Wheatgrass

Name: Wheatgrass

Description: Wheatgrass is a young plant of the genus Caroline, (especially Agropyron cristatum, a relative of wheat). Fresh leaf buds of this plant can be crushed to create a juice or dried to make a powder; the unprocessed plant contains fiber, which promotes colon health. Wheatgrass, whether in juice or dehydrated whole leaf form, provides chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes.
Some wheatgrass products are made from Triticum aestivum (common wheat).

The average dosage taken by consumers of wheatgrass is 2–4 oz of the juice, 7 tablets (3.5 grams) or a tablespoon of powder taken 1–2 times per day on an empty stomach and before meals. For detoxification, some users may increase their intake to 3–4 times per day. It should be noted that high dosages of wheatgrass can cause nausea. Wheatgrass grown indoors does not have as many nutrients found in wheatgrass grown outdoors under natural conditions. Outdoor wheatgrass is only available for a few days each year from plants grown in regions renown for winter wheat, the "bread basket" regions of the US and Canada. Winter wheat requires more than 200 days of slow growth in cold temperatures to reach the peak nutritional content. Even after that long of time, the plant is only 7 to 10 inches high because it was allowed to grow during the cold winter months in climates like midwestern United States, which is natural to the plant. Compared to wheat grass grown outdoors in the proper climate, the leaves of tray-grown wheatgrass are very thin, pale and contain a much lower in nutritional content. Much higher nutritional benefit comes from wheatgrass grown under natural conditions and harvested at the one time of year when the nutritional value reaches its peak. Most people who seek such high nutritional content wheatgrass use dehydrated powders and tablets from reputable companies that grow the wheatgrass organically under natural conditions in an ideal climate such as the midwest of the United States and Canada. It is also important that the wheatgrass be harvested before the "jointing stage" which usually occurs for only a few days for winter wheat grown in breadbasket areas in the United States.

Proponents of wheatgrass use claims that regular ingestion of the plant can improve the digestive system, prevent cancer, diabetes and heart disease, cure constipation, detoxify heavy metals from the bloodstream, cleanse the liver, prevent hair loss and help to make menopause more manageable. There is, however, no medical nor scientific evidence to support these claims, although there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence to that effect.

One of the most popular claims about wheatgrass, and one that is frequently made by both supporters and retailers, is that a 30 ml shot of wheatgrass is as nutritionally valuable as a kilogram of green vegetables. This claim most likely originates from a statement commonly attributed to the "father of wheatgrass", Charles F. Schnabel, who is alleged to have said that "Fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equivalent to 350 pounds of the choicest vegetables".[3] However, 30 grams of cooked spinach and broccoli contains more of certain vitamins and minerals (including vitamin C, calcium and folic acid) than the equivalent amount of wheatgrass.[3] Dehydrated wheat grass, spinach, and broccoli all contain fibre.

Claims about wheatgrass' health benefits range from providing supplemental nutrition to having unique curative properties. Some consumers grow and juice wheatgrass in their homes. It is often available in juice bars, alone or in mixed fruit and/or vegetable drinks. It is also available in many health food stores as fresh produce, tablets, frozen juice and powder.