Wheatgrass For Your Animals

Cat eating wheatgrass

Household pets can nibble the grass to get roughage (absent in most prepared pet foods), so keep your wheatgrass at a safe distance.  If they are chewing on it, then you can grow the wheatgrass back a second time (lost 50% of it's value, but fine for your pets) and let them chew on that.

For you animal that may have a health issue, fleas, eye problems, hair loss, trouble walking, wounds, etc... here is what you can do:

Give them a little less than ½ an ounce (orally), twice a day, 30 minutes before you feed your animal.Use a bulb syringe or eye dropper to get it down.

Do this everyday for at least five days.Stay with it as you will then see some amazing results in a very short time! You may apply a dropper of wheatgrass juice into your pet's mouth for illness, gum or teeth problems, urinary problems or eating problems.

After you have given them the juice for the five days, then chop finely into their food for preventative, three times per week.This will help keep your animal in balance.

Wheatgrass soaked bandage for sores, can be applied right to their wounds.
Grow small amount in the house for cats to play with (this will take their attention away from your plants)

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Anemia Testimonial: Wow, I Was Surprised - Wheatgrass Helps Anemia!

Anemia Testimonial: Wow, I Was Surprised - Wheatgrass Helps Anemia!

I was feeling run down and tired. I went into the doctor and they ran some blood tests and found out that I was experiencing an extreme case of iron-deficiency anemia.

The doctor gave me a prescription for strong iron pills. I had taken iron pills in the past. They would make me nauseated and constipated. I was not interested in doing this, so I started to look for more natural ways to address the anemia.

I heard about wheatgrass juice helping to build healthier blood and assisting with anemia. I decided to try drinking the wheatgrass juice and I found great success.

When they first took my blood, it was way below the proper iron range. After 2 months of drinking wheatgrass juice, I was in the high numbers of the iron range.

For those two months, I drank 2 ounce wheatgrass juice shots, 3 times per week, at a local juice bar. Drinking the wheatgrass juice was the answer for me and it did not have any bad side effects!

by Marilyn (Arizona ,Source:www.healthbanquet.com)

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Dr. Chris: Wheatgrass - Effective Inducer Of Fetal Hemoglobin

I wish to report some evidence that may have an important bearing on the treatment of beta-thalassemia (thalassemia major, Cooley's anemia, Mediterranean anemia) and sickle cell disease. A wheatgrass extract I use frequently in clinical practice may well have the potential to improve the quality of life of many sufferers of this debilitating, often life-threatening disorder. There is both clinical evidence and some state-of-the-art science that supports this finding.

Thalassemia major is an inherited disorder of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen and transports it around the body. Just one gene determines whether or not a child will have the disorder or is simply a carrier of the abnormal gene. The disorder affects children of mainly South-East Asian (eg. 600,000 cases in Thailand), Indian, Mediterranean and Central African origin. Patients can suffer from an enlarged liver and spleen, heart failure, growth retardation, endocrine disorders and various other symptoms. Current treatment for thalassemics includes regular blood transfusion, chelating or iron-removing drugs, and drugs that induce the production of fetal hemoglobin such as hydroxyurea. Without adequate support and management, the disease can be fatal.

Wheatgrass and other cereal grasses have been thoroughly researched and reported as a therapeutically effective substance since the 1930's. Traditionally, chlorophyll, or its synthetic derivative, chlorophyllin, has been implicated as the biological active responsible for reported healing effects. A number of animal studies have shown quite marked improvement in anemia following chlorophyll ingestion. (1,2,3). Other studies up to the present day have shown positive results in the treatment of suppurating wounds(4), burns(5), liver cancer(6), ulcerative colitis(7) and many other conditions. My own experiences in treating numerous patients with a wheatgrass extract since 1995, although anecdotal, strongly support many of these research findings. I am almost certain however that neither chlorophyll nor chlorophyllin is the therapeutic agent responsible.

