Are you intrigued by the word wheatgrass, described as nature’s finest superfood? Are you wondering if you should jump onto the green-shot bandwagon?

Wheatgrass drink is believed to possess many health benefits, but is all these benefits backed up by hard scientific facts?

Proceed on to discover the science behind wheatgrass, and then make a firm decision for yourself if you should take up wheatgrass as a part of your life.

About Wheatgrass

The origins of wheatgrass can be traced to the Egyptians over 5,000 years ago when they really honored the young wheat shoots and ate them for the positive benefits the plants had on their health and well-being.

Also, the Indians had used wheatgrass as part of Ayurvedic medication for many thousand of years.

Wheatgrass became popular in the western world in the early 1930s owing to the efforts of an agricultural chemist from the US by the name of Charles Schnabel, who utilized the fresh-cut grass to revive dying chickens back to life and good health. Furthermore, the sick hens that consumed wheatgrass recovered from ill health and started laying eggs almost on a daily basis instead of the usual three days.

A truly remarkable testament to the power of wheatgrass, don’t you think so?

Wheatgrass Benefits

Wheatgrass is fully packed with vitamins, amino acids, and minerals as well as contains plant nutrients which are believed to possess antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

Despite the fact that proponents of wheatgrass juice support it wholeheartedly, praising its many health advantages, are there real benefits to wheatgrass juice or is it a gimmick?

Well, you need to take a deeper look at the benefits backed up by science:

• Wheatgrass juice is a powerful alternative to blood transfusion. Orally-consumed wheatgrass juice boosts hemoglobin value in patients and possibly minimizes the need for blood transfusion. It reduces the iron cravings of people who repeatedly receive blood transfusions.

• Due to its high content of antioxidants, wheatgrass may help to prevent cancer as well as reduce the harmful effects of breast cancer without reducing the efficacy of treatment. Wheatgrass juice assists in maintaining healthy levels of blood cells and minimize the need for extra supportive medications when taken together with chemotherapy.

• Drinking wheatgrass juice every day is an easy way of adding extra nutrient to your body. Wheatgrass contains a high amount of chlorophyll – a molecule available in plants which permit plants to manufacture energy from sunlight through the process of photosynthesis. This chlorophyll is similar to hemoglobin (a molecule in the human body that carries oxygen from the lungs to every other part of the body). Therefore, wheatgrass juice has a positive effect on hemoglobin levels in human body.

• Wheatgrass juice helps to keep the bone strong with its alkalinity properties which reduce your body’s acidity.

• Recent research shows that wheatgrass has the ability to help the body to fight against leukemia.

• Consuming wheatgrass regularly helps to keep the movement of bowels (digestive system as well as the body) regular owing to its relatively high fiber content.

There are still more scientifically backed-up facts; you can find them in the following links at the end. Let’s put aside the scientific aspect and focus on the practical aspect.

How to Make Wheatgrass Juice

Well, it’s not all that difficult as any adult can make their own wheatgrass juice. All you need is to follow these two stages:

STAGE 1: Prepare the wheatgrass.

The first thing to do here is to check through the wheatgrass to ensure there is no mold on it, then rinse the wheatgrass with clean water to get rid of sand and other debris. But if you identify any mold, then do away with that batch because of the nasty side effects of eating mold.

Use a chopping board and kitchen knife, cut the wheatgrass into smaller pieces in such a way that it would be easy to grind or blend to juice.

To get about two servings of wheatgrass juice, you will need wheatgrass that will fill at least half of a cup.

STAGE 2: Start juicing the wheatgrass.

There are about three popular methods of juicing the grass such as using a juicer, mortar, and pestle as well as a blender, but for simplicity sake, we are going with just the blender. This is perhaps the fastest and easiest way to juice the grass.

All that is required here is to get a blender. Blend the wheatgrass you prepared in the first stage thoroughly, and then filter out the solid bits using a strainer or sieve.

