It is always best to start with the basics. The following is a simple explanation of what wheatgrass is — and what it is not:
Wheat is a grain in the cereal grass family gramineae, and wheatgrass is the young blades of the common cereal wheat plant. It is often called “green blood” or “green gold” because of its high nutritional content. It grows outdoors as a perennial plant, but it is often cultivated indoors for therapeutic purposes. Wheatgrass has increased in popularity over the years, and today, it is a vital part of the green health movement.
There you have it. Wheatgrass is not a magical potion. It is not an overnight cure-all, and it is not a replacement for a nutritionally balanced diet. It is a live food that, when woven into a program of exercise and other life-giving foods, can help the body to rejuvenate and overcome sickness and disease.
At this point, it would be good to note the difference between wheatgrass and “wheat grass.” Although many tend to use both spellings to mean the same thing, the latter spelling refers to a variety of cereal grasses such as oats, barley, and rye that are grown in open fields. In many cases, these grasses are grown for animal fodder, but in some cases, they are grown, dehydrated, and prepared for a number of wheat grass products or dietary supplements. Wheatgrass — as one word — generally refers to the wheat product that is cultivated indoors for therapeutic purposes.
Wheatgrass is a health food made from young wheat shoots. It is grown in the United States as well as in several countries worldwide. Once wheatgrass reaches an approximate height of seven inches, it is cut and squeezed to produce a highly nutritious liquid that can be consumed in small quantities in various forms. Wheatgrass can be freshly juiced or dried into a powder for human and animal consumption. It is available in many local, national, and online health food stores and can be purchased as fresh produce, frozen juice, powder, and tablets. Wheatgrass is mostly known for its health benefits and is a popular health and diet food in America. The tender grass is ready for harvest when it reaches its nutritional peak, also called the jointing stage. During this stage, the grain ovule has left the root and moved up into the shaft of the plant. The plant has now accumulated a large amount of energy, which will fuel a tremendous growth spurt in the plant. At this point, the plant is compressed and the potent energy is captured in the dark green liquid that is expressed called wheatgrass juice. This juice contains vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. These energy producers bathe the cells of the body, refreshing them and helping them to perform effectively. The juice also helps purge toxins that can accumulate in the body’s cells. These toxins are a hindrance to the performance of the cells. Wheatgrass is a nutritional green, along with alfalfa, chlorella algae, aloe vera leaf, barley, and kelp.
History of Grasses
The foundational food for most land-based life is grass. There are more than 9,000 edible grass seeds found in various parts of the world, and these seeds have been gathered and used as a primary food source for centuries. The cultivation of seeds became a driving force of survival for early civilizations. The dwindling supply of game for hunting and an increase in human populations prompted a systematic harvesting of the grains that grew in the wild. Cereal grasses — grasses that produce a starchy, edible grain — that were once gathered from the wild and consumed, were now cultivated on a regular basis and used to support the increasing population.
Grasses have always been nutritious. They can be found in cultures all around the world and in a number of forms. All cereal crops produce a grain that, when planted, produces grass. Grasses have long been a major source of human food, as well as food for domesticated and wild grazing animals. Societies, as well as individual groups of people, throughout history have valued grasses and touted their healing properties.
Origination of wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is one of several cereal grasses. In terms of nutritional value, it is similar in content to both barley and alfalfa. The nutritional value is dependent on where the grass is grown and at what stage it is harvested. In terms of taste, wheatgrass is generally sweeter than other cereal grasses.
Wheatgrass is the most popular of the cereal grasses because of its availability and health benefits. It originated with the cultivation of wheat, one of the most important agricultural crops in human history. Modern wheat originated in Southwest Asia and evolved from two forms of wild wheat — emmer and einkorn — used in Mesopotamian civilizations.
The ancient Egyptians are also affiliated with wheat and are noted for regarding the young wheat plant as a sacred item, treasuring the positive effect it had on their health and vitality. Many claim that King Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament’s book of Daniel was restored to mental health after his seven-year grass diet. For centuries, farmers recognized the improvement of livestock when they fed on the young grasses of early spring. Based upon these observations, early 20th century scientists began to study grasses in an effort to disclose its nutritional mysteries and include it in animal feed. Wheatgrass is the first blades of grass that develop from the plant after the wheat grain has germinated. It has been a source of study since the early 1900s.
