Wheatgrass

That is exactly how a Melbourne naturopath recently described the way she felt about wheatgrass as a therapeutic agent. And as a GP who has used wheatgrass effectively on thousands of patients since 1995, she summed up pretty well how I feel about it, too. In fact, wheatgrass changed dramatically the way I view the healing process, particularly when it comes to things like open wounds, burns, fractures and many difficult to treat skin conditions.

Wheatgrass therapy goes back at least to the 1930’s, when the US Government was searching for an anti-bacterial substance that could be used for treating infected wounds in military personnel. They were testing a cereal-based chlorophyll formulation called “chlorophyllin” and the results were nothing short of astounding. One study at the Temple University in Philadelphia reviewed over 1,200 patients with severe infections of burns, bone, wounds and sinuses who were treated with chlorophyllin. It was even given intravenously for blood poisoning – and it worked! The reporting Head Surgeon, Dr. B. Gruskin reported there was, “…not a single case recorded in which either improvement or cure has not taken place.”

That’s a hard act to follow, but wheatgrass has helped not only thousands of my own patients, but many others around the world, to attain a better quality of life.

Eczema and the topical steroid trap
Instead of prescribing topical steroids for eczema, which only dampen the inflammatory reaction which then tends to rebound when the application is ceased, I use quite a different approach. I believe suppression by steroids of the skin’s immune response is a major contributor to slowing the healing process. By somehow boosting this local immune response, wheatgrass often works well in conjunction with steroids and helps to prevent the rebound. In time, the patient can usually be weaned off the steroids completely. Until I came across wheatgrass as a therapeutic tool, there was no option but to continue using steroids, both topical and oral, just to maintain control of eczema flares. I am happy to say I have helped thousands of eczema patients escape the steroid trap forever. (See my non-commercial website, “Wheatgrass for Health Professionals” at www.wheatgrassprofessional.info  for some examples and more information)

But there are many other conditions that frequently, and in some situations e.g. open wounds, always respond well to wheatgrass therapy. However, in keeping with the title of this article, let’s return to “peculiar, difficult cases”.

But how does one obtain wheatgrass in order to use it therapeutically? Well, you can buy or grow your own and juice it when required. You can mix wheatgrass powder with a little water and use that – it’s just as effective as the fresh juice. Also, there are commercial wheatgrass-based skin products available on the internet.

Molluscum Contagiosum. (Water warts, pox virus)
That’s quite a mouthful, but molluscum spots are well known to many parents of young, usually primary school or kindergarten aged children. These spots are caused by a virus, are highly contagious and can spread rapidly through groups of children by direct contact. Although quite harmless, mollusca can be unsightly and cause distress and embarassment to the child and other family members. Usually, the doctor will inform the parents there is little can be done; the spots will disappear within a year or two.
I disagree. Wheatgrass, applied a couple of times daily to affected areas is the only treatment I have found that is not only quick to work (about 6 weeks), but is almost invariably effective.

Nosebleeds
A very common condition in both children and adults. Sometimes there are serious causes, but the majority occur spontaneously and no obvious disease is present. Nonetheless, the bleeding is often difficult to stop and can occur frequently.

One of my own children suffered frequent nosebleeds, but a little wheatgrass inserted in the bleeding nostril with a cotton bud and some gentle compression of the end of the nose always staunched the bleeding in a few minutes. I have used this same technique successfully in many of my patients. It’s very safe and well worth trying.

Acne Rosacea
This condition, cause unknown, tends to run in families and is most common in females. It causes a red facial rash that can flare when aggravated e.g. by alcohol, and can often cause stinging or burning. There is no known cure. However, wheatgrass can, in some patients, have a profound effect in reducing the cosmetic unsightliness of the condition and reduce the facial discomfort. The “treatment” should be continued for at least six months before a decision is made whether to continue or not. Usually, perseverance pays.

Split Lips
Have you ever suffered from this condition? Then you will know how painful and difficult to heal it can be. After the usual run of topical steroids, anti-bacterial creams and oral antibiotics and nothing works, are there any other options? Yes, you guessed it. Wheatgrass. This is quite the most amazing healing agent I have ever found in more than 30 years of medical practice. Manuka honey is good, but I believe wheatgrass is even better – and it’s not sticky. Forget lip balms because you can do a lot more for skin recovery by daubing on some wheatgrass juice two or three times a day.

Pulled Muscles and Groin Injuries
Pulled hamstring and calf muscles and groin injuries are the bane of sports people everywhere. Even minor mishaps such as a sudden wrong movement can sideline a top class athlete for weeks and sometimes months, but in most cases this should not be necessary. I have treated numerous patients with these injuries with wheatgrass over the years resulting in many cases being fully mobile and sufficiently pain-free to return to sporting activity within a few days. It’s very safe, much cheaper than physiotherapy and, I daresay, more effective. The sooner it is applied after the injury, the better.

There are many other conditions I could mention that respond well to wheatgrass therapy such as Achilles tendinitis, paronychia (nail infections), trigger finger, pulled muscles and white tail spider bites, but unfortunately space does not permit. However you can learn a lot more about wheatgrass healing from my website, and if you have any questions, I’d be glad to respond. Just send me an email at info@wheatgrassprofessional.info.

Is wheatgrass really an effective natural remedy? I think famous author, wheatgrass guru and friend, Steve Meyerowitz, summed it up perfectly in the title of his bestselling book, “Wheatgrass, Nature’s Finest Medicine”.