Health foods also target specific audiences. There are women's products, men's products, children's products, anti-stress supplement cocktails, and unique formulas for athletes. But there is one product that is not a specialty item and can help anybody, no matter what their age, gender, or activity level. That product is Barleygreen®!

The green barley plant
Barleygreen® does not pretend to be a designer food or a food that isolates certain nutrients for a certain population. Rather, it is the general store of health foods, providing much of what you need in one handy location. Barleygreen® is able to play this role because it contains 100% green barley leaf, and green barley is one of the few plants that can supply sole nutritional support from birth to old age. As Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, the creator of Barleygreen®, has said, "It was clear to me, then, that the leaves of the cereal grasses provide the nearest thing this planet offers to the perfect food. For reasons of palatability, higher nutrient content, and favorable harvesting features, green barley stands out as the best among these."

Green barley leaves have something for everyone. Among the vitamins are beta carotene and B vitamins, including vitamin B12 (which is often believed to come only from animal sources). Green barley contains folic acid, important for mothers and children, and the antioxidant vitamins C and E, which are important for everyone. Minerals include calcium, which is important for women and growing children, iron, also important for women, and magnesium, and potassium. A recent laboratory analysis of green barley grass has turned up at least traces of more than 50 other minerals.

Hidden treasures
The hidden treasures in barley grass do not make it onto the Barleygreen® label, and many people are unaware of them. These are enzymes, amino acids, chlorophyll, and alkalizing substances.

Enzymes spark life. They are the catalysts for the body's essential chemical reactions and are responsible for our digestive processes, for providing cellular energy. and for antioxidant effects. Despite their importance, most people do not get the enzymes they need. This is because heat destroys enzymes, and most of our foods, whether cooked at home or processed, are heated and the enzymes destroyed. Dr. Hagiwara believes that there may be thousands of active enzymes in green barley. This belief is based on tests that use the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) as a marker enzyme. If the marker enzyme is found in an active state, it can be safely assumed that other enzymes found in green grasses will also be in an active state.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which are the major constituents of all cells and body fluids (except urine and bile). Amino acids are necessary for cell building, regeneration, and energy production. The proteins in green barley leaves are polypeptides, which are smaller proteins that can be directly absorbed by the blood. Eighteen amino acids are found in barley grass, including the eight essential amino acids (the ones we must obtain from our diet).

Chlorophyll has been studied for its potential as a deodorant, in stimulating tissue growth, and in stimulating red blood cells in connection with blood supply. Perhaps most remarkable is the similarity between chlorophyll and the red pigment in blood. Research in the l940s demonstrated that the two pigments react the same during breakdown. In 1995, studies indicated that chlorophyll helps the body repair tissue. The naturopathic practitioner, Dr. Bernard Jensen, lists over twenty major benefits of high chlorophyll consumption in his book, Health Magic Through Chlorophyll.

According to an article in the JNCl (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Jan. 4, 1995), chlorophyll fed to laboratory animals reduced absorption of three dietary carcinogens; heterocyclic amines (found in cooked muscle meats), polycyclic hydrocarbons (found in smoked and barbecued foods), and aflatoxin (a mold on peanuts). The chlorophyll formed complex compounds with the carcinogens while they were still in the digestive tract, limiting their bioavailability. Chlorophyll has also been found to be beneficial in the treatment of calcium oxalate stone disease; to reduce fecal, urinary, and body odor in geriatric patients; and to accelerate wound-healing.

Green barley grass also has a high alkalizing effect. It contains buffer minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Buffer minerals neutralize acidic materials and can help people maintain a healthy acid-alkaline balance.

A Ia natural
Many people find Barleygreen® to be effective because it is all natural. It is not tailored to a specific group, with the current fad ingredient hyped up as a selling point. Rather, it gives you the benefits of barley grass: a wide spectrum of nutrients as they are found in nature. This means you get nutrients that are easily absorbed, that are in natural proportions, and that are not polluted with additives.

Barleygreen® has many names, It is called the ideal fast food, the food of the future, and a salad in a glass. Perhaps we should add another name: Barleygreen®, food for the entire family.

State of the Art Processing
Green barley is transformed into Barleygreen® through careful cultivation and patented, state-of-the-art processing. The barley used for Barleygreen® is grown in Oxnard, California, without using any chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Instead, organic mulching, ladybug insect control, and crop rotation are used. During the growth period, the crops and soil are continually monitored and tested for nutritional content. When the plants are 10 to 14 inches tall, they are harvested. Research has shown that it is at this time that green barley leaves contain the widest spectrum of nutrients. The longer growing season in California makes it possible to grow and harvest smaller crops on a cyclic basis throughout the year. This in turn allows the harvests to be timed so that plants are harvested when they are in peak condition.

The barley leaves are washed within 30 minutes of being harvested; if the washing does not occur this quickly, the natural heat of the sun begins to oxidize the leaves and nutrients are lost. Chemicals are not used in this washing process.

After the barley leaves are washed, their nutrients must be removed from the cellulose. This is done by extracting the juice using a low pressure system. This process produces less juice, but guarantees that important nutrients stay in the juice and removes 99 percent of the fiber.

The barley juice is cooled immediately after the extraction process to inhibit oxidation. To further inhibit oxidation, the oxygen used in the juicing process is removed through a vacuum process. The juice is then tested as part of a seven-step laboratory quality control program. Maltodextrin is then added to the juice. This soluble complex carbohydrate acts as a buffer that helps keep enzymes and other molecules apart so that they do not react and denature. The maltodextrin forms a hard matrix around the dried juice particles which helps extend their shelf life.

The barley juice is then pumped into an atomizer and spun in dry air in a large chamber. Temperatures never exceed body temperature.

The resulting powder is spun with a mist of pure water to help create small, uniformly sized granules.

How to Order Barleygreen®