Barley Grass Juice: The Power Drink

Barley grass juice tastes a bit like spinach. You can’t tell the power of barley grass juice. But you can feel them! Not on the first day and not on the second either, but after a few months. Its special ingredients such as chlorophyll, carotenes, iron, and its base potential support the supply of vital substances and help with detoxification and regeneration of the body. Its antioxidants protect against cancer and inflammatory processes and also help regulate cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Barley Grass Juice: One glass a day

Barley grass (Hordeum vulgare) has been the favorite of those who like to take their health into their own hands for many decades. You simply put the young barley grass in a high-quality juicer and drink the resulting grass-green barley grass juice – a glass or two every day. Of course, it is not a little effort to grow the barley grass yourself in the house or garden. Nevertheless, some even build a greenhouse to be supplied with sufficient barley grass juice all year round.

Why do people go to this trouble? Yes, even more: why do they actually enjoy this effort? Very easily. The barley grass juice changed the lives of these people!

The barley grass juice – along with other naturopathic measures – has silenced her pain, cramps, and indigestion. The barley grass juice cleared irritated skin, eliminated sleep disorders, and gave people a feeling of vitality and joie de vivre again. No wonder growing barley grass is one of her favorite hobbies.

Fortunately, you don’t have to grow and squeeze the barley grass yourself. Because we now know that barley grass or barley grass juice powder has almost the same effect as the fresh version.

How does barley grass juice work?

It is not known exactly why barley grass juice – if you consume it regularly – has such a positive effect on the human organism.

It may be the special substances in barley grass juice that are found in this combination in hardly any other food: SOD (superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant), GABA, flavonoids, lutonarine, saponarine, potassium, calcium, selenium, tryptophan, vitamins, fiber, countless secondary plant substances, the natural iron or the extremely high amount of chlorophyll. But maybe it’s also due to the synergy, i.e. the interaction of all the ingredients?

In any case, the summary of a study read the following list of the effects of barley grass juice:

barley grass…

• promotes sleep and combats daytime sleepiness
• has an anti-diabetic effect
• regulates blood pressure
• strengthens the immune system
• protects the liver
• works against acne and neurodermatitis
• has detoxifying properties
• has an antidepressant effect
• improves gastrointestinal functions and counteracts constipation
• anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant
• lowers blood lipids
• helps with gout and lowers uric acid levels
• prevents cardiovascular diseases
• supplies the body with oxygen
• improves cognitive functions
• etc.

According to the study, these results show that barley grass is one of the best functional foods for preventing chronic diseases. Functional foods are foods that have very special health benefits.

Can barley grass juice be used to protect the heart and blood vessels?

People who regularly consume barley grass juice can use this measure to stabilize their cardiovascular health in the long term. This includes regulating cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, and improving vascular and blood health.

Drink barley grass juice two to three times a day. You don’t need a greenhouse or a juicer. All you need is a glass, a spoon, and water or your favorite juice—and powdered barley grass juice.

One study showed that just 15 grams of powdered barley grass juice (it doesn’t have to be fresh) per day not only lowers cholesterol levels but also reduces problematic free radicals in the blood. According to the researchers involved, a combination of vitamin C and vitamin E would be ideal, since these antioxidant vital substances would improve cardiovascular function quite radically.

Administering the vitamins alone also showed an effect. However, the additional intake of barley grass juice significantly increased the effect of the vital substances, so the test subjects in the said study were able to look forward to a reduced total cholesterol level and lower LDL cholesterol values ​​after just four weeks.

Barley grass juice prevents the dangerous oxidation of LDL cholesterol, explained the researchers around Ya-Mei Yu and Changmin E. Tsai from Fu Jen University in Taipei.

Furthermore, barley grass juice protects the vitamin E content of LDL cholesterol. If the vitamin E in the LDL cholesterol is converted into the so-called vitamin E radical, this has a negative effect on the blood vessel walls – especially if there is a vitamin C deficiency at the same time. Vitamin C could easily convert the vitamin E radical back into a helpful and antioxidant vitamin E molecule, which is not possible with a diet low in vitamin C.

The scientists then concluded:

Dietary supplementation with barley grass in combination with antioxidant vitamins has a protective effect on the heart and blood vessels and promotes overall healthy cardiovascular function, as barley grass can lower cholesterol levels and reduce the level of free radicals in the blood.
Stroke and heart attack are thus a long way off. Blood pressure drops and medication is hardly necessary.

Of course, the 200 milligrams of vitamin C administered in the study can also be consumed through fruit, salads, and vegetables and do not have to be ingested through a dietary supplement.

Vitamin E is particularly rich in wheat germ oil. Just two tablespoons of this oil daily provide you with approx. 25 mg of vitamin E. If you also eat nuts and almonds daily, you are perfectly supplied with this vitamin. Moringa powder is also considered a good source of vitamin E.

How Does Barley Grass Juice Help High Cholesterol?

The study results described are supported by another study entitled Young Barley Leaf Prevents LDL Oxidation in Humans.

