Barley Green: On the Health Benefits of
Barley Grass
Barley
One of the seven sacred cereals, barley comes from the
eastern Balkans. From an esoteric point of view, barley is considered a mild
nourishing force which stimulates the heart and is used for easing the
emotional tension of a person.
Description
Barley is a type of cereal
which can reach heights of around 0.7 to 1.2 meters. The plant's fruit is ear
shaped. This way there are a number of types of barley, depending on the number
of granules on the ear: summer and winter barley. The winter barley is used for
feeding animals because of the inferior quality of its granules.
Nutritional Values
When it reaches a height of
20 - 30 cm, barley contains the most nutritive resources necessary for the
human body. Thus, barley leafs contain vitamins B (B1, B2, B6, and B12),
vitamins E and C, a great amount of iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium,
molybdenum, germanium, zinc, copper, lithium, bioflavonoid, polysaccharides,
and polypeptides.
The green stem of barley, apart from containing vitamins, minerals and enzymes, also contains natural hormones and chlorophyll. These nutritive substances give barley antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antiviral properties. Unlike most plants, barley grass provides all nine essential amino acids (those which your body can't produce).
The green stem of barley, apart from containing vitamins, minerals and enzymes, also contains natural hormones and chlorophyll. These nutritive substances give barley antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antiviral properties. Unlike most plants, barley grass provides all nine essential amino acids (those which your body can't produce).
Healing Claims
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 helps improve memory,
bringing clarity in thought. Also, it eases stomach pains, heals ulcers, and
lessens arthritic pains and inflammations. In obesity it helps eliminate weight
excess. Green barley juice has an anti-inflammatory effect, revitalizing the
tegument and curing it of its dryness. The plant shows visible results in the
fight against collagen and leukemia, also neutralizing the toxic effects of
tobacco.
Other diseases in which the
treatment with barley is utilized: anorexia, anemia, stomatitis, pancreatitis,
miocardic arrest, bronchic asthma, arthritis, and epilepsy. Barley stimulates
the drainage and regeneration of the liver, activates the immune system helping
in the fight against the hepatic virus.
Barley
can fights Diabetes
Barley is an
excellent food choice for those concerned about type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes
because the grain contains essential vitamins and minerals and is an excellent
source of dietary fiber, particularly beta-glucan soluble fiber. Research
shows that barley beta-glucan soluble fiber promotes healthy blood sugar by
slowing glucose absorption.
A long-term
study published in the August 2007 edition of the Diabetes
Research and Clinical Practice journal reported a 30-percent
decrease in HbA1c (average blood glucose level) in type 2 diabetics who
consumed a healthy diet including pearl barley that supplied 18 grams of
soluble fiber a day. Regardless of the form of the grain, there is always
a ready source of beta-glucan soluble fiber in barley.
Is
barley a good fiber choice?
Yes! Barley is an excellent choice when it
comes to adding both soluble and insoluble fiber to the diet. Our favorite
grain compares favorably to other grains in total dietary fiber content. For
example, a ½-cup serving of cooked pearl barley contains 3 grams of dietary
fiber. In comparison, a ½-cup serving of long-grain brown rice contains 1.75
grams dietary fiber. One-half-cup serving of white long-grain rice contains
less than 1 gram of dietary fiber.
NUTRIENT PROFILE
BY WEIGHT, dehydrated barley grass has 11
times the calcium of cow's milk, 5 times the iron of spinach, and more protein
than sirloin steak. About 2 teaspoons (6 g) of barley grass powder contains the
following:
CALORIES 17 PROTEIN 1.4g
CALCIUM 30mg
IRON 3mg
POTASSIUM 170mg
VITAMIN A 3,120 IU
VITAMIN B1 15 mcg
VITAMIN B2 140 mcg
FOLIC ACID 52 mcg
VITAMIN B12 1.7 mcg
VITAMIN C 19 mg
CHLOROPHYLL 32.6 mg
"[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. It also
improves the texture of the skin and heals the dryness associated with
aging."
Sources: barleyfoods.org
“Barley Grass”, by Betsy Block, NATURAL
HEALTH Magazine Oct. 1999
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