Then pour the sieved liquid (juice) into a cup and drink immediately or refrigerate it for a while and then drink.

Precaution: The wheatgrass juice must be consumed within a day or two. Nevertheless, you can preserve it for at most one day by keeping it covered in a refrigerator. Note that it begins to lose its strength after a day or two.

How to Grow Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass juice is a very healthy juice packed with vitality as it is essentially filled with important nutrients that keep the human body vibrant and strong.

Unfortunately, it can get costly to purchase fresh wheatgrass juice. But the interesting thing is that wheatgrass is simple to grow, and it can be grown indoor or outdoor using either soil or water.

Our focus will be on growing wheatgrass using soil. Here are the steps:

1. Look for wheatgrass seeds.

Seeds are sold online or in health products stores. Just do an internet search or ask others around. Purchase your wheatgrass seeds from a reliable dealer so as to ensure they are not treated with pesticides or herbicides.

2. Soak and germinate the organic seeds.

Measure the number or amount of seeds that you want to create for the light layer over the soil on whichever device you want to use, such as a pot.

Rinse the seeds in clean water using a strainer or sieve. Drain the seeds well and put them in a bowl. Pour cold water into the bowl containing the seeds, tripling the water to the number of seeds in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid and allow it to soak in water for up to ten hours.

Drain the water and repeat the process for the second and third time per every ten hours; you will notice that the seeds have sprouted their roots and are ready to be planted.

3. Plant the organic seeds.

Arrange your seed tray with paper towels in order to prevent the roots from following the path at the base of the seed tray.

Spread potting soil or organic compost along the base of the soil and spread the seeds evenly, then press the seeds lightly into the soil and water it. Cover the tray with a few sheets of moistened newspaper in order to secure the seedlings.

Water your seedlings to keep them moistened for the first four days. Also, water the seed tray sparingly to get the soil wet in the morning, and lightly moisten the soil with a spray bottle and secure them with a newspaper in the evening so the seedlings do not dry out in the night. Ensure that the plant receives partial sunlight instead of direct sunlight.

Remove the newspaper after four days and keep on watering the grass once daily.

4. Time to harvest the wheatgrass.

Whenever the shoots split and the second blade begins to grow out of the first shoot, know that the wheatgrass shoots are mature and ready for harvest. This process should take around ten days to occur.

Now, cut the wheatgrass at a position that is a little bit above the root and gather the leaves. It is now ready for juicing.

Important Info: Preparing for wheatgrass juice that will be served for several days will consume a lot of wheatgrasses, so be sure to grow as many seed trays at the same time.

Use Wheatgrass Powder

If you want to skip all that, simply buy the wheatgrass powder at any health food store, although it won’t be as fresh and potent as your own homegrown wheatgrass obviously, being already prepackaged and shelved for a while.

Important Questions

Do you still harbor doubts as to the efficacy of wheatgrass juice or have you decided to give it a try? You probably would be happy to know that there are many options available to you, yet here are two questions you may want to know.

– How does one use wheatgrass juice?

You can consume it as a juice made from freshly blended raw wheatgrass or decide to use wheatgrass powder stirred in a glass of clean water or consume it in capsule form.

– Is there any side effect of wheatgrass juice?

Although the long-term safety of taking wheatgrass juice is still unknown till date, it is important to know that wheatgrass juice can cause constipation, loss of appetite, and nausea in some individuals. Also, wheatgrass juice has a strong flavor in its raw state, so it is an acquired taste.

(Disclaimer: The information contained herein are meant for informational purposes and to throw more light on the subject of wheatgrass, as well as the many benefits backed up by science. You are advised to contact your medical health expert or doctor for proper counseling before embarking on wheatgrass.)

References:

http://hippocratesinst.org/clinical-research-studies

http://www.naturalnews.com/034820_wheat_grass_juice_healing_minerals.html

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/are-the-benefits-of-wheatgrass-overblown