In my February, 2004 newsletter, I mentioned a clinical pilot study carried out by Dr. R. K. Marwaha et al at the Advanced Pediatric Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. Entitled "Wheat grass juice reduces transfusion requirement in patients with thalassemia major: a pilot study.", the study was performed between February 2000 and May 2003. Sixteen out of 38 (42%) blood transfusion dependent thalassemics fulfilled the trial criteria for final analysis.

To summarise the findings during period of wheatgrass juice ingestion:

• all participants experienced lower blood transfusion requirements (from 0.4 to 43%)
• 50% had at least 25% reduction in transfusion requirements
• the mean interval between transfusions increased 29.5%
• overall, hemoglobin levels were not compromised by reduced transfusion volumes

Dr. Marwaha's conclusion was that "wheat grass juice has the potential to lower transfusion requirements in thalassemics." He was not prepared to speculate on the "mechanism of action of wheat grass juice in transfusion dependent thalassemics" being of the opinion that the concept of chlorophyll enhancing hemoglobin production "sounds too simplistic". I support his position and seriously doubt whether chlorophyll has any function other than to drive photosynthesis. (See my newsletter "Chlorophyll - Healer or Humbug"). Add to this the fact that my wheatgrass extract is clinically effective in most, if not all the areas described in the substantial literature about wheatgrass healing - but contains barely detectable amounts of chlorophyll.
 
It is interesting to note that twenty of the original trial participants were withdrawn due to "indiscipline in intake and an insufficient duration of intake of wheat grass juice." This does not surprise me considering they were asked to consume 100mls per day. Many find fresh wheatgrass juice unpalatable, as I do. Some of these children were as young as four and, unless they really enjoyed the taste, would have found it very difficult to comply with the regime. They would I believe, have found it much easier to ingest a dilute solution of my extract.

I contacted Dr. Marwaha, mentioning the extract and wheatgrass website. At the time it did not seem likely he would want to repeat or extend the pilot study using the extract, so I did not suggest it. Nonetheless, because of the substantial clinical experience I have had using wheatgrass as a therapeutic agent and the extensive scientific literature available on the topic, I felt quite certain that it would work just as well as fresh wheatgrass juice. More importantly, the extract is infinitely more palatable and the dose required would amount to no more than 1 to 3 mls. a day. Also, wheatgrass cultivation is unnecessary as the extract's potency lasts for years, if not indefinitely. The next development was totally unexpected.

The Murdoch Children's Research Institute at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne (Australia) is involved in a number of research projects, one of which is thalassemia. This unit, the Cell & Gene Therapy Research Group is headed by Professor Panos Ioannou who has spent a large part of his working life researching thalassemia. Also, because of his work in the production of artificial chromosomes, he made a significant contribution to the Human Genome Project. On 3rd May he requested a sample of wheatgrass extract saying, "We have recently developed very specific assays for the induction of foetal haemoglobin, ("The assay is based on detecting production of HbF in human erythroleukaemia cells using a fluorescent protein gene that is used to replace the genes for HbF") to facilitate the discovery of pharmacological agents that might be therapeutic for thalassaemia. Given the reported effects of wheatgrass juice on thalassaemia, (Dr. Marwaha's pilot study) we would very much like to test wheatgrass juice (extract) whether it can cause a significant increase in foetal haemoglobin."

This point is important. Fetal hemoglobin, (HbF) which has a substantially higher affinity for oxygen than adult hemoglobin, develops in the fetus during the last six months of gestation. As both mother and fetus share the same blood supply, fetal hemoglobin essentially draws off oxygen from the mother's blood. This enables the fetus to survive in the uterus. After birth, fetal hemoglobin levels fall rapidly and in the adult represents less than two percent of total hemoglobin in the body. It has been found that stimulation or induction of fetal hemoglobin in thalassemia can improve the patient's clinical condition. Although drugs exist that have this function, e.g. hydroxyurea, they lack specificity and may have a variety of serious side effects. Professor Ioannou assayed the wheatgrass extract for fetal hemoglobin induction on three separate human cell clones.

