Dr Ann Wigmore is perhaps the most famous pioneer of wheatgrass juice. Her amazing work in nourishing terminally ill patients back to health with the king of green juices at her Hippocrates Health Institute is well documented. Just a single 1-ounce shot of wheatgrass contains 20 amino acids (the building blocks for protein). It has all the B group vitamins including B12 and even the often elusive vitamin B17 – a vitamin that has been reported to help prevent and fight cancer.

Wheatgrass also contains vitamins C, E, K, folic acid and beta carotene as well as being packed with a multitude of vital minerals including calcium, zinc, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulphur. On top of all this, wheatgrass juice is one of the richest sources of chlorophyll on earth.

Concentrated sunshine

Chlorophyll has been described by many as ‘concentrated sunshine’ or ‘liquid sunshine’ and this is about as accurate a description as you can get. Chlorophyll is literally just that – the natural sunlight energy trapped within the fibres of the plant. When you separate the juice from the fibres you effectively release that liquid sunlight energy: liquid energy which improves the functioning of the heart, the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus and the lungs. The same liquid energy can help assist the body to clean the blood and liver, strengthen the immune system and reduce high blood pressure.

Chlorophyll has strong antioxidant properties and can act as a natural defence against free radicals, which are a damaging by-product of metabolism. Free radicals encourage an acidic cell environment and contribute to all diseases and the ageing process.

Enzyme rich and gluten-free

You are never truly rich unless you are enzyme-rich. Enzymes are life and wheatgrass juice is highly active chemically and contains over 80 enzymes. These are used for digestion, but also to detoxify harmful substances, and are involved in the many chemical changes in the body necessary for the maintenance of good health.

Because it is called ‘wheat’ grass many people believe that it must contain gluten, a compound found in certain grains. Many people have difficulty with it on the digestion front, which is why we have seen an explosion in gluten-free foods over the past few years. Wheatgrass juice is from the sprouted grain and therefore, as well as all the other nutritional advantages of this super drink, it is also completely gluten-free.

But it’s grass – that just can’t be natural!

Clearly, it is completely unnatural for humans to eat grass – the strong cellulose makes it too woody and fibrous for our intestinal tract to deal with efficiently. However, one of our most instinctive acts as children is to pick blades of grass and suck on them – a practice which I have since found out is incredibly good for ulcers, teeth and gums. The grass in a field is very different from that sprouted in organic soil in a tray and although it could be argued that normal grass is for cows, it can easily be argued that wheatgrass juice is just as natural for humans.

Say ‘high’ to nature!

One of the unexpected benefits of a little shot of wheatgrass is the almost instant ‘wheatgrass high’ that is experienced by many people just after they take the shot. It has been described as a similar hit to caffeine but without any of the negative side effects. Even if you don’t experience the immediate natural high, you can be sure that a little dose of this liquid sunshine will be the finest health insurance you will ever invest in.

The saying that health is the most important thing in the world is so overused it has become a cliché, but few do anything to protect their health until it is too late. Wheatgrass juice isn’t just a ‘fad’. There is something truly wonderful about this drink whose benefits are being felt more and more on a daily basis as people start to take the prevention of disease as seriously as the treatment.

Make your own wheatgrass shot at home by adding a good quality organic wheatgrass powder to your juice or smoothie.