Amongst individuals on the lookout for pure well being cures, barley grass merchandise have been gaining reputation due to its big range of vitamins. Normally consumed as a juice powder stirred into water or a smoothie or as dried entire leaf powder, the barley leaves are wealthy in nutritional vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—like flavonoids (for instance, saponarin, lutonarin, Bz-TMF, and some others that now we have highlighted in our blogs).
Normally, individuals consider barley grass merchandise for advantages like cleansing, growing vitality ranges, and serving to with irritation . However over time, some analysis in lab mice suggests in addition they play a job in serving to alleviate signs of despair which are brought on by stress.
Despair is a really complicated situation. Regardless that it impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide it’s nonetheless very tough to deal with and overcome. It is typically linked to emphasize, oxidative injury, and imbalances in mind chemical substances like serotonin and different neurotrophic components. (Although the speculation of serotonin and despair is mistaken and was principally made as much as promote medication.) And talking of medicine, there are some massive money-makers on the market for treating despair, however one of many uncomfortable side effects of those medication is despair and suicidal tendencies. So, a number of individuals like you’re in search of out pure options. May barley grass assist?
On this weblog, we’ll take a look at three intriguing research with lab mice that present some antidepressant-like results when the mice are given barley grass powder. Now these are simply animal experiments, so they don’t seem to be immediately relevant to people, however they do offer you a bit perception as to how barley grass juice powder may assist. So let’s take a look at these research.
Research 1: Barley and Wheat Grass Extracts Assist Mice Deal with Stress-Induced Despair
Barley grass powder merchandise have turn out to be well-liked in Nepal. This prompted a examine in 2022 that was printed within the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Drugs. On this examine the researchers explored the consequences of aqueous extracts from barley and wheat grass on Swiss albino mice subjected to stress-induced despair. The researchers hypothesized that the antioxidants within the extract would have antidepressant properties.
- Strategies: Mice had been divided into teams and uncovered to emphasize. They obtained both the extracts (400 mg/kg), a regular antidepressant (imipramine, 100 mg/kg), or a management. Behavioral checks included the pressured swim check (FST), tail suspension check (TST), and elevated plus maze (EPM) to evaluate immobility (a proxy for despair) and nervousness.
- Key Findings: The extracts contained bioactive compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, and tannins, with excessive whole phenolic and flavonoid content material contributing to robust antioxidant exercise. In behavioral checks, handled mice confirmed considerably lowered immobility time in FST and TST (p < 0.05 to p < 0.01) and spent extra time within the open arms of the EPM (p < 0.01), indicating lowered nervousness and depression-like behaviors in comparison with the careworn management mice.
- Implications: This examine means that barley grass and wheat grass extracts have antidepressant exercise in them. This could be because of the antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids that naturally happen in these vegetation.
Research 2: Barley Leaf Extract helps Mice Overcome Stress within the Pressured Swimming Take a look at
A Japanese analysis group at Chiba College in Japan printed their preliminary findings in 2012. This examine in Pharmacognosy Analysis centered particularly on younger inexperienced barley leaf powder and its antidepressant potential in mice utilizing the pressured swimming check, which is a typical mannequin for screening antidepressants.
- Strategies: Mice had been orally given barley leaf extract (400 or 1000 mg/kg) or imipramine (100 mg/kg) (a tricyclic antidepressant) one hour earlier than swimming periods over three days. Immobility period was measured, and mind mRNA ranges of nerve progress issue (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic issue (BDNF), and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) had been analyzed within the hippocampus and cortex.
- Key Findings: Each doses of barley leaf considerably lowered immobility time (indicating an antidepressant-like impact), much like imipramine. Stress elevated NGF mRNA within the hippocampus by 31%, however barley leaf moderated this in a dose-dependent means. BDNF and GR ranges weren’t considerably altered, and serum corticosterone (a stress hormone) remained unchanged by the extract.
- Implications: The researchers suggest that barley leaf’s results would possibly contain modulating NGF within the mind, doubtlessly providing safety to nerve cells in opposition to stress with out immediately impacting the stress hormone axis. Just like the earlier examine, this one additionally factors to secondary metabolite molecules (resembling polyphenols and flavonoids) as antioxidants in barley grass as main components in altering the mice’s conduct.
Research 3: Protecting Results of Barley Leaf Extract on Stress and Mind Well being
A follow-up examine from the identical analysis group in Japan was printed in 2015 in Pharmacognosy Journal. This analysis examined younger inexperienced barley leaf’s capacity to guard in opposition to restraint stress in feminine mice. They measured voluntary wheel operating conduct (careworn mice do not run as a lot) and measurement of mRNA ranges of BDNF within the hippocampus. Mind-derived neurotrophic issue (BDNF) is like progress issue for nerve cells. It’s essential for neuron survival and sometimes lowered in despair.
- Strategies: Mice underwent restraint stress for 3 hours day by day over 5 days, with barley leaf (400 or 1000 mg/kg) or a constructive management (clotiazepam, 10 mg/kg) given orally beforehand. Wheel-running exercise (a measure of motivation and anti-stress adaptation) was tracked, together with serum corticosterone, and BDNF mRNA (together with variants like exon IV).
- Key Findings: Stress decreased wheel-running and hippocampal BDNF mRNA (whole, exon I, and exon IV) as anticipated. Barley leaf (particularly 400 mg/kg) prevented the drop in exercise and considerably boosted BDNF exon IV mRNA (p < 0.05). It did not have an effect on corticosterone ranges, suggesting that the consequences had been unbiased of the primary stress hormone pathway (the battle or flight pathway talked about a lot).
- Implications: By preserving BDNF, barley grass could assist preserve hippocampal well being beneath stress, doubtlessly holding depression-like states at bay. The examine highlights its function in selling resilience with out stimulating the nervous system, as there was no hyperactivity or further wheel-running conduct in non-stressed mice given the barley leaf extract,
What Does This Imply for People?
Taken collectively, these mice research counsel three ways in which Barley Grass extracts and juices may have antidepressant-like properties:
1. Discount of oxidative stress by means of antioxidants.
2. Normalization of mind components like nerve progress issue (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic issue, BDNF, which help nerve well being.
3. Enhancement of conduct outcomes when uncovered to emphasize with out toxicity or overstimulation.
However we nonetheless have to be cautious about extrapolating these outcomes. These are simply mice and the ends in mice do not actually translate to people very properly. These outcomes are preliminary. Despair in individuals is rather more difficult than stress-induced despair in mice. You must take many components under consideration, together with genetics, life-style components, and the surroundings—issues that are not actually explored in these easy research.
Nevertheless, we do know that barley grass is usually protected and customarily useful to individuals, whether or not you are in Nepal, Japan, or right here within the USA. So in case you’re coping with despair, it’s possible you’ll need to consider using one thing like BarleyMax simply to enrich no matter else you are doing. It isn’t an alternative choice to different issues, however it could possibly be useful to include it into your food plan. It simply would possibly aid you overcome stress and really feel higher.
