Amongst folks on the lookout for pure well being treatments, barley grass merchandise have been gaining reputation due to its big selection of vitamins. Often 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 we’ve got highlighted in our blogs).
Often, folks consider barley grass merchandise for advantages like cleansing, rising vitality ranges, and serving to with irritation . However through the years, some analysis in lab mice suggests in addition they play a task in serving to alleviate signs of melancholy which can be brought on by stress.
Melancholy is a really advanced situation. Regardless that it impacts tens of millions of individuals worldwide it’s nonetheless very tough to deal with and overcome. It is typically linked to emphasize, oxidative harm, and imbalances in mind chemical compounds like serotonin and different neurotrophic components. (Although the speculation of serotonin and melancholy is improper and was largely made as much as promote medication.) And talking of medication, there are some large money-makers on the market for treating melancholy, however one of many negative effects of those medication is melancholy and suicidal tendencies. So, a number of folks like you might be looking for out pure options. Might barley grass assist?
On this weblog, we’ll have 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 are not straight relevant to people, however they do provide you with somewhat perception as to how barley grass juice powder may assist. So let’s try these research.
Research 1: Barley and Wheat Grass Extracts Assist Mice Deal with Stress-Induced Melancholy
Barley grass powder merchandise have turn into in style in Nepal. This prompted a research in 2022 that was printed within the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medication. On this research the researchers explored the consequences of aqueous extracts from barley and wheat grass on Swiss albino mice subjected to stress-induced melancholy. The researchers hypothesized that the antioxidants within the extract would have antidepressant properties.
- Strategies: Mice have 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 exams included the compelled swim take a look at (FST), tail suspension take a look at (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 exams, handled mice confirmed considerably decreased 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 decreased nervousness and depression-like behaviors in comparison with the harassed management mice.
- Implications: This research means that barley grass and wheat grass extracts have antidepressant exercise in them. This could be as a result of antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids that naturally happen in these crops.
Research 2: Barley Leaf Extract helps Mice Overcome Stress within the Pressured Swimming Check
A Japanese analysis group at Chiba College in Japan printed their preliminary findings in 2012. This research in Pharmacognosy Analysis centered particularly on younger inexperienced barley leaf powder and its antidepressant potential in mice utilizing the compelled swimming take a look at, which is a standard mannequin for screening antidepressants.
- Strategies: Mice have 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 length was measured, and mind mRNA ranges of nerve development issue (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic issue (BDNF), and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) have been analyzed within the hippocampus and cortex.
- Key Findings: Each doses of barley leaf considerably decreased immobility time (indicating an antidepressant-like impact), just like imipramine. Stress elevated NGF mRNA within the hippocampus by 31%, however barley leaf moderated this in a dose-dependent method. 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 may contain modulating NGF within the mind, doubtlessly providing safety to nerve cells in opposition to stress with out straight impacting the stress hormone axis. Just like the earlier research, this one additionally factors to secondary metabolite molecules (akin to polyphenols and flavonoids) as antioxidants in barley grass as main components in altering the mice’s habits.
Research 3: Protecting Results of Barley Leaf Extract on Stress and Mind Well being
A follow-up research from the identical analysis group in Japan was printed in 2015 in Pharmacognosy Journal. This analysis examined younger inexperienced barley leaf’s means to guard in opposition to restraint stress in feminine mice. They measured voluntary wheel operating habits (harassed mice do not run as a lot) and measurement of mRNA ranges of BDNF within the hippocampus. Mind-derived neurotrophic issue (BDNF) is like development issue for nerve cells. It’s essential for neuron survival and infrequently decreased in melancholy.
- 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 have been unbiased of the principle 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 maintaining depression-like states at bay. The research highlights its position in selling resilience with out stimulating the nervous system, as there was no hyperactivity or further wheel-running habits in non-stressed mice given the barley leaf extract,
What Does This Imply for People?
Taken collectively, these mice research recommend three ways in which Barley Grass extracts and juices may have antidepressant-like properties:
1. Discount of oxidative stress by way of antioxidants.
2. Normalization of mind components like nerve development issue (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic issue, BDNF, which assist nerve well being.
3. Enhancement of habits outcomes when uncovered to emphasize with out toxicity or overstimulation.
However we nonetheless must be cautious about extrapolating these outcomes. These are simply mice and the ends in mice do not actually translate to people very effectively. These outcomes are preliminary. Melancholy in folks is far more difficult than stress-induced melancholy in mice. It’s important to take many components under consideration, together with genetics, life-style components, and the setting—issues that are not actually explored in these easy research.
Nevertheless, we do know that barley grass is usually protected and customarily useful to folks, whether or not you are in Nepal, Japan, or right here within the USA. So should you’re coping with melancholy, it’s possible you’ll wish to consider using one thing like BarleyMax simply to enrich no matter else you are doing. It is not an alternative choice to different issues, however it may very well be useful to include it into your weight-reduction plan. It simply may show you how to overcome stress and really feel higher.