What Is Wheatgrass?
Juicing wheatgrass, just maybe, started the whole juicing craze! Because it’s often the “gateway” to juicing, perhaps you got the idea to juice while eavesdropping on that customer ahead of you at a health-food store or juice bar, and then one day you felt a little adventurous? If so, you have my company – it was my first juice experience back in 1997.
Wheatgrass has been around a long time because of its incredible cleansing properties; it’s been shown in studies to be a supportive and positive complement to those suffering from cancer or the aftereffects of chemotherapy (link). Its juice is such an effective healer because it contains all the minerals known to be needed by man, vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, non-heme iron, and K. It is also extremely rich in protein and contains 17 amino acids, the building blocks of protein.
It’s just like what it sounds like, the grass-sprouting stage of triticum aestivum: wheat. At this point, you can juice it fresh, or dry it into a powder supplement. And we highly, highly recommend only going organic. Plus, it’s super easy to sprout in your own flat; the fresh is much preferred. Some say the powders are but a small percentage of the efficacy of the juice, so my suggestion is to ‘stay fresh,’ my friends.
8 Reasons Why You Might Want to Try Wheatgrass
- Restore and Prevent the Graying of Hair – While all green plants create chlorophyll, via photosynthesis naturally, wheatgrass in particular is a very concentrated source of chlorophyll. Consuming it regularly can turn grey hair back to its natural color, by naturally shutting off your “appestat” (the process that causes hair to grey) — just through the consumption of only one 2 oz. glass of juice which equals 2 pounds of other produce.
- Cleanse Your Blood – Its deep green chlorophyll helps to rejuvenate cells and keeps you youthful by tightening and uplifting your skin. So, not only is it powerfully detoxifying, it’s rich in protein, and has been known to cure many types of blood disorders. Overall, it consists of 19 amino acids and 92 minerals that enable the body to function at its highest levels.
- Metabolism Boost — Boosting metabolism helps with weight control, and because wheatgrass has almost no calories and lots of protein (16g in just 3 tablespoons) and a super-high nutrient density, it can also help you feel fuller, longer. **Poof** Your cravings just went bye-bye!
- It’s a Blood Builder (Longevity enhancer) – At 70% chlorophyll, its molecules closely resemble that of the hemin molecule, the pigment, which combines with protein to form hemoglobin. The major difference is the chlorophyll molecule contains magnesium as its central atom, and the hemin molecule contains iron. The molecular structure of these two substances is almost identical in all other aspects. This high chlorophyll content also contains superoxide dismutase, a copper-containing protein found in mature red blood cells. This enzyme decomposes superoxide radicals in the body into a more manageable form, thereby helping to slow down the aging process!
- Dissolve Scar Tissue — Wheatgrass can cure acne and even help to remove old scars after it has been ingested daily for seven to eight months (when in combination with a healthy diet, of course)! This is partially due to its high oxygen content, which benefits the brain and all body tissues. In fact, scar tissue in the lungs of acid workers was found to be smoothed over when they consumed wheatgrass. And, CO2 damage is minimized because chlorophyll increases hemoglobin production.
- Blood Cleanser – **whispers** A good sign that there’s something backed up in the body’s elimination system is body odor. **shhhh* Wheatgrass juice acts as a detergent in the body and can be used as a natural body deodorant (when ingested, not worn!).
- Healthy Pearly Whites – A small amount of its juice in the human diet helps prevent tooth decay, no doubt because of the vitamin K.
- Detoxification: Wheatgrass detoxifies the lymphatic system and helps to cleanse the intestines for a healthier gastrointestinal tract.
HERE’S WHERE YOU CAN HELP. . .
For two years, I’ve scoured the internet seeking sources that can back up the health and benefit claims of fruits, vegetables, and supplements (sometimes called “boost”).
In the chart below are the health claims I and others have discovered about wheatgrass. Where you see a footnote, you’ll find a link to the source. If there is not a footnote, then that means that the specific health claim is made, but neither I nor anyone I know has been able to locate sources of research or credible anecdotes to back up the claim.
So, if you are aware of a direct source of research or anecdotes to back up the claims, please post them in the comments. I’ll check them out and if they meet our standards, I’ll make sure that they’re included in the next edition of the blog and give you a shout-out!
