Developed by the Japanese in 1969, Green Magma is a brand of powdered barley grass juice extract resulting from the research of pharmacologist Yoshihide Hagiwara. Young barley grass extracts contain abundant amounts of nutrients and plant-derived compounds that might protect you from cell-damaging substances called free radicals. Considered a superfood by proponents, barley juice extract powders might not only help prevent disease, but also might boost your energy and decrease signs of aging.
Green Magma
After researching more than 200 varieties of fruits, vegetables, grasses and herbs, Dr. Hagiwara concluded that young barley grass concentrate contained an exact balance of healthy phytonutrients, or plant-based nutrients. Hagiwara originated an award-winning juice extraction and spray-dry method that is used to concentrate all the nutrients in green barley grass into a powder form called Green Magma. While various brands of green barley powders exist, only Green Magma contains the active, living young barley grass plant, according to board-certified clinical and research dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. Certified-organic Green Magma grass powders are harvested early -- at their nutritional peak -- and cleaned, juiced, concentrated, spray-dried and packaged within four hours, according to the manufacturer's website.
Components
Nutrient-packed young barley grass juice extracts such as Green Magma contain more phytonutrients than dark green leafy vegetables, reports Perricone. These healthy grass extracts provide a source of chlorophyll -- the plant equivalent to oxygen-rich hemoglobin in your red blood cells -- beta carotene, B vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and enzymes. In their early stages of growth, barley grasses more chemically resemble vegetables than grains, but as the plants grow, their nutritional content drops significantly. Fresh, young barley grass juice generally contains more phytonutrients than dried but must be juiced in a special juicer. In contrast, powder forms are easily mixed with water or juice to provide a nutritious drink.
Disease-Fighting Properties
Green grasses, such as barley, oat, wheat and alfalfa, contain powerful antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase and carotenoids. Antioxidants fight natural cell-damaging substances, or free radicals, produced by the body to break down toxic chemicals. The antioxidants in young barley grass might prevent free radicals from causing many cancers, according to hematologist and oncologist Mitchell L. Gaynor. In addition, green barley leaves can inhibit a process called lipid peroxidation that creates a substance called malondialdhyde, which can cause breast tumors, according to Gaynor. Juices made from barley grass powders, such as Green Magma, also contain substances that might fight allergies and inflammation, control hormones, promote energy, support heart health and enhance your immune system.
Clinical Reseach
Research published in the March 1986 edition of the journal "Inflammation" observed the antioxidant effects of Green Magma on reducing amounts of disease-causing free radicals in laboratory tests. Researchers discovered that unheated Green Magma significantly reduced free radicals and that heat-extracted Green Magma mildly suppressed
these cell-damaging substances. Moreover, researchers evaluated the effects of gastric juices, provided by healthy volunteers, on the free radical scavenging effects of this barley grass juice extract. Findings indicated that Green Magma incubated in natural gastric juices produced antioxidant effects. The antioxidant properties of Green Magma appear partly due to enzymes, including superoxide dismutase; however, researchers attribute the primary antioxidant effects of this juice extract to free radical scavengers activated by gastric juice digestion.
References
- "Green Nutritional Powder Composition"; Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D., et al.; May 1999
- Oprah.com; Dr. Perricone's No.6 Superfood: Barley Grass, Wheatgrass and Other Green Foods; Nicholas Perricone, M.D.; July 2005
- Green Foods; About Green Magma; 2008
- "Forever Young: The Science of Nutrigenomics for Glowing, Wrinkle-Free Skin"; Nicholas Perricone, M.D.; 2010
- Drugs.com; Barley Grass; 2009
- "Inflammation"; Antioxidant Action of Natural Health Products and Chinese Herbs; Y. Niwa, et al.; March 1986
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