Grow it yourself: Barley grass

Grow it yourself: Barley grass

Did you know that the young leaves of barley grass contains many of the vitamins, minerals, and proteins necessary for the human diet? And that the juice of barley grass contains eighteen amino acids which are necessary for the continuous processes of cell building, cell regeneration and energy production? Barley grass powder is not cheap, though. However, it’s very simple to grow the grass yourself.

How to cultivate barley grass

Grow it yourself: Barley grassPut barley seeds in water to accelerate germination. After 24 hours, put the seeds in soil in a pot. Put the pot in a warm and bright area to stimulate growing. Water the seeds daily. During 14 days, they will grow about 8 inches, with 3.5 ounces of seeds producing about 3.5 ounces of grass. That's it! Want to make the juice yourself? This is very simple too. Just process 3.5 – 7.1 ounces of grass and 0.9 gallons of water in a blender, filter the juice, dilute it with 0.9 – 1.8 gallons of water and you are ready to go.

Barley grass vitamins

The list of vitamins found in barley grass is long. It contains beta-carotene, folic acid, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin C, but also the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese and zinc. Along with all that, you get lots of live enzymes by drinking barley grass juice, one of which is the anti-aging enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD).

Grow it yourself: Barley grass

Furthermore research in Japan and other countries suggests that barley grass can also help against asthma, obesity, skin rejuvenation, anaemia, arthritis, gastritis, peptic ulcers, diabetes, cellular damage from x-rays, heart disease and hepatitis.

So, what’s the catch? I mean, it can’t be all good can it? Well, you are right. There is a downside. Some taste buds might not appreciate the taste of the green, slightly bitter juice.