Wheat Grass

Wheatgrass is a food prepared from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotyledon" title="Cotyledon">cotyledons</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_wheat" title="Common wheat">common wheat</a> plant, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triticum_aestivum" title="Triticum aestivum" class="mw-redirect">Triticum aestivum</a>. It is sold either as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice" title="Juice">juice</a> or powder <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrate" title="Concentrate">concentrate</a>. Wheatgrass differs from wheat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malt" title="Malt">malt</a> in that it is served <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeze-dried" title="Freeze-dried" class="mw-redirect">freeze-dried</a> or fresh, while wheat malt is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convection" title="Convection">convectively</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried" title="Dried" class="mw-redirect">dried</a>. Wheatgrass is also allowed to grow longer than malt is. It provides <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll" title="Chlorophyll">chlorophyll</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid" title="Amino acid">amino acids</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral" title="Mineral">minerals</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin" title="Vitamin">vitamins</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme" title="Enzyme">enzymes</a>.

Claims about the health benefits of wheatgrass range from providing supplemental nutrition to having unique curative properties. Some consumers grow and juice wheatgrass in their homes. It is often available in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_bar" title="Juice bar" class="mw-redirect">juice bars</a>, alone or in mixed fruit or vegetable drinks. It is also available in many health food stores as fresh <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Produce" title="Produce">produce</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet" title="Tablet">tablets</a>, frozen juice and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_%28substance%29" title="Powder (substance)">powder</a>.

<h2>History</h2>

The consumption of wheatgrass in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world" title="Western world">Western world</a> began in the 1930s as a result of experiments conducted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_F._Schnabel" title="Charles F. Schnabel" class="mw-redirect">Charles F. Schnabel</a> in his attempts to popularize

the plant.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-Landline-0">[1]</a>

Schnabel, an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_chemistry" title="Agricultural chemistry">agricultural chemist</a>, conducted his

first experiments with young <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass" title="Grass">grasses</a> in 1930, when he used fresh cut grass in an attempt to nurse dying <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken" title="Chicken">hens</a> back to health. The hens not only recovered, but they produced eggs at a higher rate than healthy hens. Encouraged by his results, he began drying and powdering grass for his family and neighbors to supplement their diets. The following year, Schnabel reproduced his experiment and achieved the same results. Hens consuming rations supplemented with grass doubled their egg production. Schnabel started promoting his discovery to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gristmill" title="Gristmill">gristmills</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemist" title="Chemist">chemists</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_industry" title="Food industry">food industry</a>.

Two large corporations, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker_Oats" title="Quaker Oats" class="mw-redirect">Quaker Oats</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Dairies_Inc.&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="American Dairies Inc. (page does not exist)">American Dairies Inc.</a>[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Disambiguation" title="Wikipedia:Disambiguation">ambiguous</a>], invested millions of dollars in further research, development, and production of grass products for animals and humans. By 1940, cans of Schnabel's powdered grass were on sale in major drug stores throughout the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> and Canada <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-WNBM-1">[2]</a>

<h2>[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wheatgrass&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Cultivation">edit</a>] Cultivation</h2>

Extracting wheatgrass juice with a manual juicing machine.</div>

</div>

Outdoor grown wheat grass grows slowly through the winter in a climate like that of Kansas in the United States.</div>

</div>

Schnabel's research was conducted with

wheatgrass grown outdoors in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas" title="Kansas">Kansas</a>. His wheatgrass required 200 days of slow growth, through the winter and early spring, when it was harvested at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jointing_stage&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jointing stage (page does not exist)">jointing stage</a>. It is at this stage that the plant reached its peak <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_rating_systems" title="Nutritional rating systems">nutritional value</a>; after jointing, concentrations of chlorophyll, protein, and vitamins decline sharply.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-ahr-kc-2">[3]</a> Harvested grass was dehydrated and made into powders and tablets for human and animal consumption. Wheatgrass grown indoors in trays for ten days contains similar nutritional content. Wheatgrass grown outdoors is harvested, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeze_drying" title="Freeze drying" class="mw-redirect">dehydrated at a low temperature</a> and sold in tablet and powdered concentrates. Wheat grass juice powder (freshly squeezed with the water removed) is also available either <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spray_drying" title="Spray drying">spray-dried</a> or freeze-dried.

<h2>Indoor growing and mold</h2>

Growing wheat grass indoors usually requires the grass

to be grown in small trays with the wheat grains close together for a high yield. Not every wheat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed" title="Seed">seed</a> will sprout. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germination" title="Germination">Ungerminated</a> seeds can develop mold which may spread to nearby sprouted plants. This may cause an unpalatable taste and, in extreme cases, an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_reaction" title="Allergic reaction" class="mw-redirect">allergic reaction</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-3">[4]</a> This issue is not necessarily a problem when growing wheat in a field, due to less crowding of seeds and the resulting improved air circulation.

