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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. It 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. It 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.) It also
replenishes organic sodium in the lining of the
stomach. This aids digestion by improving the
production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
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Besides
chlorophyll and a myriad of vitamins, minerals and
enzymes, barley grass 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 it 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. 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."
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