wheatgrass

The consumption of wheatgrass in the Western world began in the 1930s as a result of experiments conducted by Charles Schnabel in his attempts to popularize the plant.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s689970.htm|title=Wheatgrass, healthy for the body and the bank account|last=Murphy|first=Sean|date=13 October 2002|work=ABC Landline|access-date=6 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021202191734/http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s689970.htm|archive-date=2 December 2002}} By 1940, cans of Schnabel's powdered grass were on sale in major drug stores throughout the United States and Canada.

Ann Wigmore was also a strong advocate for the consumption of wheatgrass as a part of a raw food diet. Wigmore, founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute, believed that wheatgrass, as a part of a raw food diet, would cleanse the body of toxins while providing a proper balance of nutrients as a whole food. She also taught that wheatgrass could be used to treat those with serious disease. Both of these claims are believed by many reputable health institutes to be entirely unfounded by facts, and possibly dangerous.{{cite web|url=https://www.ncahf.org/articles/s-z/wheatgrass.html|title=Wheatgrass Therapy|last=Jarvis|first=William|date=15 January 2001|publisher=The National Council Against Health Fraud|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621170857/https://www.ncahf.org/articles/s-z/wheatgrass.html|archive-date=21 June 2018|url-status=live}}

File:grassinsnow.jpg

Wheatgrass can be grown indoors or outdoors. A common method for sprout production indoors is often on trays in a growth medium such as a potting mix. Leaves are harvested when they develop a "split" as another leaf emerges. These can then be cut off with scissors and allow a second crop of shoots to form. Sometimes a third cutting is possible, but may be tougher and have fewer sugars than the first.{{cite web|url=http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Wheatgrass-at-Home|title=4 Ways to Grow Wheatgrass|publisher=wikiHow|access-date=11 December 2013}}

Schnabel's research was conducted with wheatgrass grown outdoors in Kansas. His wheatgrass required 200 days of slow growth through the winter and early spring, when it was harvested at the jointing stage. He claimed that at this stage the plant reached its peak nutritional value; after jointing, concentrations of chlorophyll, protein, and vitamins decline sharply.{{cite web|url=http://www.ahr-kc.com/reports/american_butter_company |title=Site Dedication and Construction Preliminaries, 1921-1923 |publisher=Ahr-kc.com |access-date=2013-04-19}} Wheatgrass is harvested, freeze-dried, then sold in tablet and powdered concentrates for human and animal consumption. Indoor-grown wheatgrass is used to make wheatgrass juice powder.

Proponents of wheatgrass make many claims for its health properties, ranging from promotion of general well-being to cancer prevention. However, according to the American Cancer Society, "available scientific evidence does not support the idea that wheatgrass or the wheatgrass diet can cure or prevent disease".{{cite web

|url=http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/wheatgrass

|title=Wheatgrass

|publisher=American Cancer Society

|access-date=February 10, 2017

|date=November 2008

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502001657/http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/wheatgrass

|archive-date=May 2, 2015

|url-status=dead

}}

File:WheatGrassJuicing.jpg|Extracting wheatgrass juice with a manual juicing machine.

File:WheatGrassJuice 02.JPG|Wheatgrass juice

Wheatgrass is a source of potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium. It is also a source of protein, with 8 grams per ounce if consumed in powder form or around 1 g in a "shot" of juice.{{cite web |title=wheat grass Nutrition Facts & Calories |url=https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/900675/2 |website=SELF Nutrition Data |access-date=31 January 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Ipatenco |first1=Sara |title=How Much Protein Does Wheatgrass Have? |url=https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-protein-wheatgrass-powder-per-serving-11918.html |website=SFGate |date=24 December 2012 |access-date=31 January 2021}} This protein content consists of at least 17 forms of amino acids, including eight out of nine essential amino acids.{{cite web |last1=Bodla |first1=Ramesh |title=A study on wheat grass and its Nutritional value |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279370893 |department=ResearchGate |publisher=Food Science and Quality Management |access-date=31 January 2021}}

The nutrient content of wheatgrass juice is roughly equivalent to that of dark leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B₁₂ is not contained within wheatgrass or any vegetable, as vitamin B₁₂ is not made by plants; rather it is a byproduct of the microorganisms living on plants or in the surrounding soil.Melina, Vesanto, MS, RD & Davis, Brenda, RD: "The New Becoming Vegetarian", pages 186–187. Healthy Living Publications, 2003. There are some claims{{cite web|url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/900675/2 |title=Nutrition Facts|publisher=Nutritiondata.self.com |accessdate=2013-04-19}} that analysis of wheatgrass have found B₁₂ in negligible amounts; however, there are no reliable sources cited to back up the claim. An analysis of wheat grass by the USDA National Nutrient Database reports that wheatgrass contains no vitamin B₁₂.

Wheatgrass is also cultivated for feeding to pet cats. Wheatgrass, along with shoots of other common grains such as oats, rye and barley, is sold for this purpose, including under the name cat grass. Many cats enjoy eating grass and wheatgrass is considered safe and healthy for them. It may provide nutrients and improve digestion by adding fiber to the diet. Eating wheatgrass may also provide mental stimulation. However, it is recommended to limit the quantity allowed, to avoid indigestion.{{cite web |last1=Wigfall |first1=Corrine |title=Is Wheatgrass Good for Cats? |url=https://cats.com/wheatgrass-for-cats |website=Cats.com |access-date=20 July 2024 |date=11 October 2023}}

• Wheat sprout
• List of juices

{{Reflist|2}}

{{commons}}

• {{Cite journal |vauthors=Bar-Sela G, Cohen M, Ben-Arye E, Epelbaum R |title=The Medical Use of Wheatgrass: Review of the Gap Between Basic and Clinical Applications |journal=Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry |volume=15 |issue=12 |pages=1002–10 |date=2015 |pmid=26156538 |doi= 10.2174/138955751512150731112836|type=Review}}
• {{Cite journal |first=Michael |last=Shermer |author-link=Michael Shermer |date=August 2008 |title=How Anecdotal Evidence Can Undermine Scientific Results [aka 'Wheatgrass Juice and Folk Medicine'] |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-anecdotal-evidence-can-undermine-scientific-results/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621143345/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-anecdotal-evidence-can-undermine-scientific-results/ |archive-date=2018-06-21 |url-status=live |department=Skeptic (column) |journal=Scientific American |volume=299 |issue=2 |access-date=10 June 2018}} [https://michaelshermer.com/2008/08/wheatgrass/ Alt URL]
• {{Skeptoid | id= 4006| number= 6| title= Wheatgrass Juice| date= 9 November 2006| quote=[A] shot of wheatgrass juice offers far less nutrition than a single 5-cent ... vitamin pill, and at about 100 times the price.| access-date=26 October 2020}}

{{Juice|state=expanded}}

{{Unproven and disproven cancer treatments}}

Category:Alternative cancer treatments

Category:Dietary supplements

Category:Grasses

Category:Symbols of South Dakota

Grass