Hungarian philosopher Edmond Bordeaux Szekely discovered and translated an ancient biblical manuscript that he found near the Dead Sea in the 1900s. This manuscript is said to have revealed a unique and healthy way of eating as taught by Jesus of Nazareth. Szekely published and began distributing his translation called The Essene Gospel of Peace in 1928 in an effort to share this supposedly “new” diet with those around him. “All grasses are good for man and wheatgrass is the perfect food for man,” is a main theme of the Essene Book IV cited by many sources.
The following notable people were instrumental in the popularization of wheatgrass.
The work of Dr. Charles Schnabel
Wheatgrass consumption in the Western world began after a series of intensive research studies in agriculture conducted in Kansas in the early 1900s by agricultural chemist Dr. Charles Schnabel and his colleagues. Dr. Schnabel experimented with various feed mixtures in an attempt to increase chicken health and egg production during winter months. Initially, he found no differences in chicken health or egg production, but he did notice that hens sought out and consumed young cereal grasses when they were let out to feed. He then included dehydrated wheatgrass and oat grass in the feed and noticed that ailing hens recovered quickly, grew faster, and had an increase in fertility.
Dr. Schnabel continued his studies and enlisted the help of a few colleagues. These men identified wheatgrass as a valuable grass food when they discovered that animals could survive on wheatgrass alone when they could not survive solely on other healthy vegetables such as broccoli, alfalfa, or spinach. Further research revealed that wheatgrass contained a vast assortment of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. Their research also identified benefits unrelated to any of these recognized nutrients. These additional strengths, unique to grasses alone, are termed the “grass juice factor,” which will be discussed in detail later in the chapter.
Dr. Schnabel was so fascinated with the discovery of the nutritional benefits of wheatgrass that he fed his family with dehydrated grass. Dr. Schnabel and his family included the grass in their diet for eleven years. He reported that his children remained healthy and did not even suffer from tooth decay.
Dr. Schnabel then began promoting his discovery to other chemists as well as to feed mills and the food industry by stating, “15 pounds of wheatgrass is equal in overall nutritional value to over 350 pounds of ordinary vegetables.” Although this statement has since been proven inaccurate, American Dairies, Inc. and Quaker Oats accepted these promotions and invested millions of dollars to further research, develop, and produce nutritional products for humans and animals. By 1940, cans of Dr. Schnabel’s powdered grass were selling in pharmacies throughout the United States and Canada. Wheatgrass and other cereal grass tablets were the nation’s No. 1 mineral supplement of the decade.
Dr. Schnabel also patented the jointing theory. He emphasized that the timing of plant harvests must coincide with the nutritional peak of the plant and that the grass must be cut at the jointing stage to be most nutritionally beneficial.
The work of Ann Wigmore
Although Dr. Schnabel is attributed with the early consumption of wheatgrass in a dehydrated form, credit for popularizing the use of freshly squeezed wheatgrass juice goes, almost singly, to Ann Wigmore. As a child in Lithuania, Wigmore learned the power of natural healing from her grandmother, who helped heal wounded World War I soldiers with herbs, grasses, and plants. Wigmore was able to apply this valuable knowledge to her own life when she migrated to America and contracted gangrene in the 1940s after a terrible automobile accident. She successfully treated her own gangrenous legs with grass treatments, saving them from amputation.
She then began an in-depth study of natural healing and, with the assistance of her friend Dr. George H. Earp-Thomas, discovered 4,700 varieties of grass, all beneficial to humans. From a series of experiments conducted on her pets, she concluded that wheatgrass was a premium grass. In the 1950s when Wigmore contracted colitis and then colon cancer, she claimed she was able to cure herself through a diet of seeds, grains, raw greens, and wheatgrass. She was disease-free within a year and began researching the beneficial uses of grasses, focusing on the healing properties of wheatgrass. She discovered that the grass could be consumed easier by juicing and began to share her wheatgrass juice with a number of ailing friends and neighbors. In 1956, she established the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston, adopting the principle of Hippocrates, the Greek father of modern medicine. According to her book, this philosophy surrounded the popular saying from Hippocrates, “The body heals itself. The physician is only nature’s assistant.”
