Barley is an annual grass. Barley grass is the leaf of the barley plant, as opposed to the grain. It is capable of growing in a wide range of climatic conditions. Barley grass has greater nutritional value if harvested at a young age.
Barley is one of the most ancient of cultivated grains. Grains found in pits and pyramids in Egypt indicate that barley was cultivated there more than 5000 years ago. The most ancient glyph or pictograph found for barley is dated about 3000 B.C. Numerous references to barley and beer are found in the earliest Egyptian and Sumerian writings.
Barley grass extracts protect human tissue cells against carcinogens. The mechanism of action is unknown but may be associated with the plant’s antioxidant activity or its chlorophyll content. It has been suggested that complexes may be formed between the carcinogen and the chlorophyll that may inactivate the carcinogen. In addition, antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase, found in high concentrations in green barley juice protect against radiation and free radicals. Research reveals no clinical data regarding the use of barley grass for cancer-preventive properties.
Barley Grass is able to prevent cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals and other toxins, and helps protect immune system cells thereby reducing the risk of inflammation, infection and cancer. Barley has helped as a food staple in most cultures. The use of barley for food and medicinal purposes dates to antiquity. Barley grass contains a substance called P4D1; it not only has a strong anti-inflammatory action, but has also been shown to actually repair the DNA in the body’s cells. P4D1 aids in the prevention of carcinogenesis, aging, and cell death. Barley is widely cultivated grain used as a food and in the brewing process.
Barley grass contains substantial levels of calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus potassium and more iron than spinach, along with high amounts of organic sodium. Organic sodium is a much healthier option than the more widely used sodium chloride.
Barley grass contains 18 amino acids, including the eight essential ones, making it a complete protein. These include alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tyrosine and valine. Amino acids are often referred to as “the building blocks of protein.” They are essential for regenerating cell growth and cellular energy production.
Barley grass is a powerful antioxidant that is believed to help the body kill cancer cells and overcome a variety of ailments, including acne and ulcers. An antioxidant called alpha-tocopherol succinate – a potent relative of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) may be responsible for much of the plant’s anti-tumor action, according to Allan L. Goldstein, Ph.D., head of the biochemistry department at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., who has studied barley grass. Though its mechanism is unknown, alpha-tocopherol succinate seems to inhibit several types of cancer, including leukemia, brain tumors, and prostate cancer.
Barley grass (Hordeum vulgare) is the seedling of the barley plant. It is usually harvested about 200 days after germination, when the shoots are less than a foot tall. Barley grass is a concentrated source of nearly three dozen vitamins and minerals, barley grass is particularly rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2, folic acid, and B12; calcium; iron; potassium; and chlorophyll. Unlike most plants, barley grass provides all nine essential amino acids (those which your body can’t produce).
Barley grass (Hordeum vulgare) has an amazing variety of vitamins and minerals. Barely 12 to 14 inches tall, it is packed with all the nutrients the human body requires, including Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, Beta Carotene, and Vitamin’s B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E. Laboratory analysis has also turned up traces of more than 70 minerals, including Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.
Barley Grass is truly a wonder food. To get the chlorophyll that is contained in 10 grams of cereal grass you would have to eat several servings of spinach, kale, collards, or silverbeet every day. Additionally, you would have to eat six servings of vegetables every day to match the nutrients contained in only two small servings of cereal grass.