Green grasses are at their nutritional peak before they enter the reproductive cycle in other words 'seeds or grain'. To create grain, the plant must channel its nutrition up to the seed heads. When grasses are harvested before they enter the reproductive cycle, they have a different chemical makeup from their adult, largely depleted, counterparts. All grass leaves reach a peak of food value, per pound of dry matter on the day the first joint begins to form. Young grasses at only approximately 3" high contain about the same vitamins and minerals as dark green vegetables.
Alfalfa - "Father of all Foods"
Alfalfa becomes a grass when it has reached 3 - 6 inches in other words when it has immature (primordial) leaves; before this stage it is a sprout and will contain different chemical constituents. We harvest the alfalfa in SuperFood plus when it has matured into a grass thus retaining all the goodness of alfalfa the deleterious biochemistry that may be found in the sprouts.
Below Gabriel Cousins points out some important points about these stages in the growth of alfalfa and the changes in their chemical constituents.
"Sprouts are a wonderful, healthy, biogenic food; yet even alfalfa sprouts eaten in excess and harvested before they are mature contain a small percentage of an amino acid analog called canavanine, which has been reported in several individual cases to cause a worsening of symptoms of people suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The canavanine concentration is highest in the alfalfa seeds and decreases in concentration after the third day of sprouting. Because canavanine is water soluble, rinsing the sprouts each day also decreases the concentration. Alfalfa sprouts are best to eat when they are a rich green in color and have their first division. At this stage they have minimal canavanine and do not cause any problems. This is usually around day seven. For several years, I have advised my SLE clients and others with rheumatoid-like diseases about these considerations when using alfalfa sprouts. As yet, no one following this advice of selecting mature alfalfa greens and not eating them in excess has suffered an exacerbation of their symptoms. Some research shows that canavanine has anti-tumour and anti-leukemia."
P569-570 Conscious Eating - Gabriel Cousens, M.D. Published by North Atlantic Books
Centuries ago, the Arabs used alfalfa as feed for their horses, claiming that it made the animals strong and swift. Seeing these benefits, they decided to try the herb themselves. They observed that this addition to the diet quickly improved health and strength. The grass was named "Al - Fal - Fa ", "Father of all Foods."
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is one of the most studied plants. With today's advances in science, we know that it contains important substances, including several saponins, many sterols, flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, plant sugars and proteins (approx. 25% by weight). Overall, alfalfa is one of the most nutritious foods known. Extract from - Alpha Greens tm "Natures Alkalizer" by Dr. Larry Milam, H.MD
The word "alfalfa" itself literally means "best food"
The Arabs of old called alfalfa the "Father of all Foods"
Alfalfa sprouts are good as an anti-arthritic, an anti-asthmatic, a deodorant, a diuretic, and a nervine
It is the richest land grown source of trace minerals and elements such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron & phosphorous. Combined with chlorophyll & other organic salts, these factors seem to balance the so called salt system of the body & act as a natural diuretic
Alfalfa also contains the following:
Vitamin A - healthy inner and outer skin
Vitamin K- helps fibrin, which in turn protects against
hemorrhaging by helping the blood to clot properly
Vitamin U- great aid for peptic ulcers
7 Enzymes:
Protease- digestion of protein;
Coagulase, Emulsin and Perxidase- direct action on the blood;
Amylase & Invertase- conversion of starches and sugars;
Lipase- a fat-splitting enzyme Chlorophyll- a body cleanser,
infection fighter & nature's deodorizer
Helps those with kidney or bladder problems
Helps with arthritis
Has high protein content--18.9% as compared to milk--3.3%, whole wheat 13.8%, eggs 13.1%, and beef 16.5% 150g container of alfalfa sprouts has approximately 30 calories
Alfalfa contains vitamin A, E, K, B and D. It also contains silicon, phosphorus, iron, potassium, chlorine, sodium, magnesium and many additional trace elements. Alfalfa has eight known enzymes that promote chemical reactions that enable food to be assimilated properly within the body.
