Barley Grass Benefits for Health, Weight Loss, Longevity

Raw living barley grass is loaded with benefits for optimal health and longevity. It boosts mitochondria, pumps ATP, helps mitigate disease, and more.

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If you’re adding a lot of green powders to your smoothies these days, you might’ve noticed barley as an ingredient. That’s because raw living barley grass (BG), like wheatgrass and oat grass, is powerfully good for your health, and definitely worth deep diving into.

Historically it was used by the Romans and Egyptians, the Vikings of Scandinavia, the gladiators. In India it dates back over 5000 years, and in Japan it’s used in green juices like aojirus.

It’s also one of the oldest producing grain crops in the world, so as a medicine and food it’s endured.  

What Is Barley Grass?

Barley grass (Hordeum vulgare) is a member of the cereal grass family, including wheatgrass, oat grass, and rye. It’s harvested for use before it starts making seeds, when its youthful green blades are nutrient-dense. 

It has powerful and longstanding contributions to human health as both a cross-cultural staple and herb. It’s also been found that this raw living grass is one of nature’s most bountiful foods.

Have a look at why barley grass rocks:

1. Barley Grass Is Packed With Chlorophyll

Raw living barley grass is loaded with chlorophyll, which helps carry oxygen through the blood. It revs circulation, detoxifies cells, and immerses your body in nutrients.

It’s also well known that the chlorophyll in barley grass—otherwise known as green plant blood—is key to survival for every species on Earth and can nourish every cell in your body, from your hair to the tips of your toes, and of course every system in-between.

According to this report:

Whenever anyone talks about the healing powers of grass, they mention chlorophyll first. Grasses, along with alfalfa and algaes, are the richest sources of chlorophyll on the planet. 

2. Barley Grass Is Nutrient-Dense

Another great benefit of raw living grass is it’s exceptionally nutrient-dense. In fact, so much so, it can literally sustain life, and that’s a claim not just any plant can make.

Barley Grass Nutrients

• Antioxidants.  
• Phytochemicals.
• Alkaloids.
• Enzymes.
• Flavonoids.
• Calcium (11X the amount in cow’s milk).
• Magnesium.
• Chromium.
• Copper.
• Sulfur.
• GABA.
• Glutathione.
• Phosphorous.
• Potassium.
• Manganese.
• Molybdenum.
• Zinc.
• Beta carotene.
• Saponarin.
• Superoxide dismutase (SOD).
• Fiber.
• All nine essential amino acids.
• Iron (nearly 6.5 times more than spinach).
• Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, C (seven times more than oranges), E, & K.

• Chlorophyll.

3. Barley Grass Is A Complete Protein

Raw living barley grass is a rich source of protein with every amino acid we need. Altogether it has roughly 20 amino acids that energize and regenerate cells.

According to this report: 

The essential amino acids in barley grass are complete, making it one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world. 

4. Barley Grass Is Antioxidant-Rich

Barley grass is loaded with strong antioxidants that are especially good for your health. It’s chock-full of saponarin and superoxide dismutase (SOD)—powerful, powerful fuels. 

According to this report:

“Young green barley leaves are one of the richest sources of antioxidants and contain the flavones C-glycoside, saponarin, and lutonarin . . . Saponarin in barley grass possesses strong antioxidant activities, which can prevent diseases caused by oxidative damage such as various cancers, inflammations, and cardiovascular diseases.” 

5. Barley Grass Boosts Immunity

According to research, barley grass rocks at protecting and bolstering the immune system. It’s helpful for just about every condition from cancer to the common cold.

Its rich phytochemicals and abundance of flavonoids nourish and strengthen the biome. It’s also been found that polysaccharides in BG have their own immunomodulatory perks:

“The immunoenhancement effects of polysaccharides isolated from young barley leaves have been demonstrated by Kim et al. and Han et al., in both in vitro and in vivo studies . . . the results of the present studies indicate that polysaccharide-rich young green barley extract may have immunomodulatory properties associated with the enhancement of NK cells’ ability to recognize and eliminate human colon cancer cells without any side effects on normal colon epithelial cells.”

Barley Grass Is Detoxifying

The juice of young barley grass is awesome for detox and cleanses the microbiome. Its abundance of minerals and bioactive compounds boost deep mitochondrial repairs.

One study calls it the best functional food for eliminating toxins from cells. Another confirms it’s a “well established” plant for degrading organophosphate pesticides.

In addition it’s shown to crush carcinogens, mutagens, benzpyrene, car exhaust, and more:

“These tests show that grasses have a wider range of metabolic activity than animals and humans, and are capable of more efficient neutralization and detoxification of certain pollutants.”

