| Grasses
Cereal Grasses are the young
plants which produce grains when they reach maturity. They
contain a concentration of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll
and amino acids.
Cereal Grasses
Before jointing (when the seed
head forms in the stem of the plant) the plant is at its highest
nutrient period, or at the nutritional peak. It is at this
time that the shoots are harvested for human consumption,
dried at body temperature and powdered. In this natural state,
the enzymes, nutrients and chlorophyll are all very much alive
and in peak condition. During the 1940s and 1950s cereal grasses
were found to contain a number of factors. In addition to
the growth and fertility factors, grass was shown to contain
factors which support the growth of lactobacilli and other
beneficial intestinal bacteria. Cereal grasses are used in
laboratories around the world as a medium to support the growth
of lactobacilli, the 'healthy flora' bacteria.
In the dried form, these grasses
rank just behind the micro-algae in chlorophyll and vitamin
A. Their protein levels are 20% - about the same as many meats
- but of course their amino acid/protein profile is quite
different. Most cereal grasses also contain trace amounts
of vitamin B12 and many other nutrients. Wheat grass can pick
up more than ninety minerals out of the estimated 102 found
in rich soil.
In addition to high nutrient
content, cereal grasses offer unique digestive enzymes not
available in such concentration in other foods. Also present
is the anti-oxidant enzyme superoxide simutase (SOD) and the
special fraction P4D1.
The carbohydrate structure of
cereal grass has special value, like that in certain micro-algae,
it contains large quantities of mucopolysaccharides (MPs).
All chlorophyll (green) plants
have certain pigments known as carotenes. "Beta"
carotene makes up the majority of carotene in plants. While
vitamin A and beta carotene appear almost interchangeably.
Alfalfa Grass
Alfalfa Grass (Medicago
sativa)
Second to Spirulina - Alfalfa
Grass is the next true protein rich super food. It is complete
with vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous,
potassium and numerous trace elements.
Barley
Grass
Barley Grass (Hordeum vulgare)
Barley grass is one of the
green grasses. Astounding amounts of vitamins and minerals
are found in green barley leaves. The leaves have an ability
to absorb nutrients from the soil. When barley leaves are
12-14 inches high, they contain many vitamins, minerals, and
proteins necessary for the human diet, plus chlorophyll. These
are easily assimilated throughout the digestive tract, giving
our bodies instant access to vital nutrients. These include
potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese,
zinc, beta carotene, B1, B2, B6, C, folic acid, and pantothenic
acid. Indeed, green barley juice contains 11 times the calcium
in cows' milk, nearly 5 times the iron in spinach, 7 times
the vitamin C in oranges, and 80 mg of vitamin B12 per hundred
grams.
Wheat
Grass
Wheat Grass (Triticum aestivum syn. T. vulgare)
Scientific research shows that
young barley and wheat leaves, when harvested just prior to
stem growth, can provide a potent and balanced source of nutrition.
Wheat grass is particularly nutritious, with a high concentration
of vitamins, minerals, protein, enzymes, chlorophyll, and
mucopolysaccharides.
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