Reported Health Benefit Claims of Wheatgrass:
For two years, I’ve scoured the internet seeking sources that can back up the health and benefit claims of fruits, vegetables, and supplements (sometimes called “boost”).
In the chart below are the health claims I and others have discovered about wheatgrass. Where you see a footnote, you’ll find a link to the source. If there is not a footnote, then that means that the specific health claim is made, but neither I nor anyone I know has been able to locate sources of research or credible anecdotes to back up the claim.
So, if you are aware of a direct source of research or anecdotes to back up the claims, please post them in the comments. I’ll check them out and if they meet our standards, I’ll make sure that they’re included in the next edition of the blog and give you a shout-out!
So, if you’ve been having a daily wheatgrass shot, way to go, Champion! If for some reason you haven’t, now’s the perfect time to start!
Dr. Davis: Juicers usually pick the immature [sprouting] wheat grass. And so it’s the short green part that hasn’t [seeded] yet. It’s dark green because it’s full of chlorophyll, and chlorophyll is the blood of the plant. It’s also full of magnesium because magnesium is at the center of the chlorophyll molecule.
And so chlorophyll gives it nutritional aspects because of “the green” and magnesium. It’s great for not only its nutritional aspects and nutritionally density, but it also has antioxidant properties to it, which means it protects your body against oxidation and DNA damage.
Steve: [Oxidation caused by] Free radicals.
Dr. Davis: Exactly. The free radicals.
Steve: Cool. What else does wheat grass do for you? I’ve even seen books on wheat grass. I haven’t read any yet …
Dr. Davis: Well, you know, it is a nutritionally dense food. So a lot of people will say it’s kinda good for almost everything in a body, but it’s great for the GI tract and it does have a soothing component, especially if somebody has an ulcer or a ulcerative colitis. It’s high in some of the other nutrients such as folate.
Steve: folates tied to cancer prevention?
Dr. Davis: Exactly.
Steve: The magnesium is tied to post workout recovery, muscle relaxation and better sleep that goes along with it. Can someone start off or should someone start off drinking wheat grass as part of a juicing program? Or is that something that’s typically added in?
Also, when somebody starts drinking wheat grass, do they get effects immediately or will it take, wheat shots every day over five days or two weeks?
Dr. Davis: Well, one of the things with food and nutrition is it doesn’t act like a medication. Medications have this immediate effect on the body.
Steve: So what you’re saying is you just don’t take a wheat grass shot and then get an immediate result. It takes actually building up the nutrients over time.
Dr. Davis: Exactly, exactly. It’s one of those things where if you’ve been deficient in a nutrient, taking that nutrient doesn’t heal that problem that day. It takes a while for it to get the levels up in the body of whatever nutrients your you’re deficient in. It also has to do with the healing process in the body. The body doesn’t heal immediately. It takes time for cells to regenerate and to heal. It’s like if I cut my arm and I put a band aid on it, I don’t look down an hour later and expect it to be healed. It takes time for that cut to heal, but after a few weeks, you’ll look down and it’s healed.
Steve: Biochemically, it takes time for the body to adjust the enzymes and co-factors that are needed for making the most out of that particular food source.
Dr. Davis: Absolutely.
Steve: So it doesn’t happen immediately?
Dr. Davis: Absolutely correct. It depends on how deficient that person is now. Yet, you know, it may give people energy right away. And I’ll give you an example. If somebody was very deficient in B vitamins, and B vitamins are kind of considered the energy vitamins uhm well, if you start giving somebody B vitamins right away, they might feel immediately more energetic. Because if they can start getting energy, it’s kind of like putting gas on a gas tank. But for most nutrients it takes a little bit of time to build up.
Sources:
https://thechalkboardmag.com/50-reasons-to-drink-wheatgrass-everyday
http://www.organicauthority.com/benefits-of-wheatgrass.html
http://www.foodmatters.com/article/top-10-benefits-of-wheatgrass
https://juicing-for-health.com/health-benefits-of-wheatgrass-juice
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26156538
https://jonbarron.org/herbal-library/foods/wheatgrass
https://www.naturalnews.com/034820_wheat_grass_juice_healing_minerals.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11989836
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