7. Barley Grass Supports Mental Health

Raw living barley grass has powerful constituents that help support strong mental health.

Its impacts on stress can significantly reduce and eliminate a plethora of ailments—from anxiety and depression to panic.

It helps calm the nerves, promotes restful sleep, and is a broad-spectrum anti-depressant.

Studies have shown that constituents in barley grass mitigate tons of ails.

8. Barley Grass Boosts Alkalinity

Barley grass raises the pH of the blood through an abundance of alkalizing minerals.

And a whopping high serving of chlorophyll.

Here’s a look at why alkalinity rocks:

Unless the body’s pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. You cannot improve your oral or general health until pH levels are above 7 . . . Acid decreases the body’s ability to repair damaged cells, decreases the ability to get rid of heavy metals and it makes the body more susceptible to fatigue and illness. Everything pivots on a balanced pH. When bodily pH drops, enzymes are deactivated, digestion is interrupted; vital nutrients are no effectively assimilated. Disease cannot survive in an alkaline state; however, in a low oxygen/low pH (acidic) state, viruses, bacteria, yeast, mold, fungus, Candida and cancer cells all thrive.

9. Barley Grass Is Packed With Enzymes

Another great feature of raw living grass is its powerful antioxidant enzymes. There aren’t many veggies on the planet today with all three of the best onboard. 

Here’s a look at what barley grass stacks:  

Free Radical Detoxifying Enzymes: 

1. Superoxide Dismutases (SOD). These enzymes have either a manganese, copper, or zinc cofactor [all abundant in barley grass], which is essential for their free radical detoxifying activity. During SOD-mediated enzymatic catalysis, two superoxides are converted into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is still considered a reactive oxygen species, but it is markedly less reactive than a superoxide. SOD enzymes are one of the fastest enzymes known, and they are also inducible, meaning that the higher their exposure to superoxides the greater their number and detoxifying activity.

2. Catalase. This enzyme contains iron [abundant in barley grass] as a cofactor and converts hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, thereby finishing the detoxification reaction started by SOD. In cells, catalase enzymes are found in high numbers and continuously patrol for hydrogen peroxide molecules. Catalase is highly efficient and is capable of destroying millions of hydrogen peroxide molecules per second.

3. Glutathione Peroxidases. The majority of enzymes within this family are dependent on the micronutrient selenium [abundant in barley grass]. Similar to catalase, these enzymes convert hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.”

Repeat:

SOD enzymes are one of the fastest enzymes known, and they are also inducible, meaning that the higher their exposure to superoxides [free radicals] the greater their number and detoxifying activity.

The SOD in barley grass—noted in studies—is fire when it hits your cells. 

It’s your body’s big gun for protection: 

Superoxide dismutase is an important antioxidant enzyme that eliminates free oxygen radicals in cells, and POD plays an important role in enhancing antioxidant capacity, which promotes the oxidation of phenolics [23]. Barley grass showed relatively high SOD and POD activities in the jointing stage.  

10. Barley Grass Can Help You Lose Weight  

Barley grass benefits are huge for weight loss, and especially on a plant-based diet. 

It’s loaded with acetate, a molecule known to help modulate andipose fat:   

In general, acetate may modulate body weight control through different mechanisms that can affect central appetite regulation, gut-satiety hormones, and improvements in lipid metabolism and energy expenditure. However, human evidence is accumulating showing that acetate may prevent body weight gain and adiposity through increments in energy expenditure.

According to this report:

The aim of the present study was to characterize and evaluate the anti-obesity activity of barley grass juice (Hordeum vulgare L.) in a high fat diet induced model. . . . Our study demonstrates the anti-obesity activity of barley grass juice and it may be concluded that barley grass juice can be an effective nutraceutical in the management of obesity. 

Barley Grass Benefits For Weight Loss    

• Ramps ATP.

• Boosts circulation.

• Improves digestion.

• Revs metabolism.

• Relieves constipation.

• Reduces cravings.

• Mitigates stress.

• Curbs inflammation.

• Promotes restful sleep.

• Alkalizes pH.

• Helps purge toxins.

• Supports the biome.

• Helps heal the gut.

• Is a high-fiber food.

• Mitigates diabetes.

• Boosts mitochondria.

• Rocks acetate.  

Where to Get Barley Grass 

The best way to obtain barley grass and tap the benefits discussed in this post is to grow and juice it yourself.

The seeds are available online and in some brick and mortars. 

It’s also in green powders, extracts, tablets, beverages, superfood blends, and more. 

But it’s best homegrown.