Information Sheet
|
|
|
By Brenci Werner A research pharmacologist from Japan, Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, M.D., may have discovered in young barley leaves what Ponce de Leon thought he found in Florida--the Fountain of Youth. Dr. Hagiwara's nutritional and pharmacological research, ideas, and creations have brought honors and awards from the Osaka governor, the Invention Association and Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, and most recently, Japan's Science and Technology Agency Director's Award for 1987. What is this that has brought Dr. Hagiwara such attention and is the subject of much research on aging? .The pure juice from young barley leaves in powdered form, extracted when the plants are no more than 12 inches high. At this age the leaves are the brightest green color, indicating high amounts of minerals, vitamins enzymes, chlorophyll and protein. The young barley plants are grown without chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. After extraction the juice is spray-dried within seconds at room temperature, thus keeping all the enzymes alive and active. Millions of Japanese have benefited from this powdered barley juice since its introduction there in 1970. In 1980, Dr. Hagiwara brought his discovery to the U.S., where the supplement seems to be an ideal "fast food" for our typical American diet. It is alkaline, helping to balance our acid pH resulting from consuming too many processed foods. Marketed in this country as Barley Green, it is high in potassium, helping to balance our high sodium diets. It is high in calcium and low in phosphorus while our high meat and soft drink diets are high in phosphorus and low in calcium. The supplement is high in chlorophyll which helps to neutralize and remove toxins from our bodies. Cooking and heat destroy enzymes. Powdered barley juice is a natural raw food, with thousands of live enzymes that aid in digestion and metabolism. Barley contains a multitude of vitamins and minerals. Its juice is seven times richer in Vitamin C than an equivalent weight of oranges, five times richer in iron than spinach, ten times richer in calcium than milk, is a significant source of Vitamin B-12, and contains 15 times as much protein as an equivalent amount of milk. Dr. Hagiwara believes that the key to the nutritive value of this supplement is not just the nutrient content of the concentrated extract, but its biochemical form which promotes more effective assimilation. What really sets this powdered barley juice apart from other food supplements, he says, are the thousands of live enzymes. The anti-aging enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of these. SOD aids in digestion and metabolism by helping to disperse vitamins and minerals into the blood stream to be absorbed by the body. Dr. Richard Cutler, a biophysicist at the National Institute of Aging has shown that the life span of many mammalian species, including man were found to be directly proportional to the amount or SOD contained in the cells. The animals with the longest life spans and man were found to have the highest levels of SOD. SOD acts as a cellular anti-oxidant, protecting against radiation and chemical free-radicals from pollution, as well as acting as an anti-inflammatory agent and preventing cellular damage following heart attacks. Dr. Hagiwara in Japan and Biologist Dr. Jasuo Hotta, a specialist of gene engineering at the University of California at La,Jolla, found that when powdered barley juice was added to damaged cells, the DNA within the cells repaired itself twice as quickly as DNA in cells receiving none. Current theories are that both cancer and aging result when genes fail to repair themselves. Moreover, when the barley juice supplement was added to cells before they were subjected to radiation and a carcinogen, Hotta says the repair rate was easily three times as fast as normal." Thus, Dr.Hagiwara claims, the findings may eventually help to prevent cancer, aging, or both. Experiments showing the ability of powdered barley juice to repair damaged cells, neutralize the effects of carcinogens and radiation, and retard the aging process have all been done on laboratory cell cultures and animals. While many people report improvement in a wide variety of physical problems, no controlled tests have been done on humans. The improvements noticed are the effects o[ detoxifying the body and providing the proper nutritional elements in a form readily absorbed by the body. |
Dixie Shaw, E-mail:info@nutritionlifestyles.com
Home Page URL: http://www.nutritionlifestyles.com
All contents copyright (C) 1998-2008, Eddie Shaw. All rights reserved.