Wheat Grass Therapy Health Article

Definition

Wheat grass, sometimes written as wheatgrass or wheat-grass, is a young green wheat plant (genus Agropyron) harvested before it develops grain kernels and turns the traditional yellow color associated with wheat stalks. Wheat grass is commonly prepared as a juice, and is consumed either alone, or as a mixture with other juices.

Wheat grass is a source of many nutrients. Differences between samples of wheat grass due to variable growing conditions, quality of seed, and other factors including dose amounts and form will produce variable amounts of nutrients in any single dose of wheat grass. The following is a partial list.

• biotin
• choline
• lutein
• lycopene
• betacarotene
• thiamine
• riboflavin
• niacin
• pantothenic acid
• pyridoxine
• folic acid
• vitamin C
• vitamin E
• vitamin K
• calcium
• cobalt
• copper
• alanine
• arginine

Although wheat grass contains a wide range of amino acids and other nutrients, the concentrations are

low. Relatively large quantities of wheat grass may be required in order to provide significant nutritional benefits.

Origins

There is no well documented history of consumption of wheat grass. Wheat is one of the oldest crops known, and was cultivated as long as 9,000 years ago in the Euphrates Valley of the Middle East. At least one company has claimed that ingestion of wheat grass dates from the Essenes, a Jewish sect of about the first century A.D. Contemporary use seems to have originated with Ann Wigmore (1909–1994). Ms. Wigmore may be credited with many of the theories concerning enzymes, grasses, and living foods.

Benefits

Wheat grass, depending on the dose, is a dietary supplement, although the concentrations of some nutrients may be low. The sellers of wheat grass have made a large number of claims for the product. The following list is representative, but not complete.

• cure cancer
• cure chronic fatigue syndrome
• detoxify liver
• purify blood
• neutralize pollutants
• improve energy
• improve circulation
• slow aging
• increase immunity
• protect against biological warfare