Barley Grass
Nutrition
Of all the grasses, barley grass has probably been the most researched, 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 by the name of 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 also 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 duodenum. 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, DC, has this to say about barley grass:
Barley grass is very high in organic sodium. People who have a tendency towards dehydration need more organic sodium. 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). It 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 is said to have1:
- 30 times as much vitamin B1 as in milk
- 3.3 times as much vitamin C
- 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
- 80 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 100 grams of dried barley plant juice.
1Analysis conducted by the Resource Research Association, Office of Science and Technology and Japan Food Analysis Centre.