Barley Grass as Greens

Nutritious barley grass may improve overall health and well-being.

Barley grass is a popular green food supplement. It is believed to support general health through a variety of biological mechanisms, such as:

• Antioxidant activity. Young barley leaves are rich in antioxidants.
• Regulating blood lipids. Research has shown that barley grass can help with hyperlipidemia.
• Supplying nutrients. Barley grass is full of vitamins, minerals, and bio-active compounds.

Overview

Barley grass, also known as barley leaf, is the young stage of the barley plant (Hordeum vulgare) that is harvested prior to producing grain. Similar to other cereal grasses, the leaves of barley grass are used to make a nutritious health drink, or processed into a powdered greens supplement.

Barley grass is a rich source of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and phytochemicals such as chlorophyll and beta-carotene. Barley grass is typically sold by itself or combined with wheat grass, alfalfa, and other greens ingredients.

As with most greens supplements, barley grass is said support overall health and well-being. Although these claims have not been directly examined by researchers, there is some evidence of the beneficial bio-activities of barley grass.

How Barley Grass Might Improve Your Health

Barley grass contains a wide variety of nutrients and biologically-active compounds that can benefit our health, which makes it difficult to explain exactly how it works. However, researchers have suggested several possibilities:

Antioxidant activity

Barley grass contains a wide variety of antioxidants – compounds that help scavenge free radicals.¹ Antioxidants are one of the most popular dietary supplements because oxidative stress caused by free radicals has been implicated in everything from neurodegenerative conditions to diabetes.

Regulating blood lipids

Hyperlipidemia refers to high concentrations of fats and lipids in the blood, and plays a role in diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other disorders. Animal research suggests that some constituents in barley grass can help reduce these lipids.

For example, one specific ingredient of barley grass called beta-sitosterol is believed to inhibit intestinal absorption of cholesterol and speeding up its breakdown.²

Potential regulation of acid-base balance

One popular theory for how greens supplements such as barley grass might be beneficial is by helping to “alkalize” the body by improving the acid-base balance (also know as pH). Some early research suggests that eating too many acidic foods such as grains and protein may offset this balance and increase your chances of developing obesity, cardiovascular conditions, and other maladies.

By contrast, plant foods and by extension greens supplements are considered alkaline foods.³ However, this mechanism of action remains disputed.

Barley Grass Uses & Potential Benefits

Barley grass juice powder is a popular health supplement, especially recommended for people who have low vegetable & fruit intake. Like other green food supplements, barley grass is proposed to have a wide range of health benefits that add up to improved health and well-being, including detoxification, enhanced immunity and energy.

These uses have not been directly tested, but there is evidence that barley grass can improve health through its antioxidant and lipid-reducing activity, and provide specific benefits such as  fighting depression and atherosclerosis – a condition characterized by plaque buildup in arteries.

Research

Animal Research

Preliminary animal research confirms that barley grass supplementation has multiple health benefits.

Human Research

Although there has been a good deal of research done on barley grass in Japan, most of the results remain unpublished.

Barley grass extract (15 g) may improve atherosclerosis and act as an antioxidant

This study examined the use of barley leaf powder (BL) in diabetes. Thirty-six people with type 2 diabetes were given 15 g BL,  200 mg vitamin C and 200 mg vitamin C, or both (BL + CE) daily for 4 weeks. The study found that all treatments had a notable antioxidant effect, and also improved LDL-vitamin E content, and inhibited LDL oxidation – two measures of atherosclerosis.

• The researchers concluded that “supplementation with BL may help to scavenge oxygen free radicals, save the LDL-vitamin E content, and inhibit LDL oxidation…which may protect against vascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.“⁶

Barley Grass Greens Dosage

• The only known barley grass extract dose used in human trials is 15 g daily
• Single-ingredient barley grass juice powder products suggest doses of 2.5 – 8 g daily
• Multi-ingredient greens formulas typically mix barley with wheat grass and alfalfa
• Barley grass powder can be mixed with water, but given its strong taste most people prefer to use juice or smoothies