Wigmore claimed that her wheatgrass diet could cure disease, and she treated countless individuals with serious health ailments. She believed cell toxemia, resulting from nutritional deficiency, to be the only disease in existence among Western man and that all degenerative ailments stemmed from this one malfunction. Basic deficiencies, according to Wigmore, came from cooked and over-processed food as well as the chemicals consumed when these foods were eaten. Fevers, swellings, and frequent colds were warnings of the onslaught of a more serious complication. If these warnings could be properly addressed when present, there would be no need for the body to develop any serious disease. Living by the principle “let food be your medicine,” Wigmore taught individuals worldwide about the health benefits of grasses and a living food healing program.
How wheatgrass use has evolved
Dr. Charles Schnabel and Ann Wigmore were pioneers in the wheatgrass movement. They began a collection of scientific research that was duplicated and enhanced by a number of other physicians and scientists. Key milestones in wheatgrass development and evolution include:
• Japanese pharmacist Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara confirmed wheatgrass to be of major therapeutic significance by analyzing edible greens and comparing their active medicinal ingredients. He established the Hagiwara Institute of Health in 1980, which is dedicated to supplying information on the medicinal properties of grasses.
• In the 1940s, Charles Kettering, researcher and former Chairman of the Board of General Motors, learned of the healing properties of plant chlorophyll and good health and donated large sums of money to support the escalating research done by medical doctors.
• New York internist Dr. F. Howard Westcott reported that obnoxious odors such as perspiration and bad breath were effectively neutralized when chlorophyll, the green pigment found in plants, was ingested in adequate quantities.
• Dr. Earp-Thomas of Bloomfield Laboratories in New Jersey discovered that adding wheatgrass to fluoridated water could change the chemical element fluorine into a harmless calcium-phosphate-fluoride compound. The fluoridation of public water has been a controversy since the 1940s. Opposers of fluoridated water have argued that fluoride in water can cause health problems in children and those of a weak constitution. Dr. Earp-Thomas also found that chemically contaminated fruits and vegetables were thoroughly cleansed when washed in wheatgrass water.
• A 1950 U.S. Army report revealed that guinea pigs exposed to lethal doses of radiation had a higher survival rate if they were fed a chlorophyll-rich diet. Wheatgrass, which has high chlorophyll content, was then used as an absorber of radiation from such devices as X-rays and televisions.
• Swiss scientist Dr. Max Bircher called chlorophyll “concentrated sun power” and attested that its stimulating properties were effective in increasing the function of the heart and other bodily organs. Wheatgrass was identified for its ability to transfuse the body’s organs through its many nutritive components, including chlorophyll.
• Dr. Chiu-nan Lai, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, reported that chlorophyll found in wheat-sprout extracts, which can be obtained from freshly cut wheatgrass, can reduce the metabolic activity of carcinogens, which are cancer-causing agents.
• Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg observed that a lack of oxygen in the cells was a major cause of cancer and that chlorophyll, which is a major component of wheatgrass, could supply needed oxygen to the cells due to its high iron content.
Chlorophyll, the green substance in plants, absorbs sunlight into plants and converts it into energy. Chlorophyll works to nourish the cells and increases the function of body parts. Studies concerning chlorophyll date back to the 1700s to the chemist Joseph Priestley who observed, through his candle and mice experiments, that life was sustained in the presence of green plants. Additional chlorophyll studies were conducted in the 1800s by Zurich University medical graduate Dr. Max Bircher and several other physicians using the standard of double-blind studies required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a double-blind study, certain aspects of the experiment are withheld from all parties involved in the test to guard against a biased outcome. Dr. Bircher and his colleagues concluded that chlorophyll had significant healing properties and used it as a healing aid for several years. Subsequently, the use of chlorophyll as a healing aid rapidly declined with the modern development of steroid drugs and antibiotics.
