants had to be 60 years of age or older and hospitalized for at least six months to be eligible. They are also required to have depression (a Geriatric Depression Scale – Residential (GDS-R) score of 3 or above) and excellent cognitive function to be included (a Mini-Mental State Examination score of at least 23).

Criteria for exclusion

Those with diabetes, those receiving medical treatment for depression, and those who had communication difficulties were among those who were barred from participating.

The therapeutic effects of Talbinah on depression

Talbina is a high-carbohydrate dish, and there was a positive association between the number of carbs taken with sadness and mood.

Other research has shown a link between zinc deficiency and depression, consistent with previous findings. Lower zinc serum levels are connected with people who are very depressed. According to the findings of a study, using zinc as a supplement while on antidepressant medication is helpful. As a result, the zinc concentration of Talbinah, which is 5 mg per serving, may have also had a role in reducing depression. When administered as a supplemental dosage, magnesium may be effective in treating depression in a short period. Talbinah has 14.4 mg of magnesium per serving, which is high. It was thus unable to determine if the magnesium in Talbinah had any influence on the symptoms of depression.

The effect of Talbinah on food consumption is unknown.

During the Talbinah intervention, the individuals' calorie, magnesium, and zinc intakes were higher than before. Because most individuals' diets were deficient in calories, magnesium, and zinc, the sound effects of Talbinah on mood may be attributable to these increased intakes. However, despite the high carbohydrate content of Talbinah, the results did not demonstrate a statistically significant change in daily carbohydrate consumption during the study period.

Limitations

The techniques used to evaluate depression and mood changes were purely subjective. According to the Talbinah effect on mood augmentation, objective methods of mood evaluation, such as visual analogue scales, may provide more accurate findings than personal approaches.

The control and the intervention groups were not blinded and did not use placebos in their studies. Because of the disparate numbers of males and females and different ethnicities, it wasn't easy to generalize the findings. It was impossible to identify the micronutrient content of several critical vitamins in the food analysis due to the lack of the necessary procedures in the research region.

Final Thought

Overall, Talbinah is a nutrient-dense diet that can alleviate sadness, relieve stress, and improve mood among the elderly who are institutionalized. The high carbohydrate composition, zinc concentration, and high ratio may be the underlying causes of these effects. Further research is needed to discover the exact mechanism through which Talbinah has such a good impact on depression and mood. Additional research is required to evaluate the efficiency of Talbinah on different degrees of depression in other patients and the usefulness of Talbinah when utilizing more objective approaches in the evaluation of mood and depression.

DIY - How to Make Talbina. 

Talbina is made by adding 1-2 tablespoons of barley flour (100% wholegrain barley flour) to one and a half cups of water or milk. Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. This broth can be used as a stock for soups, stews, or thickeners. It can be sweetened with honey.

Check out the extended Talbina Recipe for a Delicious Treat. 

• Ingredients:
• Whole Barley/Jau 50 gmsWater as required to keep the porridge hydrated— Milk 1 cup/300 ml— Dates (Ajwa preferred) 3-7 or as needed—De-seeded and chopped Honey 2 tablespoons Condensed Milk/Sugar to taste
  Dry Fruits for taste only (not required) Pista (Pistachio) sliced two tablespoons - Badam (Almonds) sliced two tablespoons Cardamom powder

Directions: Wash and rinse the barley and remove the impurities (if any). -Add water and soak for 3–4 hours or overnight along with chopped dates. -In a pot, add the milk and bring it to a boil. Then add soaked barley with chopped dates and mix well. Keep the pot open and cook on a low flame for 20 minutes. -Add honey, condensed milk, and cardamom powder and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes.

-Add pistachio and almonds to the garnish and serve!

 

References

 

What is Talbina?

The Significance of Dates in Ramadan