Wheatgrass madness

I was at the Jamba Juice looking at their menu. Some people are apparently big on wheatgrass. I wonder why. Perhaps it’s:

…due largely to its chlorophyll content (chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green color. It absorbs sunlight necessary for photosynthesis, hence the term "liquid sunshine").

But according to the DeKalb Medical Center:

Only cud-chewing animals with multiple stomachs can properly digest grass to absorb its nutrients. Even though we can decide to liquefy wheatgrass into a juice we still can not benefit from it.

(My bold.)

Humans can’t digest grass: you need multiple stomachs like a cow. Can’t be that then. Perhaps it’s the:

… enzymes wheatgrass juice delivers. Enzymes are complex protein compounds produced by living cells that speed up biochemical reactions required for proper and normal functioning of every organ system and have also been found to aid digestion!

Enzymes have been found to aid digestion? Well, of course they have – but not the enzymes in stuff you eat! From the National Council Against Health Fraud:

Enzymes are complex protein molecules produced by living organisms exclusively for their own use in promoting chemical reactions. Orally ingested enzymes are digested in the stomach and have no enzymatic activity in the eater.

(My bold.)

The plant produces enzymes to help it (the plant) digest the nutrients it needs. The human body produces enzymes to help it (the human body) digest the nutrients it needs. But they are not the same enzymes – they’re different molecules! Plant enzymes in stuff you eat do not aid your digestion.

Perhaps it’s all the other stuff it contains, for example

…all amino acids … essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, vitamins A, C and Bs… iron and vitamin K.

But according to Jamba Juice’s own nutrition facts table, a 2oz shot only has 15% of the daily requirement of vitamin C and 20% of iron, with no mention of vitamin K, etc (0% vitamin A - not even a rounding error). Can’t be that then. You could eat a banana, drink some orange juice and get more benefit. They taste better too. (Oh yeah, it can’t be the taste either.)

Getting even deeper into the woo woo:

It is said a shot of wheatgrass juice can help cleanse the blood and other tissues

I’m sure it has been said. It’s still complete crap. Also:

wheatgrass proponent Piter U. Caizer, known as the "wheat grass messiah," argues that there is literally an energy, a life force eastern healers call "chi," present in fresh-squeezed wheatgrass

Of course! It’s the “chi”. It contains something no scientific instrument has even been able to detect. Wow!  How do they know? I’m convinced.

Anyway, I found one thing that Jamba Juice and the National Council Against Health Fraud do agree on. First (all emphasis mine) the National Council Against Health Fraud

…it is conceivable that enzymes present in rectally-administered wheatgrass juice could have chemical activity

And Jamba Juice:

For the more dedicated enthusiast, wheat grass can be taken as an enema!

So it’s official. For all the good this stuff does, you might as well stick it up your ass.

Comments

[Danny]

Ouch, rectally-administered wheatgrass. I think I'll pass that and drink some homeopathically energized water instead. At least that one's known to be a source of H2O.

[Paul]

Damn! I like reading your blog.

[Pete]

I enjoy your blog, and agree that wheatgrass as a nutritional supplement is bogus. I like the irony involved in adding a little "boost" to your 460 calorie, 84g-of-sugar shake. But a question about your assertion that ingested enzymes can't help with digestion - what about lactase enzyme pills for people who are lactose intolerant? They seem to help me.

[Skeptico]

Pete:

Good question. It is possible that lactase enzyme pills work, although I don't know for sure. But if they work it will be because a human lactase enzyme (or an analog) has been engineered into the pill. That is different from saying that vegetable enzymes aid human digestion.

Glad you like the blog.

[Skeptico]

Danny

Re: rectally-administered wheatgrass - I think it just tastes better that way. Although that wouldn't be hard.

[Ray]

Your site is really important to keep us reality based, and I really enjoyed the series on astrology. Keep up the good work.

Just a few minor corrections:

Only cud-chewing animals with multiple stomachs can properly digest grass to absorb its nutrients. Even though we can decide to liquefy wheatgrass into a juice we still can not benefit from it.