Dr. Bircher and fellow researchers also noted the ability of wheatgrass to absorb concentrated nutrients from the soil, which made the plant a valuable food source. As grasses cover more of the earth’s land surface than any other flowering plant family, wheatgrass and other grasses have added significantly to the world’s food supply. Many species of grass have adapted to different climate conditions and soil types. Intermediate wheatgrass, introduced to the United States from Asia due to its beneficial properties, is one type of wheatgrass species that has adapted well to a different environment. Its extensive, deep roots are capable of absorbing nutrients from a wide land area. It outperformed other grass species as a pasture crop. In an act of self-preservation, intermediate wheatgrass and other grasses developed their “jointing” characteristics. As the blades began to mature, they would divide at the joint. Large amounts of nutrients and enzymes are stored in the young blades in the early growth stages. If these young blades are left intact, the plant will mature and produce seeds. If the blades are pulled off or bitten by grazing animals, they will grow again. Emphasis was placed on the increased nutritional level of the plant at the jointing stage, causing further research to take place that demonstrated the dynamic potency of wheatgrass and other grass foods. This research was conducted by George Kohler and colleagues in the 1930s. The work that was begun by Schnabel and Wigmore has left its mark in history, as many health-conscious individuals today embrace the beneficial properties of the potent plant. Currently, a number of healing centers use wheatgrass as a major part of their healing plan. Classes and seminars throughout the world teach the benefits of consuming wheatgrass and raw, living foods.
Using Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is a complete food, meaning that it provides a balanced proportion of every vitamin, mineral, enzyme, and amino acid that the body needs for physical and mental health. The uses of wheatgrass have been tested extensively in the United States for the past 60 years, and wheatgrass has been claimed to be used successfully in the following ways:
• Wheatgrass juice has been used to eliminate scars in the lungs formed from inhaling acid gasses. The chlorophyll increases hemoglobin production, minimizing the effect of carbon monoxide. Dr. Benjamin Gruskin, former director of experimental pathology and oncology at Temple University School of Medicine, experimented with chlorophyll as an antiseptic in the 1940s. He found that chlorophyll not only stopped infections and eliminated bleeding in wounds, but it also sped up the healing of wounds and reduced the scarring of tissues.
• Wheatgrass juice is an effective internal body cleanser and has been used to protect the body from air and water pollution. It does this by strengthening body cells and detoxifying the blood and major body organs.
• Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara and other Japanese scientists discovered that certain amino acids and enzymes in young cereal grasses were effective in deactivating cancer-causing pollutants and eliminating toxins from the body.
• Ann Wigmore and other wheatgrass users suggest using wheatgrass to help eliminate dandruff and clean excess sebum (an oily substance secreted by the skin) from the scalp. Wigmore also recommended wheatgrass for preventing and correcting pre-mature graying.
• In his book Survival into the 21st Century, holistic health practitioner Viktoras Kulvinskas advocates the use of wheatgrass juice to effectively relieve toothaches and help prevent tooth decay. Dentist Homer Judkin of the Paris Hospital in Paris, Illinois, treated the gums of his patients with chlorophyll and reported the elimination of gum disorders. Because of its chlorophyll content, wheatgrass can be used as a mouthwash. Dr. F. Howard Wescott, a New York City internist, reported chlorophyll to be effective in eliminating offensive breath and body odors when taken internally.
• According to holistic nutritionist Dr. Bernard Jensen, wheatgrass is a superior blood builder. He mentions several cases in his book Chlorophyll Magic From Living Plant Life where he raised the blood count of patients by having them soak in a chlorophyll bath. From these results, he determined chlorophyll-enriched wheatgrass to be an effective help for anemia.
• Wheatgrass can be used as a beauty treatment for the skin. Radiant skin results from good blood circulation as well as exercise and diet. Chlorophyll baths and drinking wheatgrass can enhance the appearance of the skin. This beauty treatment can be attributed to the work of Dr. Bernard Jensen.
