Green barley - it may not be 'mean,' but it's definitely green

Better Nutrition, May, 1997 by James J. Gormley

Green. It's a nice color, especially if it's the natural pigment of growing things. It works for Kermit. It also suits The Green Hornet, The Incredible Hulk, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pretty nicely. Doesn't work quite as well on the roasted food we were planning to serve to our friends, or on that now unidentifiable leftover peeking out from underneath the Tupperware lid. "Green on demand" as opposed to "green by surprise" would be my way of seeing that difference.

The demand for green.

the Green Foods Revolution

And demand there most certainly has been, and is. In fact, the "Green Foods Revolution" has given a good name to such foods and components as green barley grass, chlorella, alfalfa, wheat grass, chlorophyll, and the like.

And the research? Research has been rather scant, except for that on barley and barley grass, although most studies have focused on improving the feed of livestock and grazing animals. Some very compelling laboratory studies on green barley, however, have been conducted by Allan L. Goldstein, Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

What's in it?

Goldstein, and colleagues, have isolated a special form of vitamin E in barley-leaf extracts, a natural form called "alpha-tocopherol succinate," which appears to be very effective in blocking the growth of cancer cells. In addition, Goldstein has written that "our studies are the first to demonstrate a role for vitamin E succinate in modulating prolactin and growth-hormone release and suggest that vitamin E may also play a hitherto unknown role in regulating neuroendocrine responses in the body."

In "English," these two hormones, growth hormone and prolactin, are very important for overall growth, for reproductive health, and for several other physiological activities.

The specially extracted juice from young barley grass provides a powerful matrix of naturally-occurring vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients, including: vitamins C and E, vitamins B-1, B-3, B-6, M, biotin, folic acid, pantothenic acid and choline; beta-carotene; and such minerals as potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, and zinc.

It also is rich in such enzymes as superoxide dismutase (SOD), an important free-radical scavenger; cytochrome oxidase; peroxidase, and others; 19 amino acids, including valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, threonine, and methionine; chlorophyll; protein (45 percent); carbohydrates (23 percent); and other compounds.

According to Lisa Turner in her 1996 book, Meals That Heal, "Japanese researchers have noted that when barley juice is added to injured cells, the cell's DNA rapidly repairs itself, a feat they attribute to a type of protein in barley juice with strong anti-inflammatory properties."

True enough. In fact, two interesting proteins, P4-D1 and D1-G1, have been isolated from barley grass juice," explains Ronald L. Seibold, M.S., in Cereal Grass: Nature's Greatest Health Gift. Early studies suggested a role for P4-D1 in protecting cells from ultraviolet radiation and certain carcinogens, apparently due to stimulation of DNA repair.

In studying the Japanese literature, Goldstein was impressed by what he regards as "large, albeit anecdotal, body of data suggesting that this green barley [juice] may help the body heal from many ills, ranging from asthma to sexual dysfunctions, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and possibly even cancer."

How "green" does it need to be? According to self-proclaimed "Sproutman," Steve Meyerowitz, "all research points to the nutritional peak as being reached just prior to jointing," seed jointing, specifically, which occurs about 20 days after germination -- at 10 to 20 inches of growth.

REFERENCES

Goldstein, Allan L., Ph.D. "From Nature's Laboratory: A Natural Food Supplement To improve One's Health." Unpublished manuscript, 1997.

Seibold, Ronald L., M.S., editor. Cereal Grass: Natures Greatest Gift. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats Publishing, 1991.

Turner, Lisa. Meals That Heal: A Nutraceutical Approach To Diet and Health. Rochester, Vt.; Healing Arts Press, 1996.