On 14 July he reported that over a 5 day period:"Our measurements suggest a 3-5 fold increase in the production of HbF by the wheat grass extract. This is a substantial increase and could certainly provide an explanation why some thalassaemia patients may derive significant benefit." 

Of course, these laboratory results may or may not bear a relationship to what one could expect in the thalassemic patient. However, given the quite significant reduction in transfusion requirements noted in some of the patients in Dr. Marwaha's pilot study, Professor Ioannou's findings strongly suggest they could have resulted from induction of fetal hemoglobin by wheatgrass.

I think it is worth noting again that the Murdoch Institute results were achieved using a wheatgrass extract that contained virtually no chlorophyll. This fact further supports my belief that chlorophyll, like hemoglobin, has a specific function to perform in nature. As hemoglobin transports oxygen within the red blood cell, so does chlorophyll assist photosynthesis within the chloroplast. Nothing more, nothing less.

In conclusion, I believe the two new studies relating to wheatgrass and induction of fetal hemoglobin mentioned here give more than a glimmer of hope to thalassemic patients. Commercial wheatgrass products such as fresh juice, tablets, powders and nutritional supplements are cheap, readily available and virtually devoid of adverse effects. While more studies are clearly necessary, thalassemics may have nothing to lose and possibly much to gain from ingesting wheatgrass, in one form or another, daily. While it is not possible from the current studies to predict the optimal dose of wheatgrass extract for a beneficial effect on thalassaemia, I recommend that in order to benefit fully from the biological activity of the herb, thalassemics, like anyone taking wheatgrass, need to hold it in the mouth for at least a minute before swallowing.

References:

1. Kirkman, N.F. 1939. The effect of low-porphyrin diet on erythropoiesis and hemoglobin regeneration. J Physiol 95:508-515
2. Kelentei, B., Fekete, I., Kun, F. 1958. Influence of copper chlorophyllin on experimental anemia. Acta Pharm Hung 28:176-180
3. Borisenko, A.N., Sofonova, A.D. 1965. Hemopoietic effect of Na chlorophyllin. Vrach Delo 9:44-46
4. Gruskin, B. Chlorophyll – its therapeutic place in acute and suppurative disease. 1940. American Journal of Surgery.
5. Collings, G. 1945. Chlorophyll and adrenal cortical extract in the local treatment of burns. American Journal of Surgery 70:58- 63.
6. Egner, P.A., Munoz, A., Kensler, T.W. 2003. Chemoprevention with chlorophyllin in individuals exposed to dietary aflatoxin. Mutat Res. 2003 Feb-Mar;523-524:209-16.
7. Ben-Ayre, E., Goldin, E., Wengrower, D., Stamper, A., Kohn, R., Berry , E. 2002. Wheat grass juice in the treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Scand J Gastroenterol 2002;37:444-449 

(Source:www.drwheatgrass.com)

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Wheatgrass is available in juice, Powder and tablet form. What is the best?

Traditionally, Wheatgrass is known to be taken in juice form. In today’s modern life most individuals are lacking time, space, manpower and know-how of growing Wheatgrass. It is difficult to transport fresh Wheatgrass economically everyday to far off places as it has very less shelf life.
At this junction, making the availability of Wheatgrass in Powder form has proven to be very convenient and effective. It has all the advantages as follows:

• Powder is easy to transport, convenient to carry and has good shelf life.
• Powder retains all the important nutrients of fresh Wheatgras
• Powder has higher quantity of dietary fiber than fresh juice.
• Fiber is strained out while extracting juice.
• Powder is more palatable than fresh juice by all age groups
• Powder equals therapeutic efficacy as fresh Wheatgrass.
• One Tsp. Powder (approx 3g) equals to 40 g fresh Wheatgrass.
• One Tsp Powder (3 g) costs less than the cost of 40 g fresh Wheatgrass. .