• Wheatgrass helps the body to combat aging. Research performed by Dr. Peter Rothschild at Smith-Kline Bio-Science in Honolulu revealed wheatgrass and other young grasses to be an excellent source of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which is a powerful anti-aging enzyme.
• Wheatgrass energizes the sex hormones. San Diego biologist Dr. Yasuo Hotta scientifically confirmed that P4D1, a compound found in young cereal grasses, is able to stimulate the production and repair of DNA of human sperm cells.
• The chlorophyll in wheatgrass helps protect the body from radiation from X-rays and security metal detection devices. Body cells and tissues continuously exposed to radiation can lead to serious health conditions. Studies concerning radiation and vegetable matter began in the 1930s. Although beta-carotene, also found in wheatgrass, was also thought to be an active ingredient in vegetables for eliminating radiation, studies in the 1960s conducted by Doris Calloway and colleagues attributed this radioactive property to the grass juice factor.
• Wheatgrass has been used as a vitamin supplement. As early as the 1930s, young cereal grasses have been recognized as a complete food. They contain all of the nutrients the body needs for survival — all known vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, antioxidants, and fatty acids. In 1939, dehydrated wheatgrass was accepted as a natural vitamin food by the American Medical Association. Wheatgrass has been used as a disinfectant and water purifier by Dr. Earp Thomas and others.
Health use
There are many claims of health benefits from consuming wheatgrass, some of which are unproven scientifically. Ann Wigmore used wheatgrass and other raw greens to treat her own case of ulcerative colitis, which is an inflammation of the large intestine and rectum. A 2002 double-blind scientific study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, found that wheatgrass can, indeed, reduce the symptoms of ulcerative colitis. In addition to treating ulcers, it is believed that wheatgrass can treat constipation and diarrhea as well as other gastrointestinal issues. Chlorophyll has been linked to a strengthened immune system and used to detoxify blood. Based on the work of Bernard Jenson, many holistic health practitioners believe that wheatgrass and other cereal grasses can increase red blood cell count, neutralize toxins and carcinogens, and repair cells. Because of this belief, wheatgrass is often used to aid in the treatment of both AIDS and cancer. The following are additional claims of the health benefits of wheatgrass:
• German scientist Ehrenfried Pfeiffer reported dehydrated wheatgrass to have a protein composition of 47.7 percent, which is three times as much protein concentration as beef.
• According to Dr. Earp Thomas and Dr. Bernard Jensen, when combined with an organically grown living food diet, wheatgrass juice can increase white blood cell counts. The body needs white blood cells to fight off infection.
• Because of the results of hair mineral analyses of guests at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston, Ann Wigmore concluded that wheatgrass juice can be successfully used to remove toxic metals from the body.
• As wheatgrass is a good source of calcium, it is helpful in strengthening the teeth. According to Dr. Homer Judkin of the Paris Hospital in Illinois, wheatgrass is also helpful for eliminating toxins from the gums due to its chlorophyll content.
• According to Ann Wigmore, wheatgrass can disinfect the body, eliminating bacteria and viruses. It can also be used as a douche for vaginal infections.
• According to Dr. Benjamin Gruskin, wheatgrass can alleviate sore throats and heal mouth sores.
• According to Ann Wigmore, wheatgrass juice implants used after an enema are great for detoxifying and healing the colon walls and cleaning all internal organs.
• Dr. Arthur Robinson, co-founder of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, concurred that wheatgrass juice helps blood circulation and, thus, helps to stabilize blood pressure.
• Wheatgrass increases red blood cells, helping to eliminate anemia. Research for this claim was conducted in 1913 when Dr. Richard Willstatter noticed the similarity between chlorophyll and hemoglobin. In 1933, Dr. Arthur Patek of Harvard Medical School reported positive results when anemia-deficient patients were given chlorophyll along with their iron treatments. He concluded that the chlorophyll worked along with the iron to bring faster and more effective results to the patients.
