Wheatgrass Powder

What is Wheatgrass?

Perhaps Naturya’s best known product, Organic Wheatgrass Powder is a fantastic source of chlorophyll, , and amino acids.1 Wheatgrass is formed from the shoots of young .

Wheat has been consumed for thousands of years and is still one of the world’s most common crops, covering around a third of the world’s farmland.2 The popularity of wheatgrass began to grow during the 1940s, when the agricultural chemist Dr. Charles F. Schnabel brought it to the attention of a wider public.2 3

Wheatgrass has many similar nutritional properties to barleygrass but has a sweeter taste. Although often featured as a cornerstone of detoxification regimes, most people like to take advantage of wheatgrass’s wide range of nutrients on a daily basis as a great addition to a healthy balanced diet. Processing

Production

Our wheatgrass is grown on an organic farm in the North of China. It is certified as organic by the Soil Association and the EU, which means it is subject to rigorous checks at every stage of production. The farm is regularly inspected by international organic certification bodies.

The wheatgrass seed is planted in November and harvested the following spring. The wheatgrass is carefully monitored and is hand-cut just before the jointing stage.4 This ensures it is at its nutritional peak, as the prepares for the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth by accumulating vast amounts of nutrients and energy.2 3

Once it is cut, the wheatgrass is cleaned and the highest- quality blades are selected for processing. These go on to the drying stage, before being ground into a fine powder by a pneumatic cracker. As with our barleygrass, the process from field to finished product is completed within two hours, in order to preserve as many nutrients as possible. 4

How to enjoy Wheatgrass

When most people think of wheatgrass they probably picture a small green drink. Depending on your personal tastes, you may wish to simply mix the wheatgrass into a glass of water or, if you find that flavour a little too grassy, you might prefer to combine it with fruit juice. There are plenty of different recipes to be found online; wheatgrass can be combined with all kinds of fruits, vegetables and other powders to make a nutrient rich blend. Wheatgrass can also be included in cooking, most simply sprinkled into a salad dressing or dip. It can be added to most recipes, including dough, soups, energy bars and even jams.

The Science

Naturya Wheatgrass science information is currently being updated.

1 Singh, N., Verma P., Pandey, B.R., 2012. Therapeutic Potential of Organic Triticum aestivum Linn. (Wheat Grass) in Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases: An Overview. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Studies and Drug Research. 4[1]. 2 Meyerowitz, S., 2006. Wheatgrass: nature’s finest medicine: the complete guide to using grass foods & juices to help your health. Sproutman Publications. 3 Dégraff, L.R., 2011. The complete guide to growing and using wheatgrass: everything you need to know explained simply – including easy-to-make recipes. Atlantic Publishing Group. 4 Supllier pers. comm 5 Krishnamurthy, P. and Wadhwani, A., 2012. Antioxidant Enzymes and Human Health. InTech 6 Kulkarni, S.D., Tilak, J.C., Acharya, R., Rajurkar, S., Devasagayam, T.P.A., & Reddy, A.V.R., 2006. Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) as a Function of Growth under

Different Conditions. Phytotherapy Researc. 20. 7 NHS, 2011. Vitamins and minerals. www.nhs.uk 8 Padalia, S., Drabu, S., Raheja, I., Gupta, A. & Dhamija, M., 2010. Multitude potential of wheatgrass juice (Green Blood): An overview. Chronicles of Young Scientists. 1[2]. 9 Kumar, P., Yadava, R.K., Gollen, B., Kumar, S., Verma, R.K. & Yadav, S. 2011. Nutritional Contents and Medicinal Properties of Wheat: A Review. Life Sciences and Medicine Research. Volume 2011. 10 Kizedath, A. & Suneetha, V., 2011. Estimation of chlorophyll content in common household medicinal leave and their utilization to avail health benefits of chlorophyll. Journal of Pharmacy Research. 4[5]. 11 İnanç, A.L., 2011. Chlorophyll: Structural Properties, Health Benefits and Its Occurrence in Virgin Olive Oils. Academic Food Journal. 9[2]. 12 Simopoulos, A.P., 1999. Essential fatty acids in health and chronic disease. The American Journal of Clinical . 70[3].

13 NHS 2011. Why is fibre important? www.nhs.uk