Wheatgrass Powder has more advantages than tablet form as follows:

• Powder is natural whereas tablet manufacturing involves more process.
• Tablet manufacturing method might involve the use of chemical binders.
• Using 3 g powder (40 g fresh grass) a day is recommended for good results.
• One Tsp. Powder = about 3 g = 6 tablets (0.5 g each) at a time. Most people do not take this quantity of tablets and therefore may not experience satisfactory results.
• When Powder is mixed in a glass of water, the original Chlorophyll available in Wheatgrass is reformed before consumption. It mixes with saliva and is digested better thereby increasing its therapeutic value.
• Paste of Powder with milk can be applied on skin and its not possible with tablets.

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How does Wheatgrass Powder help in weight management?

Wheatgrass Powder is a natural, safe and extremely potent aid in weight loss. It works by suppressing appetite, stimulating metabolism, circulation and helps loose weight in inches and kgs. Diet has to be reduced to achieve weight loss and it may cause nutrition deficiencies.

Many people experience fatigue and craving to eat more at this stage. Wheatgrass Powder helps overcome nutrition deficiency and to avoid any side effects. For weight gain, Wheatgrass Powder helps by improving digestion, activating body cells, increasing appetite, improves skin and muscle tone and as an energy booster.

Incase of weight loss / weight gain, the intake of Wheatgrass Powder is the same but the accompanying diet is different as follows:

Weight loss- Diet should contain more of vegetables, soups, sprouts, green salads, fruits, juices, dry fruits, etc. Items such as milk, sweets, ghee, butter, rice, non-veg, alcohol, etc, should be avoided.

Weight gain – Diet should contain more of vegetables, fruits, juices, honey, milk, dry fruits, ghee, porridge, salads, brown rice, soups, Jaggery-sweetened milk at night, etc.,

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Anal Fissure Can Be Cured with Wheatgrass

by Dr. Chris Reynolds. M.B.,B.S.
The symptoms of anal fissure can be relieved by wheatgrass which, although you may not know it, has quite remarkable pain-relieving and healing properties.

You may not need to change your diet, drink gallons of water, use stool softeners or load your bowel with fibre. You may also be relieved of the pain and bleeding that can be so distressing in this condition.
Surgery, like botox injections and other expensive procedures should only be considered as a last resort.

Anal fissure - What is it?

Fig. 1

As shown in Figure 1, a fissure is a split or tear at the outer end of the anal canal wall, usually at the posterior or back side of the anus. In chronic fissures, a skin tag known as a 'sentinel pile' often overlies the fissure and can be mistaken for a painful hemorrhoid.

The power of wheatgrass healing

Fig. 2

Although it affects a different part of the body, anal fissure results from a breakdown in the anal wall very much like the split lip shown in Figure 2 which, as many of us know, can also be very painful and difficult to treat. This young male patient suffered for more than a year and received numerous treatments including antibiotics, steroids and anti-fungals that didn't work. His wound however healed in one week after only one application of wheatgrass cream. Why? Most likely because of Growth Factor activation by one or more bioactives in wheatgrass. (See final paragraph for more information)

What are the symptoms of anal fissure?

Typical symptoms may be:

• Pain, which can be severe, during and after bowel movements
• Red blood in the stool (blood on the toilet paper)
• Constipation - due to pain causing avoidance of passing stool
• Anal itchiness, burning
• Difficulty in passing urine 
•  

Why is there so much pain?

The area where anal fissure occurs is supplied by numerous nerve endings that are highly sensitive. Even a tiny split in the wall of the anal canal can be very painful, particularly during a bowel motion when the anal muscles are stretched.

Who else gets anal fissure?

Anal fissure is very common. It is estimated that approximately 250,000 new cases occur each year in the US alone. It can occur in newborns and right across the age spectrum to old age, and affects both sexes equally. It is most common from young adulthood to middle age. Pregnancy and childbirth can aggravate or initiate the condition.