The nutrient profile of wheatgrass juice can be found in the following table. Daily recommended intake (DRI) of the various nutrients is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
|
Wheatgrass juice |
1 fluid oz. |
100 grams |
DRI |
|
Calories |
5.95 cal |
21.0 cal |
2,000 cal |
|
Carbohydrates |
0.567 g |
2.0 g |
300 g |
|
Chlorophyll |
11.96 mg |
42.2 mg |
n/a |
|
Dietary Fiber |
< 28.35 mg |
< 0.1 g |
25 g |
|
Fat |
0.017 g |
0.06 g |
25 g |
|
Moisture |
26.93 g |
95 g |
2 liters |
|
Protein |
0.55 g |
7.49 g |
50 g |
|
Vitamins |
|||
|
Biotin |
3 mcg |
30 mcg |
|
|
Choline |
26.20 mg |
92.4 mg |
550 mg |
|
Folic Acid / Folacin |
8.22 mcg |
29 mcg |
400 mcg* |
|
Vitamin A |
121 IU |
427 IU |
3,000 IU |
|
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) |
22.68 mcg |
0.08 mg |
1,4 mg |
|
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) |
36.86 mcg |
0.13 mg |
1,6 mg |
|
Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) |
31.19 mcg |
0.11 mg |
18 mg |
|
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) |
1.701 mg |
6.0 mg |
6.0 mg |
|
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCI) |
56.7 mcg |
0.2 mg |
2.0 mg |
|
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) |
1.0 mg |
3.65 mg |
75 mg |
|
Vitamin E |
880 mcg |
15.2 IU |
10 mg |
|
Minerals |
|||
|
Calcium |
7.2 mg |
24.2 mg |
1,000 mg |
|
Iron |
0.66 mg |
0.61 mg |
18 mg |
|
Magnesium |
6.80 mg |
24 mg |
350 mg |
|
Phosphorus |
21.31 mg |
75.2 mg |
1,000 mg |
|
Potassium |
42.0 mg |
147 mg |
3,500 mg |
|
Selenium |
< 0.284 |
< 1.0 ppm |
55 mcg |
|
Sodium |
2.92 mg |
10.3 mg |
2,400 mg |
|
Zinc |
0.094 mg |
0.33 mg |
15 mg |
|
Amino Acids |
|||
|
Alanine |
86.75 mg |
0.295 g |
Unknown |
|
Aspartic Acid |
74.0 mg |
0.453 g |
Unknown |
|
Cysteine |
8.84 mg |
0.134 g |
Unknown |
|
Isoleucine |
16.0 mg |
0.287 g |
12 mg |
|
L-Arginine |
38.0 mg |
0.425 g |
Unknown |
|
L-Lysine |
10.49 mg |
0.245 g |
32 mg |
|
Leucine |
30.0 mg |
0.507 g |
26 mg |
|
Methionine |
26.54 mg |
0.116 g |
13 mg |
|
Phenylalanine |
29.31 mg |
0.350 g |
16 mg |
|
Proline |
67.19 mg |
0.674 g |
Unknown |
|
Threonine |
79.38 mg |
0.254 g |
10 mg |
|
Tyrosine |
18.0 mg |
0.674 g |
Unknown |
|
Valine |
12.72 mg |
0.361 g |
14 mg |
The nutrient content of wheatgrass varies according to its source, which includes timing of harvest, method of growing, and method of production. Laboratory reports also vary. This table is compiled from a variety of sources and should be considered an approximation. These values are not meant for diagnosis and are for informational purposes only. *Pregnant women should aim for 600 mcg of folic acid.
Growing Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass has adapted to a variety of growing conditions. Wheatgrass users can take advantage of the versatility of this grass and set up a wheatgrass garden in their home. Many users enjoy the growing process because it offers them the opportunity to control the entire process — from soaking the wheatberries to harvesting and juicing the tender blades of grass. Growing wheatgrass at home is also economical; one ounce of fresh wheatgrass juice can cost about $2 to $3 from your local juice bar, and this is assuming that you have a neighborhood juice bar. Driving out of your neighborhood every day to purchase a shot of wheatgrass juice can quickly become costly. Many wheatgrass drinkers save money and time by growing and juicing at home.
