People who frequently consume wheatgrass have a number of different reasons for doing so. Some people claim that wheatgrass is a good nutritional supplement, that it detoxifies the body, or even that it has medicinal properties. While many of these claims concerning wheatgrass benefits are unsubstantiated by scientific literature, they are usually fairly consistent among the wheatgrass community. Usually, people who believe in these wheatgrass benefits do not differentiate between fresh and dried wheatgrass, nor between indoor or outdoor sources, although some may claim that the product is better freshly juiced.
One of the most reasonable claims about wheatgrass is that it is healthy like a vegetable. Some people go so far as to claim that wheatgrass is vastly more nutritious than vegetables, containing more vitamins and nutrients than an equivalent amount of another vegetable, possibly more than 20 times as much. In fact, the nutritional value of wheatgrass is similar to other vegetables, and so consuming wheatgrass can be a great way to add vitamins and minerals to one’s diet.
Many of the more fanciful claims about wheatgrass revolve around its chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is said to be structurally similar to hemoglobin, and therefore purportedly helps with blood flow, detoxification, and other bodily functions. Some say chlorophyll may neutralize harmful chemicals and normalize blood pressure. While these wheatgrass benefits are largely overstated, some scientific research does point to a decreased rate of colon cancer in people whose diets are high in chlorophyll. Again, while these claims may rest on dubious science, wheatgrass is certainly not a bad food so long as it is not being used as a cure for a serious ailment.
A number of other wheatgrass benefits have been proposed that have absolutely no basis in empirical fact. For instance, wheatgrass does not dissolve scars, heal toothaches, prevent gray hair, or get rid of dandruff no matter which way it is administered. Some methods of using wheatgrass, such as a wheatgrass vaginal douche or a wheatgrass enema, can actually be detrimental to overall health.
Some of the things that wheatgrass is intended to heal, such as damage due to radiation from television sets, do not even pose a reasonable danger to human beings in the first place. Due to the vast amount of quackery surrounding otherwise beneficial products such as wheatgrass, it is important to evaluate potential wheatgrass benefits using common sense before investing in the product.