<h2>[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wheatgrass&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Health claims">edit</a>] Health claims</h2>

<tr>

</td>

<td class="mbox-text">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view" title="Wikipedia:Neutral point of view">neutrality</a> of this section is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:NPOV_dispute" title="Wikipedia:NPOV dispute">disputed</a>. Please see the discussion on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wheatgrass" title="Talk:Wheatgrass">talk page</a>. Please do not remove this message until the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:NPOVD#What_is_an_NPOV_dispute.3F" title="Wikipedia:NPOVD" class="mw-redirect">dispute is resolved.</a> (August 2010)</td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

<tr>

<th colspan="4" align="left">Table 1. Nutrient comparison of 1 oz (28.35 g) of wheatgrass juice, broccoli and spinach.</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th>Nutrient</th>

<th align="right">Wheatgrass Juice</th>

<th align="right"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli" title="Broccoli">Broccoli</a></th>

<th align="right"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach" title="Spinach">Spinach</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th width="33%"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein" title="Protein">Protein</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-carotene" title="Beta-carotene" class="mw-redirect">Beta-carotene</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_E" title="Vitamin E">Vitamin E</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C" title="Vitamin C">Vitamin C</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12" title="Vitamin B12">Vitamin B12</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus" title="Phosphorus">Phosphorus</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium" title="Magnesium">Magnesium</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium" title="Calcium">Calcium</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

</tr>

<tr>

<th><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium" title="Potassium">Potassium</a></th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td colspan="4">Data on broccoli and spinach from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USDA" title="USDA" class="mw-redirect">USDA</a> database.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-USDA-4">[5]</a> Data on Wheatgrass juice from indoor grown wheatgrass.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-WNBM-1">[2]</a></td>

</tr>

</tbody></table>

Proponents of wheatgrass make many claims for its health properties, ranging from promotion of general

well-being to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer#Prevention" title="Cancer">cancer prevention</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_%28chemistry%29" title="Heavy metal (chemistry)">heavy metal</a> detoxification. These claims have not been satisfactorily substantiated in the scientific literature,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-Landline-0">[1]</a> although there is some evidence in support of the beneficial effects of chlorophyll in the human diet.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-CHLOROPHYLL-5">[6]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-Chlorophyll2-6">[7]</a> Some research exists that relates diets high in chlorophyll, present in higher concentrations in green leafy vegetables, to lower rates of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_cancer" title="Colon cancer" class="mw-redirect">colon cancer</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-CHLOROPHYLL-5">[6]</a>

There are a number of other small studies and pilots on the possible benefits of wheatgrass juice. 

According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-7">[8]</a> there may be a need for further study of wheatgrass therapy for ulcerative collitis; they cite a small pilot study which showed regular wheatgrass juice therapy significantly reduced rectal bleeding and overall disease activity.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-Digestive1-8">[9]</a>

It has been argued that wheatgrass helps <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_flow" title="Blood flow">blood flow</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestion" title="Digestion">digestion</a> and general <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification" title="Detoxification">detoxification</a>

of the body. These claims have not been reliably substantiated. However, in one pilot study of children with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassemia" title="Thalassemia">thalassemia</a> (a hereditary form of anemia which often requires blood transfusions), of the patients who were given 100 ml of wheatgrass juice daily, half showed reduced need for transfusions. No adverse effects were observed.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-9">[10]</a>

Another small study of transfusion-dependent patients suffering from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelodysplastic_syndrome" title="Myelodysplastic syndrome">myelodysplastic syndrome</a> responded similarly to wheatgrass therapy; that is, the intervals between needed transfusions were increased. In addition, the chelation effect (removal of heavy metals from the blood) was studied for the same patients; the wheatgrass therapy showed a significant iron chelation effect.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-10">[11]</a>

In another pilot, breast cancer patients who drank 

wheatgrass juice daily showed a decreased need for blood- and bone marrow-building medications during chemotherapy, without diminishing the effects of the therapy.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-11">[12]</a>

The food has demonstrated in vitro 

cytotoxicity to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HL-60" title="HL-60" class="mw-redirect">HL-60</a> (Human promyelocytic leukemia cells).<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-12">[13]</a>

<h3>Wheatgrass vs. common vegetables</h3>

Wheatgrass proponent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_F.Schnabel" title="Charles F. Schnabel" class="mw-redirect">Schnabel</a> claimed in the 1940s that "fifteen <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pounds%28mass%29" title="Pounds (mass)" class="mw-redirect">pounds</a> of wheatgrass is equal in overall

nutritional value to 350 pounds of ordinary garden vegetables",<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-WNBM-1">[2]</a> a ratio of 1:23.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-ahr-kc-2">[3]</a>

Despite claims of vitamin and mineral content disproportional to other vegetables, the nutrient content of wheatgrass juice is roughly equivalent to that of common vegetables (see table 1).

Wheatgrass is also thought to be superior to other vegetables in its content of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12" title="Vitamin B12">Vitamin B12</a>, a vital nutrient.

Contrary to popular belief, B12 is not contained within wheat grass or any vegetable, rather it is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byproduct" title="Byproduct" class="mw-redirect">byproduct</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism" title="Microorganism">microorganisms</a> living on plants.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-13">[14]</a>

<h3>Detoxification</h3>

Another common claim for wheatgrass is that it promotes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification" title="Detoxification">detoxification</a>. The limited data in support of that claim applies to most green vegetables.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_grass#cite_note-DETOXIFICATION-14">[15]</a>

Wheat Grass

Attachments