Wheatgrass: properties, benefits, and applications

Nutrition

Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass is part of the Poaceae family. This family includes a wide variety of different grasses. Wheatgrass is usually found growing in the mild regions of Europe and the United States. It can be grown both outdoors and indoors. Both the roots and subversive stems are often used to make herbal remedies (Wheatgrass, 2008). It is made up of all of the vitamins and most of the minerals that are needed for human maintenance and well-being. It is considered a complete protein, containing about 30 enzymes. It is also made up of about 70% crude chlorophyll (Wheatgrass Juice, 2009).

In the 1940's, Charles Kettering, former Chairman of the Board of General Motors, donated money in order for chlorophyll to be studied. Chlorophyll was looked at by medical doctors using double blind studies. These medical doctors found that chlorophyll was a great healer and it was used as such for quite some time afterwards (Fowlkes, 2009).

Ann Wigmore is the first person known to have studied and promoted the use of wheatgrass juice in this country. She thought that it had blood cleansing and building abilities. She studied the effects that Chlorophyll has on the circulatory system and oxygen supply. She also looked at its role in detoxifying and regenerating the liver. She thought that absence and toxemia were the causes of all disease. Her theory was that because people eat a modern American diet that consists of mostly cooked, highly processed, nutritionally empty food, it is thought that we cause our bodies to become clogged. By cleansing the body with wheatgrass juice a person gives their body more of an opportunity to heal itself. It is believed that cleansing the systems will actually allow the body to heal itself from disease (Wheatgrass Juice, 2009).

Wheatgrass is thought to be one of the most abundant super foods known. Wheatgrass and barley grass have been recognized for their nutritional content along with their cleansing and cell regeneration capabilities. They are also recognized for being in a form that is easily and effortlessly assimilated and digested by the human body. The amount of chlorophyll that is contained in wheatgrass has been enough to encourage many people to consume either fresh or powdered wheatgrass everyday. Because of the fact that it is approximately 70% crude chlorophyll, it has a very high energizing effect and provides a real boost to those looking to alkalize their body (Wheatgrass Juice Benefits, 2010).

Many health experts have suggested that the chlorophyll molecule in wheatgrass is nearly identical to the hemoglobin molecule that is found in the human blood. The only difference that has been found is that the main element in chlorophyll is magnesium while the main element in hemoglobin is iron. Because of this inherent similarity, the human body can easily transform chlorophyll into hemoglobin. This is known to increase the red blood cell count as well as the blood's capacity to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to cells (Wheatgrass Juice Benefits, 2010).

Chlorophyll is known to build red blood cells very rapidly. It normalizes blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body, destroys poisonous carbon dioxide, releases free oxygen and promotes higher metabolism and stimulated enzyme systems. Consuming chlorophyll from wheatgrass has been shown to be a very highly successful way to alkalize and energize the body (Wheatgrass Juice Benefits, 2010).

Wheatgrass has been used to treat a number of conditions including the common cold, coughs, bronchitis, fevers, infections, and inflammation of the mouth and throat. Many years ago, wheatgrass was used to treat cystitis, gout, rheumatic pain, chronic skin disorders, and constipation. Even though most people use wheatgrass juice as a dietary supplement, some proponents claim that a dietary program frequently called the wheatgrass diet can cause cancer to retreat and can actually extend the lives of people who have cancer. They believe that the wheatgrass diet strengthens the immune system, kills harmful bacteria in the digestive system, and rids the body of toxins and waste matter (Wheatgrass, 2008).

Wheatgrass comes in many different forms. It can be found planted in trays of soil and in tablets, capsules, liquid extracts, tinctures, and juices. Some people buy seeds or kits and grow it at home. It is most often prepared into juice, but can also be used to make tea. People usually drink the juice, although some mix it with water and use it as an enema to cleanse the liver. It can also be mixed into smoothies as well as other drinks (Wheatgrass, 2008).