Cancer. It is one of the most dreaded 6-letter words in the English language. Scary. Unknown. Deadly. Actually, not completely unknown, for most people have a relative or a friend that was killed by cancer or died while taking cancer treatments. For people under the age of 65 it is the number 1 killer in the USA.
Here at Hallelujah Diet we have heard many cancer stories, and each one is unique. We take an “all-hands on deck” to helping you overcome a cancer diagnosis. We don’t cure cancer. We don’t treat cancer. We provide you with information and products that help supply your body with exactly what it needs to build optimal health, even when faced with a cancer diagnosis.
So here is another piece of information that could be very helpful to you. In this article I will go over 4 key pieces of evidence from recent research on the anti-cancer properties of barley grass juice powder.
Lab Studies: Barley Grass Extracts and Cancer Cells
The first line of evidence comes from four studies from a research group at The Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, Poland. This research group tested barley grass extracts on cancer cells in the lab. These kind of in vitro studies are important because you can study the mechanisms of how something works, not just the results visible without destroying the cells internally. These types of studies can also just give preliminary evidence that there is some potential in an extract, like barley grass juice, which is mostly what was shown here.
In a 2019 study, researchers tested water-based extracts from dried whole leaf barley grass powder and dehydrated juice powder on colon cancer cells (like LS180 and HT-29) and normal human colon cells. The extracts did not harm normal cells’ growth or structure but significantly reduced colon cancer cell growth. Higher doses had stronger effects, and microscope images showed signs of necrosis, a type of cell death, in the cancer cells. The authors presented evidence that the dehydrated grass juice powder was a better anti-proliferative agent than the dried whole leaf powder, which is in line with what we have said about barley grass juice powder being better than ground up whole leaf powder (expensive hay, really).
A 2017 study explored similar extracts against HT-29 colon cancer cells and A549 lung cancer cells. The extracts showed low toxicity to normal colon and skin cells as expected. They reduced cancer cell growth, especially in colon cells, but this time the water extract of powdered barley leaf showed stronger antitumor activity. (So, the whole leaf powder isn’t all bad either.) Flavonoids, like the ones that help with inflammation and antioxidant protection (see our previous article) are fairly heat stable and likely contributed to the success of the water extract used in this experimental setup.
A 2020 study combined barley grass and chlorella against HT-29 colon cancer cells. The barley extract alone slowed cancer cell growth and caused necrosis-like changes, sparing normal cells. The combination of barley grass and chlorella was better than either one of them separate, though not fully additive. This type of interplay between phytochemicals is fairly common. They don’t act as silver bullets, being so strong that they cancel diseased cells all by themselves. No, nutrients and phytochemicals are team players and work well with other factors.
In 2023, this synergy was again seen in a study focused on breast cancer cells (T47D) using barley grass water extracts alone and combined with chlorella, as mentioned above. The barley extract increased cancer cell membrane permeability and reduced growth, with signs of necrosis, or cell death. When paired with chlorella, the combination was more effective than either alone, without affecting normal skin cells.
Together this series of studies points to the potential of barley grass products having the ability to slow cancer growth and spread, especially when combined with other beneficial compounds. And the experiments were repeatable, showing time and again the anticancer potential of barley grass.
Animal Studies: Barley Grass Juice and Tumor Reduction
The second piece of evidence comes from a 2023 study on mice with liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). Researchers triggered tumors in mice using a gene-delivery method and gave some mice barley grass juice as a supplement.
The results showed that barley grass juice reduced tumor growth. It worked by boosting the mice’s immune systems. Tests revealed higher levels of immune markers like Ptprc (CD45) and Adgre1 (F4/80), indicating more immune cells, such as macrophages, in the treated mice. Staining of tissues showed increased infiltration of immune cells, including activated liver-specific cells. This suggests barley grass juice may help the immune system fight early-stage tumors in liver cancer, moving the research closer to real-world applications.
Enhancing Immune Defenses: Barley Grass and NK Cells
The third area of evidence focuses on natural killer (NK) cells, which are immune cells that attack abnormal cells like cancer without needing prior activation.
In a 2022 study the research group in Lublin, Poland again found anti-tumor activity due to barley grass juice. But this time it was different. In lab tests done in this study, the barley grass extract boosted NK cells’ (natural killer cells) ability to recognize and destroy colon cancer cells. The barley grass extract did a little bit to act directly against colon cancer cell growth, but the biggest finding was the induction of greater NK cell activity against the tumors. This study shows yet another way that barley grass can strengthen the immune system so the body works normally.
Slowing Down Breast Cancer Tumors in Mice with Barley Grass Powder
A fourth line of evidence comes from a 2016 study with mice and experimentally induced breast cancer tumors. Not only did the barley grass powder slow down carcinogenesis in a dose-dependent manner in the parallel in vitro cell culture tests, but the researchers also did deeper analysis, which pointed to the flavonoids, especially the main ones, lutonarin and saponarin, as being responsible for some of the benefits of the barley grass powder. In the mice even a very low dose of barley grass powder had an effect, and adding 10 times as much did not improve the potency in mice.
Conclusion: A Promising but Preliminary Step
Of course, mice are very different from people anyways. Cancer has been cured many times in animals models without further testing revealing a significant benefit in people. So, it is helpful to remember that these sorts of tests are only preliminary evidence of potential benefit of a plant product. Cell culture tests are even more preliminary than animal studies. So, don’t go out and preach that BarleyMax can cure cancer. No one is saying that.
What we can say is that there are phytochemicals in barley grass products that seem to have anti-cancer properties, shown in preliminary studies. Some of the benefits are from direct interaction and some of the benefits come from strengthening the immune system, such as the experiment of enhancing NK cell activity against tumors.
It is safe to say that a “all-hands on deck” approach is most helpful when facing a cancer diagnosis. That is why we have created the Cancer Rescue Plan kit. It includes a guide for an excellent diet along with providing the most helpful supplements to boost your immune system’s function. Coupling an excellent plant-based diet with an exercise program, stress management, and deep, restorative sleep is a sure way to improve whatever other therapy you choose to initiate to restore your health.