Although growing wheatgrass is not a complicated process, it can be somewhat tricky in the beginning. It is important that the wheatberries are sufficiently sprouted. Creating the proper sprouting environment and recognizing the appropriate time for sprouting is essential to the successful outcome of the process. Planting the wheatberries correctly can also take some practice. Overlapping the berries can cause uneven blade growth and might even encourage mold growth. Knowing how to prepare the soil, how often to water, and how much light to give is also important. Too much water can drown the wheatberries and cause mold growth. Not enough light can hinder the chlorophyll from developing within the grass blades.
A good amount of wheatgrass is needed to make one ounce of juice, so growers must be prepared to produce a significant amount of wheatgrass for the project to be worthwhile. Six to eight ounces of juice can be generally obtained from each tray of grass, depending on the size of the tray. Many online and health food stores sell wheatgrass growing kits that include seed and soil. These kits range in price from about $15 to $100 or more, depending on what else is included in the kit. Some of the more expensive kits include a wheatgrass juicer. When growing wheatgrass for the first time, you might want to use one of these kits, as it makes the process a bit easier. When using a kit, you will not have to worry about mixing the soil or finding the right seed. For example, wheatberries for making flour are not the ones to use for sprouting, and you might not know this when first beginning to grow. As you continue, it will become more economical to purchase seed and soil separately and create your own “kit.” Health food stores can supply you with seed, and soil can be purchased cheaply at your local gardening shop. More about growing wheatgrass at home can be found in Chapters 5 and 6.
Wheatgrass products
Because wheatgrass has so many beneficial properties, it has been incorporated into many products that are sold commercially. Wheatgrass tablets and powders are popular. It must be pointed out, however, that the preservation of the many enzymes in wheatgrass is paramount to getting maximum nutrition. Manufacturers looking to make a profit might not put forth the time and expense needed to use good drying techniques, thus producing an inferior product. Fresh is best. Optimal health benefits are achieved by juicing at home from live wheatgrass. If you must purchase tablets and powders, however, be certain to purchase from a reputable distributor. Considerable nutritional benefits can be gained from frozen or freeze-dried wheatgrass juice, and for the purpose of travel, freeze-dried powder can provide a good solution.
Manufacturers in the health and beauty industry have tried to capture the essence of wheatgrass in their hair and skin products. Emulsified and non-emulsified cosmetics use wheatgrass as a main ingredient, distinguishing them from ordinary cosmetics. Emulsified cosmetics include ingredients that do not blend with each other, while non-emulsified cosmetics include blending ingredients. Cosmetics and other beauty products with wheatgrass additives are being offered as a natural tonic for skin and hair rejuvenation and regeneration. Manufacturers are capitalizing on a “miracle product with no side effects” theme to market these products. While all of these products can offer some benefits, the best way to take advantage of the rejuvenating properties of wheatgrass is to consume freshly squeezed juice. It is also possible to make your own rejuvenating products. This will be discussed in Chapter 7.
The food industry is also taking part in the wheatgrass phenomenon. Functional food products using wheatgrass include flours, pastas, breads, cakes, powdered beverages, jellies, fruit bars, yogurts, candies, and even ice cream. Many of these foods can be purchased at your local health food store. Of course, as always, it is best to make your own to ensure the wheatgrass is as fresh as possible. You can find recipes for creating your own wheatgrass products in Chapter 7.
The Mysteries of Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is not a drug or a magic potion, but there is a certain enigma surrounding it. As with life in general, it has properties that are easy to understand as well as those that are a little more difficult to understand. Wheatgrass, like most plants, undergoes photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of turning light energy into chemical energy, and it is not a simple process. Even so, a variety of scientists — beginning with Flemish chemist Jan Baptista van Helmont in the 1600s — have worked to bring us the understanding that we have of photosynthesis today.
Research chemists, beginning with Dr. Charles Schnabel, have worked to unravel another plant mystery. Dr. Schnabel and colleagues identified all the known biologically active substances found in wheatgrass and claimed it to be a perfectly balanced source of nutrition; it contained the perfect assortment of all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids needed for human health. Continued studies, conducted by George O. Kohler and a team of other Wisconsin scientists, revealed that guinea pigs tremendously prospered when grass powder was added to their feed. These men concluded that the “growth stimulating factor” of the grass could not be categorized with any of the other identified nutritional substances known to be in wheatgrass. Hence, they referred to this unidentified property as the “Grass Juice Factor.” Explaining the Grass Juice Factor still presents a challenge to researchers today.
