Until about 5 or so years ago, I had never heard of wheatgrass. Then it seemed to crop up everywhere (if you'll pardon the pun). It took another couple of years before I actually started looking into it and I found some interesting information.
Firstly, what is wheatgrass? It is simply germinated or sprouted wheat - preferably organic. Once sprouting takes place valuable enzymes are activated in the grain. The sprouts can be eaten and the enzymes then work in the body to aid digestions, provide energy, neutralise toxins and cleanse the blood. Wheatgrass can also be juiced and the juice consumed to provide water, oxygen, enzymes, protein, phytochemicals, chlorophyll, carotenoids, fatty acids, and trace elements.
Wheatgrass has a history going back over 5000 years but it was really in the 1930's that it became popular in the West. An American agricultural chemist, Dr. Charles F Schnabel, noted that ailing hens fed fresh, young wheatgrass recovered quickly. They also grew faster and had double the fertility compared with healthy hens fed standard diets. This discovery became the impetus for a lifetime of research into the reason for this amazing result. Others have researched wheatgrass and have published studies to show its tremendous benefit for maintaining health and vitality.
Wheatgrass juice is very high in fresh chlorophyll which has been shown to aid liver function, remove toxins, and boost the immune system. One of the benefits of chlorophyll is that it is similar to hemin which is a component of haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the protein that in human that carries oxygen to the cells. The main difference between chlorophyll and hemin is that while hemin is based on iron, chlorophyll is based on magnesium. Experiments carried out on severely anemic rabbits showed that when given chlorophyll they made a rapid return to a normal blood count.
In addition to anemia, chlorophyll has been shown to benefit the heart, the lymphatic systems, the vascular system, the intestines, lungs, and glands. It can also assist in lowering blood pressure and blood sugar, lower acidity and help treat and prevent cancer. And chlorophyll is just one component of wheatgrass.
Because it contains 8 essential amino acids, 80 identified enzymes and a range of vitamins and minerals iwheatgrass is often called a complete food. Research studies have shown that it contains powerful anti-cancer agents: the chlorophyll, antioxidants, abscisic acid, and the 80 enzymes. Its alkalising action helps balance the body's pH and move it from the cancer inducing acid state caused by our consumption of so many processed, sugary and fatty foods.
While fresh is best, most of us probably don't have time to grow and juice wheatgrass so it is available as shots, powders and tablets from a variety of suppliers. Wheatgrass is certainly a worthwhile addition to your diet.