The cud is for obtaining energy from cellulose, the structural polymer in plant cell walls. Cellulose is made of glucose (like starch), but only certain bacteria have the enzymes necessary to break down cellulose. Nutrients in plants (proteins, vitamins, and minerals) are all available when the cell walls are broken apart by chewing or juicing. Because grasses generally contain silica grit and other stuff (I don't know about this particular "wheat grass"), chewing is not very efficient for breaking down cell walls. So if you want your nutrients from grass (as opposed to fruits and vegetables), juicing is ok. As the juicing won't break down the cellulose, we humans still won't get significant amounts of energy from the drink.

Humans can’t digest chlorophyll: you need multiple stomachs like a cow.

We can digest chlorophyll, it is chemically similar to blood (with magnesium instead of iron). Try some blutwurst.

[Ray Girvan]

Ah, enzymes. This is one of the idee fixes of our Scottish nutritionist, who promotes the idea of eating food with enzymes (not human digestive enzymes, but any old enzymes) including her commercial 'living food' supplements - for which she has yet to take up the challenge of a comparative test.

[latibulum]

Chi only works if you pronounce it properly.

[Skeptico]

Ray:

Thanks for the correction. I have edited the post to say “Humans can’t digest grass” (instead of “Humans can’t digest chlorophyll”).

[Eric]

Found this blog via Randi. This is an excellent blog. Keep up the good work! I'll keep reading it. :)

[Ben M]

Another example of an orally-ingested, active enzmye is Beano---the anti-flatulence pill. It's an enzyme that helps you break down certain carbohydrates before they can reach, and nourish, your friendly intestinal fauna.

I don't know what the enzyme is; all the Beano web page says is that it is from "a natural source".

[Eric Gunnerson]

There are two methods mammals use to digest cellulose. The most known method is the one used by ruminants.

There is another class that harbors cellulose-digesting bacteria in their caecum (where a human appendix is), and those bacteria ferment the cellulose.

Some animals absorb enough of the fermentation byproducts through the walls of the caecum and the large intestine.

Others - such as the capybara - resort to coprophagy, sending the now digestible byproduct on another trip through the system.

http://www.glenoakzoo.org/Capy%20Standards.pdf

[Ray]

> such as the capybara

And, a more commonplace example, the rabbit.

[TallDave]

Linked here from Lambert. Great stuff, thanks for sharing.

[Mongrel]

Just caught this page, getting behind in my reading as we're busy at work...

In regards the lactase enzyme pills. 2 explanations spring to mind for me
1) As they're considered normal for humans all it does is "repopulate" the stomach
2) Many tablets are resistant to stomach acid (enteric coated) and pass through the stomach to be broken down somewhere else in the digestive chain

[Skeptico]

Good points - thanks. Of course, tablets are coated so they are resistant to stomach acid, as they get absorbet at the right time. I had forgotten that.

[nick]

Why would wheat grass juice no be healthy for you when we are told to eat greens, ie. lettuce turnip greens, spinich etc. ?

[Skeptico]

Nick:

Because humans can’t digest grass. Didn’t you read the article? It’s explained there.

[Dana Hata]

Actually, human digestion can be assisted by 2 plant produced enzymes that I know of- papain from the Papaya, and bromelain from the Pineapple. They are partially but not completely destroyed by stomach acid.

Also, I read the article but I want to know why exactly, humans wouldn't be able to digest nutrients from liquefied grass. Is it the cell wall, and if so, wouldn't the cell wall be broken down (and thus the nutrients within released) in a rigorous liquefication? I don't know, just curious and would like some answers.

[Sammy G]

Well, one things for sure. Humans cannot get calories from cellulose in plants. I dont see why the couldnt get vitamins and minerals. In fact, we CAN. Why else would vegitables be good for us? Im sure this wheatgrass isnt the miracle cancer desolving superfood it is hyped up to be, but I dont see why its juice, like so many other fruit/veggie juices, cant be good for us?

To deny that it has some nutritional/health value just seems thickheaded to me

[Skeptico]

Plants yes. Grass, no.

I'm sure you don't see why this is, but fortunately we don’t have to rely on your ability to understand things, other people understand it:

Ruminants have a unique digestive system. You may have noticed cows sitting down, constantly chewing .... then swallowing .... waiting a bit ... then burping and chewing again. Other times you may have seen cows grazing - that is eating grass - and they seem to have their mouths glued to the grass, never pausing to chew! Let's start at the beginning and follow the grass through the cow until it's turned into milk. While we have just one stomach, cows have four! Each one does a different job.

