Wheatgrass - Components & Health Benefits

In developing countries, many people with low income live their life on simple diet which may consists of staple food crops like wheat, maize and rice. These foods cannot provide every essential nutrient. So to provide essential nutrients for healthy and joyful life, green foods can be very good in providing vitamins, proteins and anti-oxidants etc.

Cereal grasses like of wheatgrass is a type of green food which contains lots of nutrients essential for body and healthy living.

What is wheatgrass?

Wheat Grass is known as wheat plant (young) that are common everywhere. It is known as Triticumaestivum. These plants are converted to juice or dried as powder for consumption of humans and animals.

It is a member of the grass family Poaceae, which includes cereals such as rice, oat and bamboos.Grasses are perennial or annual and usually terrestrial and free-standing.

Cultivation

Wheat is cultivated in every continent except Antarctica. It is grown on different ranges from 260 m below sea level in the Jordan Valley up to 4,000 m on the Tibetan plateau. But it is generally more successful in dry to sub-humid areas with a seasonal annual rainfall of 250-750 mm.

Two main groups of wheat have been developed

• Spring or summer wheat - sown in spring and harvested in late summer
• Winter wheat - sown in autumn and harvested in early summer

The main components and their uses

Vitamin A: It enhances the skin luster and provides glow to skin and makes it free of diseases. It is essential for normal growth and development, good eyesight, and reproduction.

Vitamin B: It aids digestion.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits like lemon and oranges etc. Wheatgrass contains more vitamin C than an orange. It is helpful in recovering from common cold sickness and scurvy.

Vitamin E: It dilates capillaries that enables free flow of the blood. It is helpful for the women during pregnancy.it also helpful in protecting heart.

Wheatgrass contains 17 amino acids and 92 different minerals that human body uses and needs. The nutrients in wheatgrass are also said to assist in fighting cancer and repairing cellular damage of the lungs.

MSM: it is a sulfur bearing molecule found in all living organisms destroyed in processed food. It helps our body use vitamins, helps to reduce allergies, helps detoxify the body and increases oxygen, and reduces inflammation.

Enzymes: Enzymes are the digestive elements.

Minerals:

Iron: It is helpful in pregnancy, laziness and insomnia.

Calcium: It strengthens the bones, provides alkaline medium for the children and vitality for old.

Potassium: Helpful for the radiance and luster of youth. Manages hypertension, dementia, palpitation and depression etc.

Zinc: Helpful in the prostate gland disorders and nourishes hair.

Sodium: It also regulates the acid-base equilibrium and maintains proper water balance in the body.

Chlorophyll: This is a great source of the alkaline elements, prophylactic and curative elements. It also supplements proteins, carbohydrates and fat.

WHEATGRASS POWDER

Diseases in which Wheatgrass Powder is helpful

Diseases related to Blood and Circulatory system:

Diseases which come in this class are anaemia, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, internal hemorrhage, clotting etc. Regular intake of the wheat grass juice works wonders especially in the cases of anaemia.

Deficiency of Hemoglobin: The wheat Grass possesses all the compositions that Hemoglobin possesses. It is also known as "Green Blood" because of its structural resemblance with Hemoglobin.

Respiratory Diseases:

Common cold, asthma, bronchitis and all the related diseases get cured with regular use of wheatgrass.

Digestive Diseases:

Constipation, indigestion, vomiting, acidity, ulcers in the stomach,inflammation of the intestines and worms, it is effective in curing all these. It is an excellent laxative too.

Joint Diseases:

It includes swelling of the joints, pain in the joints, osteoarthritis,bone rotting. Wheatgrass shows effect on these problems because of its inflammatory properties. It can significantly help reduce pain, swelling and inflammation.

Skin Diseases:

Wheat grass juice is an active blood purifying agent,that is why it is very effective in the treatment of skin diseases. It is helpful in curing eczema, acne (pimples), boils, cuts and wounds, bites and burns.

Kidney Problems:

Kidney problem like stones, inflammation of the urinary bladder, and inflammation of the kidneys can be managed by taking it.

Reproductive Disorders:

Two main reproductive disorders-Sexual debility and dysmenorhhea can be cured with wheatgrass use.Taking the wheat grass juice orally manages these problems.

Migraine:

Migraines are severe, recurrent headaches that cause pain for hours. Although, there is no cure for a migraine, home remedies are there to manage this problem. Wheatgrass contains chemicals shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may helpful in reducing pain of migraine.

Ear Diseases:

Wheatgrass shows great effect on problems like ear pain or in septic discharge from ear. While taking wheatgrass orally, some of its juice can also be poured in the ear to cure ear problems.