Wheat grass - A panacea of life

By Dr. Sharad Nayampally (N.D.)

Rekha, a frail 16- year-old, was suffering from viscositis and was treated at leading hospitals for over a decade. Both her feet were swollen about 4 and a half inches and had turned black and septic with deep wounds. She was in excruciating pain. Dr Nayampally, a physician who treats patients with holistic medicines, immediately put her on wheat grass therapy. After two days of fasting, she was put on wheat grass juice, which was also applied to bandages for her feet. After a month's treatment she was able to run.

Dr Arun Karia had undergone several surgeries and chemotherapy sessions and was in severe pain with no hope of recovery. A few weeks of wheat grass therapy and he is a new man today. Similarly, Gopal Seksaria, a businessman with cancer had not been able to fight his cancer despite 10 sessions of chemotherapy. He had become very frail and his body odor reeked of internal decay. He too is back at work.

The stories are legion: Sheetal, a 23-year-old, had chronic migraine that seemed to get worse with every year. Whenever she had an attack, she was totally incapacitated and "felt as if a million demons were in my head". After a short period of wheat grass therapy, she seems to have said goodbye to her migraines. Naturopathy is based on the belief that the body has the power to heal itself. But, as George Michael says: "You've got to have faith."

Living in hazardous urban environments with pollution, work stress, sedentary lifestyles, rich diets, addictions and growing obesity, we seem to have fallen for the quick-fix solution to modern maladies: popping pills, be it to reduce obesity or induce tranquility. But these shortcuts don't work. Disease attacks when our natural resistance is low.

According to the World Health Organization, India is projected to have the fastest-growing population of diabetics in the world. From 1.9 crore in 1995, to 5.1 crore in 25 years, the increase will be a whopping 195 per cent. It's the same when it comes to projections of cancer and AIDS. Sounds scary doesn't it? But, as I discovered, there is hope in the form of natural foods that have a miraculous healing power.

Even those with a history of neglectful health habits, can begin doing damage control today through something like wheat grass therapy which will not only eliminate toxins from your system, but boost your nutritional and immune status. "Natural foods and exercise help because they reinforce the body's self-healing powers over pernicious systems of medication. The cell-formation process speeds up because natural food has a balancing proportion of energy, vitamins, trace elements, minerals, proteins, starch and fats," says Dr Nayampally.

How it works: Pioneered by Dr Anne Wigmore of Hippocrates Health Center, Boston, USA, wheat grass therapy is gaining popularity around the world. Through her arduous efforts she has been able to show its efficacy in fighting killer diseases like cancer as well as in acute and chronic illnesses.

Wheat grass, also called sanjivini over here, is exactly what its name suggests, a wheat plant. This is what it does. The seeds are first sprouted and these sprouts are really activated enzymes that make proteins and vitamins. Plants have the power to absorb solar energy from the sun and transfer it to water molecules while releasing carbon dioxide as oxygen into the air. During this process plants become a storehouse of energy in the form of sugar and carbohydrates.

Now it is scientifically proved that a molecule of human blood, hemoglobin, and wheat grass chlorophyll, is exactly the same. The only difference between the two is that the color of hemoglobin is red because the center is iron while wheat grass is green because the center is magnesium. The constitution of blood is alkaline and the proportion of hydrogen molecules is 7.4. So is the case with wheat grass. That is the reason it is quickly absorbed in the blood and is beneficial to the body.

To look at, however, it looks like any other grass and is sweet, soothing and cooling to taste. There are many other nutritious and prophylactic qualities to wheat grass. For starters, it contains all the minerals essential for the body not to mention vitamins such as A, B, C, E, K and laetrile B17. Besides these, it contains carbohydrates, proteins and fat with lots of the all-important chlorophyll. This is a very potent germicide while laetrile seems to have cancer-fighting qualities.

The body is like a machine which requires adequate oiling. Wheat grass is the oil that prevents the body from rusting and falling apart. The chlorophyll not only purifies the blood, it also boosts heart function and energizes the body increasing its resistance to disease. This is what invigorates the healing process. According to naturopaths and researchers, wheat grass therapy can cure some 350 diseases from common colds to cancers.

If you don't want to buy it from naturopaths who supply it, you can grow your own at home. In this case you can either chew it first thing in the morning or take it as a juice that is most effective. Ideally, combinations of both yields best results. Drink the juice on an empty stomach and chew the grass at any convenient time of the day. But remember not to have any heavy food alongside. Apart from these, it can also be used externally to treat wounds and septic areas.

Starting treatment: Do not start treatment without consulting a naturopath. Then, you need to undertake a 48-hour fast to detox the body before the consumption of wheat grass. During this fast have only warm water and juices. Along with this it is necessary to empty the bowels totally with an enema. Thereafter, consume raw foods like fruits and sprouts for a couple of days. Now you are ready to start therapy.

Begin with 30 ml and increase it gradually to 300 ml a day, depending on the nature of the disease. According to Dr Nayampally, a regime of 21 days is fine and you can then continue to take a dose of 50 ml to maintain health. But it is advisable to stop the dose gradually. The detoxification process sometimes causes symptoms like headache and nausea and the dosage can be reduced or stopped for a while in acute cases. Wheat grass juice can be used as an enema or for gargles.

According to Prabhakar Pai, who is researching wheat grass: "Besides its therapeutic use, wheat grass has plenty of beauty benefits too." The juice can be used as an anti-wrinkle cream, it helps remove scars and brings a glow to the face. It also arrests the problem of falling hair and premature greying. Apply a paste of juice or wheat grass on the scalp and leave it for an hour. Even if you don't have any problems, take it as prevention against their occurrence!

Growing wheat grass:
1.Take seven pots measuring one square foot each with a depth of three inches. You may also use a wooden box or basket or big tins.
2. Fill them with soil that has no chemical fertilizers and is not too sticky. Add some natural manure.
3. Sprout about 100 grams of good quality wheat. This would yield about four to six ounces of wheat grass juice that is sufficient for one person. For sprouting: soak the wheat for about 12 hours. Wrap it in a wet, thick cloth and tie it lightly for another 12 hours.
4. After they have sprouted and shoots begin to appear, sow them in the soil. Spread the sprouted wheat on a soil bed in such a way that each grain is close to the other. Now cover the grains with a thin layer of earth.

A computer expert with Hindustan Lever Ltd. in Mumbai, Dr Sharad Nayampally treats patients with holistic medicines, but his true specialty is wheat grass therapy.

He can be contacted at
Phone: 6609697, 6497083
E-mail: sharad.nayampally@unilever.com
pantheon@bol.net.in

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for medical treatment or consultation. Please consult with your physician before beginning any treatment regimen.