1. Rumen. When a cow grazes grass and other fodder, she swallows it half chewed and stores it in the first stomach, the rumen. In here, digestive fluids and bacteria soften it, then it moves onto the second stomach.

2. Reticulum. In this stomach, big lumps of grass are softened more and formed into smaller lumps called cuds. Each cud returns to the mouth (which looks like the cow burping) and is then chewed for about one minute - or 40 to 60 times! The cow then swallows the well-chewed cud and it goes into the third stomach.

3. Omasum. In here it is broken down even more and some of the nutrients are absorbed into the blood stream. It finally goes into the fourth stomach.

4. Abomasum. This stomach acts rather like ours. In here, the food is mixed with digestive juices which break it down further. Then it passes into the intestine, where the nourishment can be easily absorbed into the blood stream.

I did explain this in my post. Cows have four stomachs; humans have just one. To deny that wheatgrass has no nutritional/health value for humans just seems thickheaded to me.

[woly]

i think sammy g understands that we cant get energy from grass but does not understand how other plants such as cellary are any different to grass

[Skeptico]

Good question - I have no idea. If anyone knows the answer to that question, please enlighten us.

[Juan]

In what way is the chlorophyll of spinach different from that of wheatgrass? Or, for that matter, the chlorophyll of any other (better tasting) green leafy vegetable? Could I get enough chlorophyll from those other plants and bypass the expensive 2 oz. shot of wheatgrass juice. Growing this stuff is very involved for city folks. If this stuff is so great, why don't I see hordes of people demanding it? What gives?

[woly]

ummm juan, i think the point of this article is that wheat grass is NOT so great and is infact bogus. unless you were refering to something else?

[Mark]

Hi there. I've just come across your site and found the wheat grass debate very interesting.I'm 100% in agreement with you that grass is undigestable,and not only that but all fruits,vegetables and nuts have cell walls made of cellulose, and human beings do not possess the enzyme to break it down properly.Biologically and evolutionarily we are carnivours,designed to thrive on high fat,high protein,low carb diets.I live in England and i have emailed the '5 a day'organisation and the N.H.S and numerous slimming clubs asking them to explain to me why we are told to eat lots of fruit and veg when we can't digest it properly. None have replied. I also asked two doctors and four nurses and two research scientists and the only thing they came up with was that we need them for roughage!! Don't know if your aware of it,but a great site is Barry Groves-second opinions. It's all in there. Interesting site,i shall visit it some more.Regards,mark

well i still believe that although, as far as i know, we cannot absorb the energy from plants we can still obtain the vitamins and minerals which would be the reason why we should still eat vegies and fruits.

a friend of mine studying science at university told me that cellulose is a form of carbohydrate, although we cannot absorb this kind of energy we can still get the sugars and protiens from it. im not sure if this is correct but that was his explanation.

[mark]

Hi there.I was just wondering if anyone could help me with a question which has been puzzling me? I was asked, where do herbivours get their complete protein from if they don't eat animals? because plant matter does not contain all eight essential amino acids.Do herbivours require different amino acids to us,and maybe they get them from grasses and plants??? Help!

[Dr. Chris Reynolds]

I agree that a lot of rubbish has been propagated about wheatgrass, particularly the myth that chlorophyll is "almost identical" to hemoglobin. That is simply nonsensical, yet virtually a whole industry has been built around this "fact". In my view, it's not the nutritional value of wheatgrass that's important. My clinical experience with it and the research I have done suggests it acts as a highly effective immunomodulator. This appears to have a "normalising" effect on damaged and diseased tissue.
There is a substantial body of scientific and medical research that has shown repeatedly (since the 30's to the present day) that there are biological actives in the grasses generally (wheatgrass is only one of them) that have quite powerful therapeutic effects, particularly in wound healing, burns and fracture treatment and so on.
I've spent ten years working with a wheatgrass extract in medical practice that has proven itself time and again to be highly effective in numerous medical conditions. It's all there on my website: http://www.wheatgrassprofessional.info if anyone wants to take a look.
Cheers from Melbourne.

[Skeptico]

Can you please provide a link to some of the actual studies done that show wheatgrass has some effect? And I mean the studies, not just your summaries. Thanks.

