Scientific Name: Triticum aestivum, Poaceae family
Common Names: Wheatgrass, wheat grass, wheatgrass powder
Part used: leaf
Active Compounds: Protein, beta carotene, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, chlorophyll, nucleic acids, antioxidants, nitrosamines, amino acids and trace minerals.
Background:
Triticum aestivum is a result of centuries of the cultivation of agropyrons, perennial wild grasses of temperate and cool regions. Its absolute place of origin is obscured, but was likely within the Fertile Crescent, the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Carbonized grains dating from 6750 BC have been found in Iraq. Similar findings have been located in eastern Mediterranean countries. The cultivation and use of wheat spread throughout Europe before the Stone Age. Hippocrates mentioned wheatgrass as a medicinal herb.
Wheatgrass is one of richest sources of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is produced as sunlight charges and excites the electrons in plant chloroplast cells. This energy is stored as adenosine triphosphate which, in turn, converts carbon and water into carbohydrates and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. Chlorophyll, sometimes referred to a the blood of plants, is chemically related to hemin, the red iron-rich, oxygen-carrying component of human blood.
Dried wheatgrass contains 47% protein, 3 times that of beef. Wheatgrass powder is the readily-available dried form containing the plant's valuable nutrient properties and has a reliable, extended shelf-life.
Applications: Wheatgrass, is the leaf blade of the grain-producing grass, it contains none of the constituents of the glutenous grain which are known to trigger wheat allergies.
Use of wheatgrass has been reported to improve energy levels, strengthen the immune system and slow the development of various types of cancer. One study reported it to be useful in treating colitis and other bowel conditions. Wheatgrass detoxifies and cleanses the large intestine and liver, and is beneficial to blood, and is used to treat blood disorders including anemia.
Used to treat bronchitis, the common cold, coughs, infections, and fevers. In folk medicine it has been used in the treatment of cystitis, gout, chronic skin disorders, and constipation. It aids in digestion.
Chlorophyll benefits heart function, the vascular system, the uterus, intestines, and lungs. Chlorophyll increases hemoglobin production. Wheatgrass is of benefit to those exhibiting signs of retinal disturbances and to those with early-phase macular degeneration.
Description: Annual grass; culms simple, erect, hollow or pithy, glabrous, up to 4 ft tall; leaves flat, narrow, 15 in. long; spikes long, slender, dorsally compressed, somewhat flattened; rachis tough, not separating from spikelet at maturity; spikelets 2-5-flowered, relatively far apart on stem, slightly overlapping, nearly erect, pressed close to rachis; glumes (bracts) keeled in upper half, firm, glabrous, shorter than the lemmas; lemmas awned or awnless, less than 1/2 in. long; palea as long as the lemma, remaining entire at maturity; caryopsis free-threshing, soft or hard, red or white. Hexaploid.
Dosage:
For general tonic and healing use: 2 Tblsp. in juice, water, tea. 3-4 times a day. Repeat as desired.
5-15 capsules per day. Repeat as desired.
Safety:
There is no known safety information available.
Wheatgrass assists the liver in purging toxins which may cause temporary, mild nausea.
For educational purposes only This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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