Wheatgrass is a member of the Poaceae family, which includes numerous wheat-like grasses. A premature wheat plant, it can be grown indoors and outdoors. The roots and stems have been used in herbal remedies, and it is commonly sold in health-food stores in juice and capsule form.
Although many health claims have been made for wheatgrass, there is little evidence to support most of those claims.
Wheatgrass and Weight Loss
The Diet Spotlight website dismisses the notion that wheatgrass can help you lose weight. Although some promoters of wheatgrass believe it can help improve digestion, which may aid in weight loss, "there is no evidence supporting this claim."
Nutritional Profile
Wheatgrass contains protein and plenty of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, vitamin E, and vitamin C. The plant contains more of these vitamins than spinach, and is sometimes recommended to boost these nutrients. Wheatgrass also contains high levels of antioxidants, which may have properties that fight some diseases.
Wheatgrass and Disease
According to the American Cancer Society, wheatgrass has been touted as a treatment for conditions ranging from bronchitis to infections to inflammation to colds. The most flamboyant claim for wheatgrass is that is can cause cancer to regress by strengthening the immune system, destroying harmful bacteria in the gut, and flushing the body of toxins and waste matter. This so-called cancer cure is called "the wheatgrass diet."
The Wheatgrass Diet
A creation of Ann Wigmore, who immigrated from Lithuania to Boston, the wheatgrass diet was based on her interpretation of the Bible and observations that dogs and cats eat grass when they are sick. Wigmore claimed wheatgrass could cure disease, but government officials did not agree. She was sued by Massachusetts officials for claiming her program could cure diabetes and AIDS in addition to cancer. Wigmore died in 1993, although her Creative Health Institute is still in operation and the wheatgrass diet is still touted in some quarters.
Evidence
The American Cancer Society states: "Available evidence does not support the idea that wheatgrass or the wheatgrass diet can cure or prevent disease." As for anecdotal claims that the wheatgrass diet can cure cancer, the ACS says "there are no clinical trials in the available scientific literature that support this claim."
There is some scientific evidence that wheatgrass juice can help control symptoms of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammation of the large intestine.
Unless you are allergic to wheat and/or grasses, or are pregnant or breast-feeding, there is no reason not to drink wheatgrass, which possesses useful nutrients. But don't expect any miracles in terms of cancer cures or weight loss.
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