Four groups totaling 40 students were studied in this experiment. Group 1 received soybean oil, group 2 olive oil, group 3 soybean oil with powdered barley grass juice, and group 4 olive oil with powdered barley grass juice. The barley grass juice was taken three times a day at 5 grams each.

After four weeks, the test persons’ cholesterol levels were compared with the values ​​that had been determined before the experiment. It was found that soybean oil, as a representative of those oils that are particularly rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, was able to lower cholesterol levels better than olive oil. However, soybean oil not only lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol levels but also HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Olive oil, on the other hand, was better at preventing the dangerous oxidation of LDL cholesterol than soybean oil.

What was really impressive, however, was that the barley grass juice was able to both lower LDL levels even further (by 9 to 12 mg/dl) and delay the oxidation of LDL cholesterol even further, by up to 36 percent.

Type 2 diabetics in particular often have high cholesterol levels. Since the barley grass juice can also have a very positive effect on the blood sugar level, the green elixir is an ideal dietary supplement for diabetics and can – of course in agreement with the therapist – lead to a very significant reduction in medication intake.

Is barley grass suitable for diabetics?

Barley grass can not only have a positive effect on the cholesterol level in diabetics but also directly on the blood sugar level. A very interesting clinical study on this was published just a few years ago (2010) in the International Journal of Green Pharmacy.

The test persons suffering from diabetes took only 1.2 grams of barley grass powder daily – over a period of two months. The control group took no supplements. No other measures were taken either.

After 60 days, the group that took the barley grass saw a significant drop in blood sugar levels. In the control group, on the other hand, the blood sugar level was still high. No change in the situation could be observed here.

Since the barley grass group was also able to enjoy falling cholesterol levels in this study, the researchers concluded that the risk of coronary heart disease can be clearly reduced in those diabetics who regularly consume barley grass.

Is barley grass juice good for the gut?

Barley grass juice can contribute to a healthy intestinal environment due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, its vital substance content, and its richness in chlorophyll. The intestinal mucosa is protected and can regenerate faster; in addition, a balanced intestinal flora can develop more easily.

Barley grass juice can therefore also be used for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, e.g. B. 30 grams of barley grass juice powder stirred daily in water or a compatible juice, starting with small doses, e.g. B. 5 g (1 teaspoon) daily.

Can Barleygrass Juice Protect Against Cancer?

Certainly one of the main reasons for the great effect of barley grass juice is its richness in antioxidants. One of the most powerful antioxidants in barley grass juice is saponarin. In an American study from 2012, its antioxidant potential proved to be significantly higher than that of vitamin E, which is known to be a particularly strong antioxidant.

Researchers Kamiyama and Shibamoto from the University of California Department of Environmental Toxicology excitedly announced:

Dietary supplementation with young barley grass appears to be beneficial for health and may prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress such as B. various types of cancer, inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases

Of course, the barley grass juice not only contains saponarin, but also many other secondary plant substances with an antioxidant effect, such as e.g. B. the lutonarine and six other antioxidants that belong to the group of flavone C glycosides – such as Norbaek et al. established in a corresponding study in 2000.

Other scientists (Ferreres et al.) came to the conclusion in 2008 and 2009 that barley grass is an extremely important source of protective (antioxidant) substances due to at least 36 flavonoids and 3 other ingredients with an antioxidant effect.

Can barley grass juice protect against solar radiation?

These protective substances also include the so-called glycosyl isovitexin, an isoflavonoid with an important feature: As one of the few antioxidants, it can penetrate into the cell nucleus and protect the genetic material there from free radicals.

Since this substance – in contrast to vitamin E – does not decompose under UV radiation, but continues to pursue its antioxidant tasks undeterred, it seems to be particularly well suited as a guard for the skin, which is known to be exposed to much more aggressive UV radiation these days than it was in ancient times.

Does Barley Grass Juice Have Anti-Aging Properties?

SOD is an enzyme with high antioxidant power. It is believed that SOD acts as a key to longevity in the body and also protects the brain from the usual aging processes. Because SOD has the task of defusing a particularly destructive free radical – superoxide.

In her book “Barley Grass Juice”, Barbara Simonsohn quotes the doctor, Dr. Milton Fried, from Atlanta:

The therapeutic possibilities of SOD are staggering because we have within reach a system of enzymes that can slow the aging process and prevent or reverse a long list of degenerative diseases.
Another aspect that proves the almost unbelievable protective power of SOD is the fact that barley grass can withstand a herbicide widely used in the tropics. The herbicide paraquat normally kills all plants that are not protected by a bark – such as trees or shrubs – i.e. all grasses and herbaceous leafy plants. Only barley grass and rice plants resist the poison – supposedly because both contain SOD.

Barley grass juice contains more carotene than carrots

In addition to all the highly effective but rare substances mentioned, barley grass also contains “every day” antioxidants, such as e.g. B. beta-carotene, which belongs to the carotenoids.

