We are becoming more aware of how our diet can affect us, but with our busy lifestyles, we can often feel that it is difficult to keep to a healthy diet 100% of the time. What we are not so aware of is the effect of negative stress on our bodies that our lifestyles can bring. Our blood is normally very slightly alkaline, with a pH range between 7.35 and 7.45. Our body will strive to maintain this alkalinity by any means possible, most often using our body’s reserves of calcium as a buffer. However, calcium is not the only buffer, as magnesium can also help keep the body keep within its proper range. Magnesium is not only a wonderful detoxifier, it supports the energy production needed to detoxify properly. One of nature’s wonders is that green plant life contains chlorophyll, a molecule that exactly reflects the haemoglobin in our blood, with the exception that chlorophyll possesses magnesium in its centre, instead of iron. Barley grass has a high concentration of chlorophyll sourced from pre-sprouted barley and young barley grass. The revitalising properties of barley grass can help to support our hectic lifestyles, ensuring that our diet is kept in balance, without having to think about it!
So why is barley so special? Barley(Hordeum vulgare) is a member of the grass family that possesses many beneficial properties. In Chinese Medicine, barley is known to be a cooling food that can strengthen the spleen and gall bladder, with a detoxifying and diuretic effect. It has been used to support cases of oedema, bowel problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, jaundice and even for tumours. It is also a food that is thought to reduce Dampness and bring back the Digestive Fire, so it is a useful nutrient to have for a weak digestive system. The grain is known to have cholesterol lowering substances from its insoluble fibre fraction, which produces propionic acid, known to inhibit an enzyme that specifically manufactures cholesterol in the liver. Propionic acid, along with acetic acid, can be used as fuel by liver and muscle cells. In addition to propionic acid, barley grains’ soluble fibre contains beta glucan which can also reduce cholesterol. Coupled with the high magnesium content, it helps lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes and provides further support towards reducing the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Barley grass is harvested long before the production of the grain. It is vitamin and mineral rich, particularly in vitamins C, B1 and B2, folate and B12. It is also high in calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium from the chlorophyll. The reason it is so useful as a nutritive food source is that it contains all of the essential amino acids, those that have to be derived from the diet as the body cannot make its own. In having all of the essential amino acids in a powder form, energy is not wasted on protein digestion and metabolism to recover these nutritional building blocks for utilisation in growth and repair. It is not only effective in reducing cholesterol levels and blood lipids in smokers, but can also reduce the effects of allergies and inflammation. The grasses contain potent antioxidants, in the form of carotenoids, which can prevent damage to DNA by combating free radical damage that may cause mutations within the DNA. A researcher, C W Lai noted in the 1970s that grass extracts provided cellular protection from carcinogens. Barley grass also possesses high levels of antioxidants and, together with vitamins C and E, is protective against cardiovascular damage in individuals with Type II diabetes (Yu et al, 2002). In fact, the levels of vitamin C and E were not particularly high, thus it appears that it was the barley grass played a major role in this protective mechanism with its high antioxidant activity. Barley grass has been found to reduce the amount of malonaldehyde in the gut, a carcinogen from overcooked meats. It seems there is an increased risk of cancer if high levels of malonaldehyde are found in the urine. During the 1990s, Drs Shibamoto and Hagiwara found a potent bioflavonoid, glycosylisovitexin (GIV) in young barley grass, which was effective against free radical damage of fish oils, lecithin and fatty acids from ultraviolet light or chemical oxidation in blood samples. This means that the GIV from barley grass may have a protective effect against lipid peroxidation, the free radical damage that may occur from the sun on our skin’s cell membranes, hence reducing the ageing effects of sun damage. There is good news for revellers too, in that barley grass is also reported to prevent the degradation of alcohol into acetaldehyde and malonaldehyde, both found in the metabolism of alcohol in the blood. So barley grass can even help with the ‘hangover’ effect!
A more remarkable benefit is barley’s ability to neutralise damaging chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides. Provided the barley grass extract has not been exposed to excessive heat, it possesses enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase, catalase, cytochrome oxidase and fatty acid oxidase, all of which have been shown to degrade pesticides.
With its high chlorophyll content and its repertoire of vitamins and minerals, barley grass is a wonderful detoxifier and cleanser. The highly alkaline mineral, magnesium, supports the body in combating the acidity of processed foods, stress and negativity and the toxins that we may pick up from our environment. Other benefits can be noticed over time, including improvements in skin, nail and hair quality, as well as optimising digestion and increasing our energy levels. This is not so surprising, given that many energy producing enzymes are magnesium dependent. So, with its full spectrum of essential amino acids, the combination of pre-sprouted barley and barley grass makes a fantastic detoxifier and alkaliser.
References
YU Y.-M. CHANG W.-C. CHANG C.-T. HSIEH C.-L. TSAI C. E.(2002). Effects of young barley leaf extract and antioxidative vitamins on LDL oxidation and free radical scavenging activities in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes & metabolism;28 (2): pp 107-114.
T. Nishiyama, Y. Hagiwara, H. Hagiwara and T. Shibamoto (1993). Inhibition of malonaldehyde formation from lipids by an isoflavonoid isolated from young green barley leaves. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society; 70 (8): pp 811-813. DOI: 10.1007/BF02542607
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