17 incredible wheatgrass benefits for health, hair, and beauty

Lately, wheatgrass has been gaining popularity in the fitness industry, but what is wheatgrass? It is an incredibly beneficial food that comes from a plant called Triticum aestivum or common wheat. Wheatgrass can be regarded as a superfood which contains power-packed nutrients. You may consume this in the form of a fresh and refreshing juice or simply get it in the powdered version. You can add it to smoothies or protein shakes likewise. You may consume it regularly as a health booster and it will help you tackle several diseases successfully.

Read more about the fabulous wheatgrass benefits in this article. Here, you will also learn about some of the side effects usually associated with excessive consumption of wheatgrass.

Read more about the fabulous wheatgrass benefits in this article.

Wheatgrass Nutrition Facts

The best time to drink wheatgrass juice is right after waking up, early in the morning, but there is no obligation to do so; you can include it in your diet as a snack in the evenings or any other convenient time if you can’t drink it first thing in the morning. You can always consume it as a powder or even as wheatgrass juice if you wish. Here are the key elements contained in this superfood:

• Iron
• Calcium
• Vitamins E, A, C, K and B Complex
• Magnesium
• Protein
• Chlorophyll
• Enzymes
• Phytonutrients
• 17 Amino Acids

Note: 8 out of the 17 amino acids in wheatgrass are essential for the human body as it cannot produce these on its own.

Top 17 Wheatgrass Benefits

There are numerous wheatgrass juice benefits that are listed below:

1. It is a Powerful Superfood

Wheatgrass is not easy to digest but it works as a superfood in many ways. It comes with an excellent nutritional quotient along with offering several healing advantages. It is a complete nourisher for the system while containing essential vitamins and minerals alike. It comes with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial attributes as well. 

2. Improves Digestion

Wheatgrass comes with several enzymes that enable the breakdown of complex food elements into simpler ones, thereby facilitating their absorption in turn. This helps it enhance digestion greatly. Wheatgrass also comes with cleansing and detoxification attributes, leading to lower gas, bloating and discomfort in the abdomen. It can also relieve what is known as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and constipation. 

3. Destroys Toxins

One of the biggest wheat grass uses is the destruction of toxins. The nutrients contained in it help in flushing out various impurities and toxins alike. The chlorophyll content enables detoxification and better liver functioning.

4. Enhances Immunity

Consuming wheatgrass greatly enhances immunity while helping in tackling several types of diseases and other infections. It also enhances overall energy levels. 

5. Stimulates Metabolism

Wheatgrass contributes towards giving your metabolism a major boost, enabling better weight loss and management in turn. It comes with several essential nutrients that keep you feeling fuller after each meal. This automatically works to lower cravings greatly. 

6. Functions as an Antiseptic

Wheatgrass juice comes with antiseptic attributes on account of its chlorophyll content. It helps in keeping bad smell and strep infection away along with ensuring faster healing of wounds. It also helps in combating ear inflammation, sinusitis, rectal sores, leg ulcers and more. The chlorophyll content also helps in combating uterine cervix, varicose veins, typhoid fever and vaginal infections of a parasitic nature. 

7. Helps with Weight Loss

The selenium content in wheatgrass juice helps in boosting the thyroid gland’s functions while helping manage and maintain weight, lowering food cravings and ultimately enabling weight loss.

 8. Enhanced Fertility

Wheatgrass juice may help in stimulating fertility and sexual drive along with overall physical vitality simultaneously. It may help in giving you much-needed energy and increased blood flow along with greater stamina at the same time. It also promotes reproductive hormone production along with accelerating genital blood flow. 

9. Better Hair Health

Wheatgrass juice is also excellent for enhancing the health of the hair. It comes with several antioxidants and helps in reversing hair greying and slowing down overall ageing simultaneously. 

10.  Boosts Heart Health

Wheatgrass contains protein and fiber which lower triglycerides and LDL or bad cholesterol. It also helps in scaling up the levels of good or HDL cholesterol at the same time. 

11.  Combats Cancer

Also note that wheatgrass contains antioxidants which may help in killing cancer cells and bypassing several such risks simultaneously. It also comes with several nutrients including zinc, magnesium, selenium and copper. 

12. Diabetes management

Studies conducted on diabetic rats revealed the health benefits of wheatgrass in reducing blood sugar levels due to the presence of glucose oxidative enzymes. Some rats were also treated with the ethanol extracts of wheatgrass for 30 days who showed reduced levels of glucose in their blood. This indicates that consuming wheatgrass may help people with diabetes in managing their blood sugar levels.

13. Treatment of haemolytic anaemia

Consuming wheatgrass juice had positive effects on the health of people with haemolytic anaemia, a study revealed. Additionally, the duration of the therapy is related to the benefit of the wheatgrass juice therapy. The rich nutritional content of wheatgrass, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and bioflavonoids, is likely the reason behind this.

14. Anti-ulcer activity

Research suggests that wheatgrass juice can be an effective way of treating distal ulcerative colitis. It is believed that the chlorophyll present in wheatgrass acts as an active agent in preventing ulcers.

15. Improves dental health

Wheatgrass juice can be used as a replacement for mouthwash for pyorrhoea and sore throats. It can also prevent tooth decay and toothaches. People who have to visit the dentist frequently must consider chewing some wheatgrass regularly to remove toxins from the gums and controlling bacterial growth.

16. Improves skin health

Wheatgrass can be used to control bacterial action and arrest the growth and development of harmful bacteria. Wheatgrass juice can be used to treat skin diseases and ulcerated wounds and promote cell activity and normal re-growth of the cells. Pure wheat flour can also be used to soothe burns, scalds, and itching eruptions.

17. Improved cognitive function

The health benefits of wheatgrass include improved brain power; studies show that consuming wheatgrass regularly can prevent chronic fatigue syndrome that is characterised by extreme exhaustion, problems with retaining memory or thinking, and dizziness. Wheatgrass can also be used to prevent memory impairment and boost brain functioning.

Wheatgrass Side Effects

There are a few wheatgrass juice side effects that you should know more about, including the following:

1. Stomach upsets
2. Headaches
3. Nausea
4. Fever
5. Constipation 

These are rare and usually vanish on their own. Those who are breastfeeding or pregnant should not take wheatgrass as per recommendations, since it may lead to severe allergies. Wheatgrass may also be problematic for those with gluten allergies, blood disorders, celiac disease and some other types of ailments. 

Tips for enjoying the health benefits of wheatgrass

An excessive use of wheatgrass juice may cause headaches for some people, and some people may also experience swelling in their throat. People have also reported nausea after excessive consumption of wheatgrass. Some people believe that this could be due to the presence of gluten in wheatgrass; however, more research is required to make any claims.
Others may simply not like the taste of wheatgrass; you can add flavouring agents such as honey, milk, other fruit juices to make it more palatable. If you wish to enjoy wheatgrass benefits and don’t like the taste of wheatgrass, you can consider taking it in capsule form.

The Bottom Line

Wheatgrass is a powerful superfood which comes with incredible health benefits of its own, especially in terms of ensuring better immunity, weight management, heart health and more. You can consume it as your daily health juice in the morning. You can also consider the powdered form. Whatever it be, take it regularly for enjoying superior health benefits in the long run. 

Wheatgrass is a health supplement, and it may take some time to observe any visible changes in your appearance or health. Additionally, some people may not notice any changes, positive or negative, while others may get some of the side effects. You are recommended to start slow and not overconsume wheatgrass. If you are worried about your health or notice any side effects, stop consuming wheatgrass and consult your doctor.