Wheat Grass, the new Super, Super Food.

In the 1930s Charles F Schnabel started experimenting with the young Wheat Grass. This is the young grass of the wheat plant before jointing or reaching the reproduction stage. In Kansas where Charles was working on his experiments this is after 200 days of slow growth in the winter and spring air.

Living in Kansas and as he was an agricultural chemist and in an attempt to nurse his dying hens back to full health he gave them some freshly cut Wheat Grass.

He was amazed to find that not only did they recover but the eggs that they subsequently laid were at a far higher rate than was the case previously.

Throughout the following year he began drying and powdering grass for family and neighbours to include into their diets. Naturally he also included it into the diet of the chicken the result being that the hens that had Wheat Grass in their diet doubled their laying production.

As a result of subsequent experiments it was not long before the giant mills of Quaker and American Dairies inc were producing this product for both human and animal feeds and by 1940 there were cans of Schnabels powdered grass on sale in the stores of America and Canada.

To come up-to-date Wheat Grass is now one of the most popular and widely used supplemental health foods and has been described as the fountain of youth. It contains 70% chlorophyll and this is acknowledged as being capable of arresting the growth of un-friendly bacteria in the body.

Since 1958 Dr Ann Wigmorc has been one of those most responsible for popularizing wheatgrass for it's healing properties. So popular is it now that it is available to buy in almost any form from fresh, dried, powdered, juiced and in grow-your-own home production kits.

For normal consumption it is suggested that you take 3.5 grms. If you are going for a detox then some may prefer to take a slightly lesser amount 1-3 times a day. For those who are not in the best of health it is better to start on a lower amount and build up gradually as nit is quite possible that nausea will be felt. If you are taking the fresh version then a 30ml shot should give you all of the nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, minerals and chlorophyll the body should need.

So powerful is it claimed to be at a ratio of 1-23 times more powerful than ordinary garden vegetables and at a ratio of 1-35 for broccoli and spinach but available scientific evidence does not support this claim but it is however particularly packed with vitamin B12 which is in reality not a vitamin but a microorganism living on the plant.

Those who consume wheatgrass claim regular ingestion of the plant can

* improve the digestive system.

* prevent cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

* cure constipation.

* detoxify heavy metals from the bloodstream.

* help make menopause more manageable.

* promote general well-being.

While none of these claims have been substantiated in the scientific literature nonetheless there is limited evidence in support of some of these claims.

So if you are not feeling on top of the weather and life is taking a strain on you body it might well be worth giving it a try because after all it is a totally natural supplement and if you grow your own then you know what you are eating and i guess that it would not be such a bad idea after all who knows what magical effect it might have when combined with a walking program.

One comment that i would make is that the taste is not all that wonderful if you are drinking the juiced version.

In my opinion that is.

In fact i would go as far to say that it tastes like a a handful of lawn clippings so to modify the flavour somewhat try putting it into a smoothie with something more palatable like Oranges and yogurt or any fruit to your liking.

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