Although the exact nature of the Grass Juice Factor remains a mystery, some of its properties are said to be linked to the precise timing of the wheatgrass sprout growth. This timing is called the jointing theory and was identified and patented by Dr. Charles Schnabel and later confirmed by George Kohler in the 1930s. Early in its growth cycle, and for only a short time, wheatgrass develops an abundance of nutrients and stores it in its blades. This development coincides with the time the young wheatgrass blade divides into two blades to begin the formation of the wheat seed. At this precise moment, a heightened concentration of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and the mysterious Grass Juice Factor exists. This is the ideal time to harvest the wheatgrass, as the nutritional content can be beneficial to the body. Kohler did significant research on the Grass Juice Factor and discovered that it was a unique element of grasses and had a major effect on normal and reproductive growth in animals. His findings were confirmed by Dr. Mott Cannon and others at the University of California at Berkeley in 1939.
The healing power of wheatgrass
Ann Wigmore’s belief in the healing power of grasses was based on the Biblical account of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. He spent seven years of his life insane, and during this time, he lived as a wild animal, eating the grass of the fields. Because he recovered from his insanity, Wigmore attributed his healing to the grasses he consumed. The common observation that cats and dogs chew grass when not well strengthened Wigmore’s belief in the healing power of grasses.
Since Wigmore’s observations in the 1940s, wheatgrass has been intensively studied on a healing level by several scientists. Researchers, testing a variety of disorders, have reported success with wheatgrass treatments and, in most cases, improvement was recorded with no side effects. Wheatgrass, in itself, is not a cure for illness, but it can help establish an atmosphere that is conducive for healing to take place. It does this by strengthening and rejuvenating body cells and body parts. According to the philosophy of the Greek physician Hippocrates, the human body was designed to heal itself, and wheatgrass is a powerful tool that can aid in the self-healing process.
How wheatgrass works
Humans and animals depend on plants for survival, and plants use the carbon dioxide from humans and animals to sustain themselves. Green plants are the only life endowed with the ability to create their own food. During the photosynthetic process, they remove carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into energy. This energy can be used immediately or stored in the form of sugar for future use. Chlorophyll helps with this energy conversion by absorbing the sunlight that is also needed for the conversion. Chlorophyll is a pigment in plants that gives them their rich, green color. Grass is one of the richest sources of chlorophyll.
The concentrated chlorophyll in wheatgrass translates to enzymes, which help control the metabolic processes of the body, giving the body the ability to grow and reproduce, maintain its structures, and respond to its environment. The enzymes in wheatgrass juice help the body to cleanse itself by detoxifying the liver and bloodstream. Detoxifying means getting rid of toxins or pollutants from the body. Once detoxification takes place, the strengthened cells can better fight disease, and new, disease-free cells can form. According to Wigmore’s belief, these new cells will replace the old, diseased cells, and the body will experience a period of rejuvenation that will lead to healing.
Chlorophyll is often referred to as the “blood” of the plant because its chemical makeup resembles that of the hemoglobin of human blood. The most apparent difference is that the fundamental element in hemoglobin is iron, while in chlorophyll it is magnesium. This chemical similarity between chlorophyll and hemoglobin was explored in 1913 by Dr. Willstatter. During the following 20 years, considerable research was done by Dr. Arthur Patek and others to determine if the two substances were mutually convertible in the body. What was derived from the comparison was the understanding that once wheatgrass is consumed, the chlorophyll is rapidly assimilated into the bloodstream. Although iron and magnesium were not found to be interchangeable, the magnesium molecule was found to enhance the production of globin — a blood protein — in the body. Thus, it is not difficult to understand how a “green blood transfusion” can energize the body and give new life in the same way that blood transfusions commonly performed in medical settings today can.