The amount of beta carotene in barley grass juice powder alone is 50 percent higher than that in carrot powder (16,000 micrograms) – and that’s saying something, after all, fresh carrots with 1700 micrograms of beta carotene are by far the best source of beta carotene in our modern diet. Only kale and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts.

However, the powdered barley grass juice gives you 25,000 micrograms of natural and bioavailable beta carotene. The fact that this is a natural carotenoid is extremely important as it is known that isolated beta-carotene pills are associated with an increased risk of disease, while a diet high in carotenoid-rich foods protects against a large number of chronic diseases (including cancer) and Last but not least, it can also protect the skin from UV damage.

The barley grass juice not only protects the body but apparently – as befits an elixir of life – also the psyche. Because barley grass juice can definitely be described as a natural antidepressant.

How does barley grass juice affect the psyche?

Ann Wigmore already knew about the antidepressant properties of barley grass juice. She healed countless people at her center in the USA with grass juices and natural nutrition – until she died in a fire at her institute at the age of 85 and still with her naturally dark hair color.

Ann Wigmore was one of the first to discover that young people can be freed from drug addiction by eating a diet rich in vital substances and high in cereal grass juices. The grass juices – so the explanation went – raise the energy level of the body and help to gain a positive attitude so that it is said to be easier to escape from depression.

Although the first attempts actually point to an antidepressant effect, how specifically the barley grass juice acts against depression is still not known exactly today.

What vitamins and minerals does barley grass juice powder contain?

Barley grass juice powder contains some vitamins and minerals in such large quantities that the powder can not only be used as a general strengthening food supplement but also specifically to supply selected vital substances or to prevent and remedy some deficiency symptoms, e.g. B. of iron and zinc deficiency.

The following mineral values ​​are particularly noteworthy (each per 10 g of barley grass juice powder of effective nature); We have entered the daily requirement in brackets:

• Iron: 6.2 mg (10 – 15 mg)
• Magnesium: 45.5 mg (300 – 400 mg)
• Zinc: 4.3mg (10mg)
• Potassium: 280.6 mg (4000 mg)

Among the vitamins, folic acid is particularly noteworthy, as is vitamin C, which improves the absorption of the iron it also contains:

• Folate: 130.2 µg (300 µg, pregnant women 550 µg)
• Vitamin C: 11.8 mg (100 to 150 mg)
• Barley grass juice for iron deficiency

Certainly not uninvolved in the above antidepressant effect of barley grass juice is probably its interesting iron content. For example, we know from children and young people that their risk of suffering from a mental disorder (including ADHD, mood swings, and autism) increases significantly with an iron deficiency.

The information on the iron content in barley grass juice varies considerably and depends on the manufacturer or the respective batch. However, a daily dose of 10 grams of powdered barley grass juice (e.g. from effective nature) – depending on requirements – can provide more than half of the daily amount of iron required. If you also use the powder together with e.g. B. take freshly squeezed orange juice, then the vitamin C contained in it can further promote the absorption of iron from the barley grass juice.

Barley grass or barley grass juice?

Both barley grass powder and barley grass juice powder are commercially available. For the former, the young barley grass is simply dried and powdered. For the juice powder, the young barley grass is first pressed into juice before it is gently pulverized.

You can’t say that one is better than the other. You simply choose the product that best suits your needs.

While the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of both are comparable, they often differ in terms of their vital substance content.

Barley grass is a good source of fiber (46 percent) and also a good source of calcium (over 80 mg per 10 g), while barley grass juice powder provides significantly more iron, zinc, and magnesium and is low in fiber (only 9 percent).

Sensitive people often tolerate barley grass juice powder better than barley grass powder.

Barley grass for the whole family

Barley grass or barley grass juice offers many health benefits with the least effort so both are among the most recommended dietary supplements.

Simply take a spoonful of barley grass or barley grass juice powder mixed with water, juice, or a smoothie once or twice a day.

Equally, however, barley grass juice is a wonderful field for experimentation for passionate hobby cooks. There are now recipes that not only integrate barley grass juice powder into shakes, salad dressings, smoothies, and soups but also into delicious sweets and cakes. You will be surprised how good healthy food can taste.

Here are two easy barley grass juice recipes:

Barleygrass Juice Smoothie

Ingredients

For 1-2 people

• Juice from 3-4 oranges
• 1 large banana
• 150 g berries of your choice
• Some grated lemon zest
• Barley grass juice powder as desired, e.g. B. 2 teaspoons (6 – 10 grams)

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend. Then dilute with water to the desired consistency, mix again briefly or simply enjoy undiluted.

Cucumber spread with barley grass juice

Ingredients

For 1-2 servings

• 1 avocado, pitted and skin removed
• 1 small cucumber
• 50 g sunflower seeds
• 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp hemp oil
• 2 tsp barley grass juice powder
• Fresh dill

Preparation

Mix the avocado, cucumber, sunflower seeds, vinegar, and barley grass juice powder in a blender. Then fold in the oil and sprinkle with chopped dill.