| Of
all the grasses, Barley grass has probably been researched
more, due to the efforts of Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara,
President of the Hagiwara Institute of Health in Japan.
Hagiwara reports that he researched over 150 different
plants over a period of 13 years. He found that in barley
was the most excellent source of nutrients that the body
needs for growth, repair and well-being.
A biologist named Yasuo Hotta from the University of
California, La Jolla, found in barley grass a substance
called P4D1. This substance not only has strong
anti-inflammatory action but was shown to actually repair
the DNA in the cells of the body. This aided in the
prevention of carcinogenesis, aging, and cell death. He
reported in a Japan Pharmacy Science Association meeting
that P4D1 suppresses or cures pancreatitis, stomatitis,
inflammation of the oral cavity, and dermatitis, and also
lacerations of the stomach and doudenum. He found that
barley juice is much stronger than steroid drugs but has
fewer if any side effects. Dr. Howard Lutz, who is director
of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Washington, D.C.,
has said this about barley grass: "(Barley grass is)
one of the most incredible products of this decade. It
improves stamina, sexual energy, clarity of thought, and
reduces addiction to things that are bad for you.
Barleygrass juice also
improves the texture of the skin, and heals the dryness
associated with aging."
Some people who try grass juice find that they just cannot
tolerate wheatgrass juice. It is extremely detoxifying and
makes some people nauseous every time they drink it. These
people may find that they can tolerate barley grass juice.
The juice is milder, although quite bitter, compared to the
sweetness of wheatgrass juice. Barley grass is very
high in organic sodium. People who have a tendency towards
dehydration need more organic sodium. People with arthritis
have used celery juice for years because of the organic
sodium it contains. According to Hagiwara, in his book,
Green Barley Essence, barley grass has 775 mg. organic
sodium per 100 grams. This contrasts with 28 mg. sodium per
100 grams in celery. Organic sodium keeps calcium in
solution in the bloodstream and also dissolves calcium
deposited on the joints. (For this reason alone, it should
be very calming to the nerves.) Barleygrass juice also replenishes organic
sodium in the lining of the stomach. This aids digestion by
improving the production of hydrochloric acid in the
stomach.
Besides chlorophyll and a myriad of vitamins, minerals and
enzymes, barley grass juice is said to have 30 times as much
vitamin B1 as in milk, 3.3 times as much vitamin C, and 6.5
times as much carotene as in spinach, 11 times the amount of
calcium in cow's milk, nearly five times the iron content of
spinach, nearly seven times the vitamin C in oranges, four
times the vitamin B1 in whole wheat flour, and 80 micrograms
of vitamin B12 per 100 grams of dried barley plant juice.
This analysis was done by the Resource Research Association,
Office of Science and Technology, and Japan Food Analysis
Center. This same food analysis center which did research on
the dried barley grass juice, found that it contains per 100
grams: 775 Na, 8,800 K, 1,108 Ca, 224.7 Mg, 15.8 Fe, 1.36
Cu, 534 P, 7.33 Zn. Closest to it is spinach: 25 Na, 490 K,
98 Ca, 59.2Mg, 3.3 Fe, 0.26 Cu, 52 P
Many people have claimed that regular supplementation with
green barley juice stimulates weight loss, which research
says is due to the enhancement of the cytochrome oxidase
enzyme system which is essential for cell metabolism.
Another enzyme contained by barley grass is superoxide
dismutase (SOD), a powerful antioxidant which protects the
cells against toxic free radicals which are thought to be a
primary culprit in aging and many other diseases.
"It has been my experience, after growing both wheatgrass
and barley grass and providing juice for people, both in my
green house and in juice bars, that people who tend to be
arthritic do better with barley grass juice because of its
high sodium content. Many people using this juice
have found relief from pain with a week or two." KK
Fowlkes
We have Ann Wigmore to thank for her research on
wheatgrass and Yoshihide Hagiwara to thank for our knowledge
about barley grass juice. In addition Hippocrates, the father of
medicine advised, "Let your food be your
medicine," and Shin Huange-ti, said "It is the
diet which maintains true health and becomes the best
drug." |
