Health advocates have been touting wheatgrass for the past decade or so, claiming that the unassuming grass-like growth is packed full of health benefits that range from the practical to the too good to be true. As always, before diving in and plunking down some of your hard earned money, it helps to analyze the claims of wheatgrass benefits as well as understand what makes the plant really is.

As its name says, wheatgrass is a combination of wheat and grass. The wheat is a common strand of wheat called Triticum aestivum. This wheat strain comprises most bread and grain products on the market. The grass like appearance of this plant is actually just the beginning stages of a full wheat stalk. Wheatgrass is simply harvested before the golden color of wheat sets in.

Once harvested, wheatgrass is typically turned into a concentrated beverage, called a wheatgrass shot and housing a very distinctive earthy flavor, with a deep green color or is freeze dried and turned into a powder. This powder is wheatgrass in its most common form and can be added to beverages, commonly smoothies or other sweet beverages, for an extra shot of nutritional goodness.

Beyond the nuts and bolts of wheatgrass, many of the health claims made on the behalf of wheatgrass have not been adequately determined by health professionals. Due to the lack of available data, it is best to categorize the purported health benefits of wheatgrass as belonging to the field of alternative medicine. While studies have been done on the effects of chlorophyll on the human digestive tract, showing that this green substance can reduce the risk of some cancers, the real benefits of wheatgrass have not been proven fully.

Nevertheless, some of the most common health claims made about wheatgrass is its ability to improve the digestive system. Not only is it claimed to help improve digestion but wheatgrass advocates often claim that wheatgrass can help reduce the risk of stomach and colon cancers and help with the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Other claims made about wheatgrass include its ability to improve blood circulation, reduce inflammation and rid the body of unwanted substances and toxins. Again, these claims are unsubstantiated and can only be taken as hearsay and not scientific proof. Detoxification is a touchy subject as well, as many alternative health advocates claim that detoxification is a necessary activity to engage in once in awhile while many medical professionals provide counter evidence that detoxification procedures are not only unnecessary but can also disrupt the body’s natural processes and inflict harm on many internal functions by inadvertently removing many beneficial bacteria.

Possible benefits of wheatgrass:

• Improved digestive system
• Reduced risk of stomach cancer and colon cancer
• Helps with treatment of ulcerative colitis
• Improved blood circulation
• Reduction of inflammation
• Helps to flush the body of toxins – detoxification

Furthermore, wheatgrass advocates claim that wheatgrass contains far more health benefits per volume compared to regular vegetables. While there is some truth to this statement, wheatgrass has been shown to be incredibly high in levels of the vital B12 vitamin, such outrageous claims about wheatgrass being a wonder vegetable remain indeterminate.

While there are no documented harmful effects resulting from consuming wheatgrass, if you choose to consume this reported health serum, do not place too much faith in the outcome. Better to be pleasantly surprised by the wheatgrass benefits than to be disappointed.

Image by Raoul Pop via Flickr