[Objectivityiskey]

To stay objective, is one of man’s most difficult tasks. Science is an ideology of thought that grows with refined observation and technological insight. If wheatgrass is neutral to the human body, then what is the harm in ingesting this juice for strictly a subjective whim? Nothing at all! Some people might need a crutch to keep their emotional gear in drive, and if wheatgrass fuels their action to sustain life, then who are you to tell them they are foolish. If wheatgrass is harmfull to he human body, then obviously this substance should be avoided, but if this juice is later found to benefit man and his wish to live, then dam all of you who judge to quickly. If life is your standard for morality, then allow life’s uncharted wonders time to grow and show their identity!

[Aaron]

Perhaps some of you should worry more about your education than whether or not to eat grass. The spelling skills of some people here are incredibly poor. Seriously, "celery" is on my 5th grade daughter's reading list.

It's not "cellary" it's "celery"
It's not "dam" it's "damn"
It's not "harmfull" it's "harmful"

[HCN]

What can you say when the spelling police come to comment more than two months later?

[Gef]

with all due respect people, there are many things that science has not been able to prove, am I not right?

Quote "Of course! It’s the “chi”. It contains something no scientific instrument has even been able to detect. Wow! How do they know? I’m convinced."

Sorry friend, but I am much more inclined to take credence from thousands of years of Chinese medicine than your poor attempt at 5 minutes of fame. And as an asside, I was infertile, and with only a homeopathic remedy and wheatgrass juice, raised my sperm count 400%, morphology 350% & motility 10%, and conceived shortly after these tests. Oops, dont report me to the National council against health fraud, because I must have made all this up to make a profit from wheatgrass!!! Tuh.

[Simon]

Hi Mark from Melbourne. Try something for me. Eat nothing but meat for 2 weeks and let me know where your family plan to bury you. I will plant some vegetables around your plot for you.

[Skeptico]

Re: with all due respect people, there are many things that science has not been able to prove, am I not right?

Yes, but you draw the wrong conclusion from this. You think the corollary is that anything that has not been disproven, that you like the sound of, is worthy of consideration. But it is not. Something is only worthy of consideration if there is a reason to suppose it is true. There is no reason to suppose chi is real, and no reason to suppose wheatgrass is good for you, other than:

Re: Sorry friend, but I am much more inclined to take credence from thousands of years of Chinese medicine than your poor attempt at 5 minutes of fame.

Which is an Appeal To Ancient Tradition

Thousands of years ago people thought the Sun went around the Earth; the ancient Chinese didn’t know blood circulated or what the organs were for. They were wrong. If something has been around for “thousands of years” that doesn’t make it right, it just makes it old.

Re: And as an asside, I was infertile, and with only a homeopathic remedy and wheatgrass juice, raised my sperm count 400%, morphology 350% & motility 10%, and conceived shortly after these tests.

Which is an anecdote.

Thanks for playing though.

[Rockstar]

Of course you know homeopathy doesn't work, right?

If it's been around for thousands of years, it must be right! Yeah, just like Creationism, Astrology, Alchemy, Bloodletting...

Welcome to Skeptico Mark from Melbourne! Boy are you an idiot! I'll take up your challenge. What's in it for me? I'll wager my car and house I can eat nothing but meat for 3 whole weeks and not only live, but be healthier for it!!

[Fiona]

I have been very interested to read this blog, and happy there is an oposing opinion about the benefits of wheat grass, however dissappointed that the author is so adament there is no benefit, and has chosen to disregard the idea that it ISN'T BAD FOR YOU, so why not have it instead of coffee in the morning if it makes you feel good. Placebo or not, it is probably less damaging than a coffee and a cigi in the morning to start your day.
If there is an expert out there who can prove wheatgrass is bad for you, then I am all ears!

[Rockstar]

That wasn't the point of the article. The point of the article was debunking the bullshit the Jamba Juice people were spouting re: their wheatgrass juice.

So go ahead and drink your grass. I'll stick with coffee.

[BronzeDog]

I have been very interested to read this blog, and happy there is an oposing opinion about the benefits of wheat grass, however dissappointed that the author is so adament there is no benefit, and has chosen to disregard the idea that it ISN'T BAD FOR YOU, so why not have it instead of coffee in the morning if it makes you feel good. Placebo or not, it is probably less damaging than a coffee and a cigi in the morning to start your day.
If there is an expert out there who can prove wheatgrass is bad for you, then I am all ears!

