Barley has been grown since 7,000 BC. It has long been known for its nutritive and medicinal values. Great amounts of nutritive elements are found in barley grass.
The west has largely considered it to be a cereal grain. Barley leaves and barley grain, as are some other grains, are each uniquely endowed with nutritive values and provide their own special benefits. The green barley leaves are especially rich in the enzymes that are destroyed by cooking our foods.
Nutritious green barley leaves
If you do not have the ability to pluck the young tender leaves from the field, as is the situation of nearly everyone, the benefits may be realized by taking the dried leaves in tablets or as a loose powder. Barley leaves are able to provide complete nutrition for people of all ages, from infant to old age. It is rich in protein and has ‘every’ enzyme.
The juice contains 11 times more calcium than is in cow’s milk. It is rich in iron and vitamin C as well as many other vitamins and minerals. As a counteraction to the destroyed enzymes in our cooked foods, the dried green barley leaves may be taken with our meals, where the enzymes are utilized as digestive enzymes as the help us to digest our meals.
Dried green barley grass
In the case of serious disease, such as arthritis or cancer, the enzymes are better utilized by taking the dried barley grass in the period of 2 hours after a meal to 20 minutes before the next meal. This plan allows the enzymes to be taken directly into the blood stream where they are used by the body to repair and heal.
Barley grain
The barley grain is available as ‘pearl’ barley that is devoid of most of its nutritional value. It cooks quickly and is popular for making soups etc. It’s most nutritious form is called ‘hulled’ barley which retains the bran layer. In the hulled state it requires overnight soaking to tenderize it before cooking.
Processed barley grain come in several forms, barley is rolled into flakes, toasted and cracked to become ‘grits’ and if may be found as black barley, which has a black exterior to the grain.