Barley and Wheat Grass
The major therapeutic properties of wheat and barley grass are nearly identical
Barley grass is considered the most nutritional of the green grasses. Yoshihide Hagiwara, M.D., the pioneer of green foods, is responsible for more than 200 published studies on green and natural foods. After studying green plants for decades, he said, 'It is 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.'
Barley grass contains a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals, amino acids, including the eight essential ones that we must get from our diets, proteins, enzymes, chlorophyll, and phytochemicals.
The nutritional content of 15lbs of fresh wheat grass is equivalent to 350 lbs of the choicest vegetables. This is only slightly reduced once freeze dried.
In the book 'Survival into the 21st Century' by Rev Viktoras Kulvinskas, M.S. it states: 'Wheatgrass is the fastest, surest way to eliminate internal waste and provide and optimal nutritional environment. It's high enzyme content helps dissolve tumours. Wheatgrass is the nectar of rejuvenation, the plasma of youth, the blood of life. All elements that are missing your body's cells especially enzymes, vitamins, hormones and nucleic acids, can be obtained from this daily green sunlight transfusion'.
Amino Acids and Proteins
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which are the major constituents of every cell and body fluid, and are thus necessary for the continual cell building, cell regeneration, and energy production that we need for life. An added benefit of the green barley leaf proteins is that they are polypeptides-smaller proteins that can be directly absorbed by the blood, where they promote cell metabolism.
Enzymes
Green barley leaves contain a multitude of enzymes. Enzymes are essential for the thousands of chemical reactions that occur throughout the body, including the production of energy at the cellular level, the facilitation of digestion, the absorption of digested nutrients, and the rebuilding and replenishing of all that the body requires for metabolism to occur.
The enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a powerful antioxidant thought to slow the rate of cell destruction by providing a defense against free radicals, especially the most prolific free radical, superoxide. Superoxide free radicals are thought to be responsible for the breakdown of synovial fluid that leads to the inflammatory response in joints. Much of the current clinical research on SOD is focused on arthritis, bursitis, and gout. Low levels of SOD are also associated with cataracts and other degenerative diseases. In addition, it is believed to help the body use zinc, copper, and manganese more effectively.
As SOD is heat sensitive, it is thought to be the yardstick for measuring overall enzymatic activity. If SOD is present in a food in an active state, it can be concluded that the other enzymes in the food are also present in an active state.
Enzymes are not found in processed and cooked foods.
Chlorophyll
Green barley grass also contains chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has been studied for its potential as a deodorant, in stimulating tissue growth, and in stimulating red blood cells in connection with oxygen supply. Perhaps most remarkable is the similarity between chlorophyll and the red pigment in blood. Research in the 1940s demonstrated that the two pigments react the same during breakdown.
According to an article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Jan. 4, 1995), chlorophyll fed to laboratory animals reduces 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 also removes carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, the by-products of respiration and pollution, and has been found to reduce fecal, urinary, and body odor in geriatric patients. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound-healing properties.
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals are simply plant chemicals that are thought to be essential to health. They have been associated with the prevention and/or treatment of at least four of the leading causes of death - cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension - and with the prevention and/or treatment of other ailments, including neural tube defects, osteoporosis, abnormal bowel function, and arthritis, as well as numerous chronic conditions.
The Value of Barley Grass
Research has found that green barley extract has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, immune system support and cholesterol-lowering effects.
Alkalinity
Green barley grass has a high alkalizing effect, which helps keep the ratio between acidity and alkalinity in our body fluids balanced. Our cells cannot adequately function if the pH (which measures acidity and alkalinity) is not in a narrow range. Most processed foods are acidic, and when we consume too many of them, the acidity-alkalinity balance is upset.
Green barley grass contains buffer minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Buffer minerals neutralize acidic materials and can help maintain a healthy acidity-alkalinity balance.
Antioxidants
Green barley grass also contains unique and powerful plant antioxidants, including lutonarin (7-O-GIO) and saponarin (7-O-GIV). According to scientists, lutonarin is the superior antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from free-radical damage.
