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Mother Earth News article
good article about wheatgrass
Date: 2/23/2006 9:52:02 PM ( 18 y ) ... viewed 4916 times http://www.motherearthnews.com/Whole_Foods_and_Cooking/1983_January_February/...
There's more good to be had from grass than the "pleasure" of sowing, mowing, and showing it.
THE WONDER OF WHEATGRASS
Kelsey Clark
Staff PhotoHave you ever watched cattle or horses grazing and wondered how such large, strong, and downright magnificent creatures sustain themselves on a diet that's primarily composed of grass? Well, I have, and the notion never ceased to amaze me . . . that is, until I did some research and found out just how much food value chlorophyll-rich grasses offer.
Of course, more and more folks are finding out about the outstanding nutritional value of raw foods such as fresh greens, sprouts, and — although it's less well known than the others — wheatgrass . . . thanks to the tireless crusading efforts of a few nutritional scientists, most notably Dr. Ann Wigmore of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. It seems that — as a young woman — Dr. Wigmore was once afflicted with gangrene in both legs. She cured herself through the use of nutrition-rich, freshly grown wheatgrass . . . and went on to become one of this country's leading experts on sprout and wheatgrass therapy, a regimen that has been used in the treatment of nearly all chronic disorders.
WHY WHEATGRASS?
Nutritionally speaking, wheatgrass is one of the best of all grasses. It has the ability to absorb more than 100 elements from the soil (depending on the quality of the seed and the medium it's grown in, of course), and is a rich source of vitamins A and C and the Bcomplex . . . as well as of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur, cobalt, and zinc. What's more, the food is abundant in vitamin B-17 (more commonly known as laetrile), a substance that's said to selectively destroy cancer cells in the body.
In one of many studies conducted by Dr. Wigmore, two flocks of chicks were fed identical diets, but one group received a supplement of chopped fresh wheatgrass. Within a few weeks the chicks that were fed the supplement had grown much larger than the others, were more alert, and had more feathers. Further tests with rabbits and kittens produced similar results.
In fact, some researchers now claim that 15 pounds of fresh wheatgrass is nutritionally equivalent to 350 pounds of garden vegetables. Wheatgrass, then, might prove to be an excellent survival food . . . because it's inexpensive, easily accessible, highly nutritious, palatable, and free of poisonous sprays. The grass can be raised year round in any apartment or house, in the city or the country, and grows well either in indirect sunlight or under artificial light. It's hardly surprising that many nations are looking toward various grasses in the search for emergency means of feeding their populations.
WHEATGRASS JUICE
Probably the easiest way to enjoy the benefits of wheatgrass is by drinking its juice. The solid matter contained in wheatgrass juice is approximately 70% chlorophyll, a substance that has been called "nature's great healer". And when the juice is taken internally, the chlorophyll is rapidly assimilated into the bloodstream, because the liquid's chemical composition resembles that of hemoglobin. For that reason, the "crude" chlorophyll enters red blood cells quickly . . . where it's said to heal tissues, purify the liver, improve blood sugar, and generally help flush out ingested toxins from within the body.
In action, chlorophyll seems to produce an unfavorable environment for bacterial growth in the body, rather than having any direct effect upon the bacteria themselves. Its fans claim that as a result of this quality, the compound neutralizes body odors, freshens breath, prevents infection in cuts and burns, aids digestion, and even seems to offer some protection against radiation. Indeed, considerable evidence indicates that a chlorophyll-rich diet affects the survival rate of laboratory animals receiving high doses of radiation. In one such experiment, every animal that did not receive fresh greens died within 10 to 15 days, while only half of the greens eaters failed to survive the same period.
It's speculated, then, that wheatgrass juice — taken on a daily basis — might even slow down the harmful effects of X-rays, and it's been claimed that wheatgrass plants kept in front of a color television set will actually absorb part of the radiation that the tube emits, as well as some pollutants and odors from the indoor air.
Wheatgrass juice is said to be helpful when used externally as well as when taken internally. Some claim that an enema of fresh wheatgrass juice cleans out the bowel and eliminates constipation, and the liquid is also used as a douche to clear up vaginal infections. If you're plagued by dandruff, you might want to try rubbing the juice into your scalp, then rinsing and shampooing as usual. Even skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis are said to be helped by the juice's healing chlorophyll. And don't forget to giv
e your four-legged household companions a share in the crop. Adding a few blades of wheatgrass to your pets' drinking water will help keep them healthy, too. (the rest of the article is in that link!)
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