How long does it last?

Approximately 50-60% of anal fissures will heal spontaneously. However it can recur or become chronic (sometimes lasting for years) in the other 40-50%.

How is anal fissure diagnosed?

Symptoms of pain and rectal bleeding will alert your doctor to make a simple examination of the outer end of the anal canal. If an acute fissure is present, it will look like a small tear in the posterior (the back end, near the spine) of the anus as shown in Figure 1. Chronic fissures have thickened edges and a 'sentinel pile' as mentioned earlier.
If considered necessary, particularly if bleeding is present, the doctor will arrange further investigations such as colonoscopy to exclude other causes of blood loss.

How is anal fissure treated?

My method is simple. I use a wheatgrass extract in a cream base and get the patient to apply a small amount just inside the anal opening twice daily with a cotton bud. In greater than 80 percent of cases, the symptoms disappear, usually within four to six weeks, sometimes within a few days.
Because the fissure itself is not a life-threatening condition, it is not essential to heal the fissure although most of them do heal in time. The aim should always be to rid patients of their symptoms so they can resume a normal quality of life - something that wheatgrass is very good at.

What causes anal fissure?

Doctors invoke all kinds of reasons why fissures develop including constipation, hard bowel motions, diarrhea, inflammation, reduced blood flow to the anal region, poor bowel habit and even 'spiky' foods such as peanuts. They seem to forget that many fissure patients do not have constipation, (some in fact have diarrhea) and some babies are born with fissures. It is unlikely the cause is related to trauma unless there is some direct injury to the anal wall e.g. from colonoscopy or childbirth.

More likely, the fissure occurs first and the constipation follows. In other words, constipation is an effect and an aggravating factor, not a cause of anal fissure. How do I know this?

The answer is based on simple clinical observation of numerous patients with chronic constipation. Many of them had undiagnosed chronic anal fissures that were missed because examination of the anal canal had never been performed. However, when their pain symptoms were relieved following treatment with wheatgrass, their constipation disappeared.

This suggests there must be some other process causing the fissure(s). I believe one contributing factor is auto-immunity.

What does auto-immunity mean?

Normally the immune antibodies our bodies produce act to stave off bacteria, viruses and other organisms that try to invade the body, and to kill off cancer cells that continually develop inside us. When this system goes awry, such as when the body undergoes severe or prolonged emotional or physical stress or severe illness, these antibodies can attack and damage healthy cells, tissues or organs. This is called an auto-immune reaction which can eventually cause an auto-immune condition if it continues long enough. In rheumatoid arthritis for example, joints can become severely damaged. i.e. they become red, swollen and painful and eventually lose their function.

My theory is that this is what occurs in anal fissure and possibly in other similar painful conditions such as tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis and perhaps even in the split lip shown in Figure 2. For some reason, these antibodies attack the mucous membrane on the anal wall. This breaks down and the fissure opens up. At time of passing stool, the anal muscles reflexly go into spasm and the bare nerve endings in the fissure produce a painful sensation. The pain leads to stool avoidance which can then cause constipation which aggravates the fissure and the whole process becomes cyclical.

Unless some way is found to heal the fissure, or the body repairs itself, the fissure becomes chronic. The anal verge being unable to "rest" for any length of time because of the need for bowel evacuation, the fissure remains open.
So the aim should be to fix the fissure, not the constipation. However, this has never been an easy task - until now.

How does wheatgrass work for anal fissure?

Having used wheatgrass on thousands of patients for a variety of conditions it has been strikingly obvious to me that it facilitates natural healing e.g. for wounds, burns, fractures, anal fissure etc. (See Fig. 2.) One can actually see the healing in progress for example in burns and infected wounds when the open wound re-covers with a thin film of new cells in 24-48 hours. This keeps the  exudate that contains growth factors necessary for healin - in, and the bacteria out. Often the patient's pain disappears as well. These are not phenomena one sees when the body is healing itself unaided.

