WHEAT GRASS and Reasons to use it

 

     Wheat grass is a food prepared from the cotyledons of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum (subspecies of the family Poaceae). It is sold either as a juice or powder concentrate.Wheat grass is a nutrient-rich type of young grass in the wheat family. It's sold as a dietary supplement in tablet, capsule and liquid forms. Wheat grass is often used for juicing, or added to smoothies or tea. Like most plants, it contains chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and enzymes. While not always easily available in stores, the potent juice may be worth the squeeze.

     Dr. Ann Wigmore, the founder director of the Hippocrates Health Institute, Boston, U.S.A., is one of the proponents of the wheat grass therapy. According to her, "guided by spiritual mentality and nourished only by live uncooked food, the body will run indefinitely, unhampered by sickness". 

     Dr. G.H. Earp-Thomas, a scientist and soil expert, isolated over one hundred elements from fresh wheat grass and concluded that it is a complete food.

 Chlorophyll

     The chief constituent of wheat grass is chlorophyll which nature utilises as a body cleanser, re builder and neutraliser of toxins. Dr. Fisher, a Noble Prize winner, used chlorophyll to treat anaemia. As early as July, 1940, the American Journal of Surgery, reported 1200 cases of peritonitis, brain ulcer, pyorrhoea and skin disorders cured by chlorophyll. 

Listed below are some reasons why you may want to start considering wheat grass juice on a more regular basis:

1. Body cleanser:Wheat grass juice is a powerful cleanser and may start an immediate reaction with toxins and mucus in the stomach and thus may cause nausea. Chlorophyll will bring toxins stored away in cells or in fatty tissue into the bloodstream. It is important to start with only 1 ounce and gradually work up. Drink on an empty stomach. Keep refrigerated and drink same day.
2. Energiser and Appetite Suppressant:The starch of the wheat berry is stored energy which when converted to simpler sugars is a quick energy source. It is especially good for athletes because it is a juice that's assimilated in >20 minutes. Wheat picks up 92 of the 102 minerals in the soil and contains all the vitamins. Because 1 ounce of juice equals 2 pounds of produce nutritionally, it naturally shuts down the appetite of the brain.
3. Body Builder: Wheatgrass juice is very high in enzymes and chlorophyll. It contains up to
   70% chlorophyll which is an important blood builder. The chlorophyll molecule closely
   resembles that of the hemin molecule, the pigment which combines 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 respects.
4. Antibiotic: Science has proven that chlorophyll will arrest the growth and development of
   unfriendly bacteria. It acts to produce an unfavourable environment for bacterial growth, rather than by direct action upon bacteria themselves. Rapp and Gurney at Loyola University established that water soluble chlorophyll inhibits the action of proteolytic bacteria (which break down proteins into simpler substances) and enzymes. Hence when taken internally, it inhibits the putrefaction of protein by some of the bacteria that are commonly found in the digestive tract of meat eaters.
5. Carcinogens: Dr. Chiu-nan Lai, P.h.D., at the University of Texas System Cancer Centre,
   Dept. of Biology, Houston, Texas, has determined that chlorophyll is the active factor in wheat sprout extract which inhibits the metabolic activity of carcinogens.
6. Anaemia: Chlorophyll (wheat grass) aids in rebuilding the bloodstream. Studies on various
   animals have shown chlorophyll to be free of any toxic reaction. The red cell count has returned to normal within 4-5 days of the administration of chlorophyll, even in those animals which were known to be extremely anaemic or low in red blood cell count.
7. Deodorizer: Dr. F. Howard Westcott reported that when chlorophyll is taken internally in
   adequate quantity, it reduces or eliminates offensive body and breath odours. His studies
   showed it effective in neutralising obnoxious odours in the mouth from food, beverages,
   tobacco, and metabolic changes (halitosis). It effectively neutralized obnoxious odours from
   perspiration due to physical exercise, nervousness, menstrual odours, etc.
8. Skin Disorders: The bland soothing effect of chlorophyll (wheatgrass) ointments are very
   beneficial to the treatment of various skin diseases involving the outer and underlying layers of the skin, including: itching and burning of the rectum; ivy poisoning; weeping and dry eczema and even in conditions caused by insect bites or infection. For first and second degree burns, the use of chlorophyll has been established as an outstanding aid. Sunburn can also be alleviated by the use of chlorophyll ointment at the time of exposure. This can reduce discomfort, and possibly infection, to a minimum. Applied after a severe sunburn, it has the same gratifying results as on regular burns. The same can be said of x-ray burns. Chlorophyll can also reduce or eliminate foul odour associated with burns.

 Sources and references

1. http://www.examiner.com/article/reasons-to-drink-wheatgrass-juice
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatgrass
3. http://www.mayoclinic.org/wheatgrass/expert-answers/faq-20058018
4. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002961040906857
5. http://wheatgrass.org/
6. A complete handbook of nature cure - 4th Edition - H.K.Bakhru