Such high standards. You don't seem to care about the lack of value. As long as it's not negative, you're willing to invest in it. What's wrong with demanding that a product have a value proven to be greater than zero?

Of course, I don't have cigis in the morning, we're 99% sure cigis are dangerous, and comparing something useless to something dangerous is completely pointless. Why don't you try showing us that wheatgrass is better than something useless, like a placebo?

Variation on your post: "I don't care if pushing my non-functioning car takes as long as walking! It makes me feel like I'm getting there faster, and that's okay as long as you can't prove it's dangerous."

[Tom]

I propose we all do what helps us, each one of us- alone, and quit getting so defensive of others feelings for their food choices. FYI, Dr. Atkins is very, very dead, so very young, from excessive consumption of meat. To the character that posted that lots of meat is good for you, I feel very sad for you... You've never had the curiosity to try a primarily vegetable diet? I have been on both the meat and veggie train and the veggie ride is a hell of a lot smoother for me.

Please, if you're going to criticize wheatgrass (or anything else), give it a try long enough, to have an educated opinion. All this bickering (perhaps like this blog) is a big waste of time.

[Skeptico]

Re: All this bickering (perhaps like this blog) is a big waste of time.

… a bit like taking wheatgrass, then.

[BronzeDog]

Please, if you're going to criticize wheatgrass (or anything else), give it a try long enough, to have an educated opinion. All this bickering (perhaps like this blog) is a big waste of time.

Sorry. Science isn't done by anecdotes. It's done by, well, the scientific method. The whole "try it yourself before judging" thing is a transparent attempt to make people perform confirmation bias, the regressive fallacy, yadda, yadda. I'm not going to waste my time on something no one is willing to test scientifically.

You might be right about this being a waste of time: The people who use and promote this sort of nonsense are too closeminded to pay attention to what I'm typing.

[Rockstar]

To the character that posted that lots of meat is good for you, I feel very sad for you... You've never had the curiosity to try a primarily vegetable diet? I have been on both the meat and veggie train and the veggie ride is a hell of a lot smoother for me.

Hi Tom, Character here. It's OK if you feel sad for me, but your feelings would be better placed elsewhere. I feel sad you'll never taste a savory rare steak because of some silly unfounded woo-woo. I'll wager everything I have that I could eat nothing but fish, chicken and beef for a month and be leaner for it.

Have I ever had the curiosity to try a vegetable diet? No. I'm 25 years old. I live in Ne-freaking-braska (we eat tons of meat here). To us, vegetables are what food eats. Trust me - in NE Macaroni and Cheese is a vegetable...

Congratulations on your vegan diet being "smoother" (I assume you mean your bowel movements?). I don't give a shit. Pun intended.

[BronzeDog]

From the land of what if:

What if medical science was based on "try it yourself"...

I get the distinct feeling we'd still be in the four humors thing, because somewhere, you'd always be able to find someone who said "bleeding worked for me!" It worked for radium.

[TOM]

My mother just have recovered from severe breast cancer in one month with wheatgrass therapy. Her blood analysis was incredible. If I was sceptical before, I am convinced now.

[Rockstar]

I'm glad she was cured. But, I guarantee two things:

A) you have no evidence to back that statement up and

B) she was treated at least partially by real doctors, but you attributed their brilliance to your woo-woo unfairly.

[BronzeDog]

Additional things that come to mind:

C) Spontaneous remission. Don't know how often it occurs with breast cancer, but sometimes even cancer can just go away.

D) She didn't really have breast cancer in the first place. Any lumps could have been mere cysts. That's what happened with Lorraine Day.

[Dana Hata]

Why do dogs instinctively eat grass when sick? Is it simply to cause a diarrhea-like effect to move stuff out? Or are they deriving some benefit from the constituents? If they were, it would lend *some* plausibility to the notion that humans can derive some benefit from drinking wheatgrass juice, since dogs' short digestive tracts are even further away from herbivores than humans.

[Rockstar]

Why do dogs eat their own poop? This should provide some plausibility to the notion that humans can derive some benefit from eating dog poop, since dogs' short digestive tracts are even further away from herbivores than humans.

Dana: that's just to show your hypothesis is pretty silly.