It is well known that hormones produced by the body called Growth Factors are an essential and very important part of the healing process, and for reducing inflammation. It appears that wheatgrass in some way stimulates the production of these important growth factors that 'normalize' damaged tissue and facilitate rapid healing. Wheatgrass can also work very well for some auto-immune related disorders such as acne rosacea and psoriasis. In other words, wheatgrass is a potent, natural healing agent.

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36 Points About Wheatgrass

1. Wheatgrass Juice is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll available.

2. Chlorophyll is the first product of light and, therefore, contains more light energy than any other element.

3. Wheatgrass juice is a crude chlorophyll and can be taken orally and as a colon implant without toxic side effects.

4. Chlorophyll is the basis of all plant life.

5. Wheatgrass is high in oxygen like all green plants that contain chlorophyll.
The brain and all body tissues  function at an optimal level in a  highly-oxygenated environment.

6. Chlorophyll is antibacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer.

7. Dr. Bernard Jensen says that it only takes minutes to digest wheatgrass juice and uses up very little body  energy.

8. Science has proven that chlorophyll arrests growth and development of unfriendly bacteria.

9. Chlorophyll (wheatgrass) rebuilds the bloodstream. Studies of various animals have shown chlorophyll to be  free of any toxic reaction.

10. The red cell count was returned to normal within 4 to 5 days of the administration of chlorophyll, even in those animals which were known to be extremely anemic or low in  red cell count.

11. Chlorophyll can be extracted from many plants, but wheatgrass is superior because it has been found to have over 100 elements needed by man. If grown in organic soil, it absorbs 92 of the known 102 minerals from the  soil.

12. Wheatgrass has what is called the grass-juice factor, which has been shown to keep herbivorous animals alive indefinitely.

13. Dr. Ann Wigmore has been helping people get well form chronic disorders for 30 years using wheatgrass.

14. Liquid chlorophyll gets into the tissues, refines them and makes them over.

15. Wheatgrass Juice is a superior detoxification agent compared to carrot juice and other fruits and vegetables.

16. Liquid chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body.

17. Chlorophyll neutralizes toxins in the body.

18. Chlorophyll helps purify the liver.

19. Chlorophyll improves blood sugar problems.

20. Wheatgrass Juice can cure acne and even removes scars after it has been ingested for seven to eight months.  The diet must be  improved at the same time.

21. Wheatgrass juice acts as a detergent in the body and is used as a body deodorant.

22. A small amount of wheatgrass juice in the human diet can prevent tooth decay.

23. Wheatgrass juice held in the mouth for 5 minutes can eliminated toothaches.
It pulls poisons from the gums.

24. Gargle Wheatgrass Juice for a sore throat.

25. Drink Wheatgrass Juice for skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis.

26. Pyorrhea of the mouth: lay pulp of wheatgrass soaked in juice on diseased area in mouth or chew wheatgrass  spitting out the pulp.

27. By taking Wheatgrass Juice, one may feel a difference in strength, endurance, health, and spirituality, and experience a sense of well-  being.

28. Wheatgrass juice improves the digestion.

29. Wheatgrass juice is high in enzymes.

30. Wheatgrass juice is an excellent skin cleanser and can be absorbed through the skin for nutrition. Pour green  juice over your body in a tub of warm water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.

31. Wheatgrass juice is great for constipation and keeping the bowels open. It is high in magnesium.

32. Dr. Birscher, a research scientist, called chlorophyll "concentrated sun power". He said, "chlorophyll increases the function of the heart,  affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus, and the lungs" .

33. According to Dr. Birscher, nature uses chlorophyll (wheatgrass) as a body cleanser, rebuilds, and neutralizer of toxins.

34. Wheatgrass Juice can reduce high blood pressure and enhances the capillaries.

35. Wheatgrass Juice can remove heavy metals from the body.

36. Wheatgrass juice is great for blood disorders of all kinds.

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