May, 2004 Wheatgrass Healing - A Brief Scientific Review

Hello Everyone, Thank you again for all the feedback I received from my last newsletter. After each one I invariably receive suggestions, comments and criticisms (I'm glad to say these have so far been constructive!) which are always most welcome. So please don't hesitate to contact me if you feel there's some way I can provide a more interesting monthly letter. Over the years, I have collected a lot of scientific and other information about wheatgrass therapy - clinical trials, reviews, anecdotes, testimonials etc.- and each month I will try to give you something "new" to think about. Even though a lot of research dates back to the 1930's and 40's through to the present day, chlorophyll has captured the imagination of numerous scientists since its structure was determined and described much earlier by German scientist Richard Willstatter in 1913. I think it could be fairly said that the history of wheatgrass or cereal grass healing could be attributed to chlorophyll. As I have said a number of times on these pages, I have my doubts that chlorophyll is the most important biological active in wheatgrass. In fact, apart from photosynthesis, I doubt it has any real activity at all. I have some science to support my stance, but that's for another time. An excellent example of chlorophyll research is an interesting review article called 'Biological activities of chlorophyll derivatives' by S.A Chernomorsky, Ph.D. and A. B. Segelman, Ph.D. published in New Jersey Medicine in 1988. Inter alia, these researchers discuss  the "anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and malodour-reducing properties of chlorophyllin ". For all intents and purposes, chlorophyllin is a derivative of chlorophyll. From clinical observation of many patients using my wheatgrass extract, I can vouch for a number of the very effective healing outcomes they describe:- 1. Addition of chlorophyll in low concentrations to fibroblasts, (Connective tissue cells that make and secrete collagen proteins. These assist wound and injury healing both inside the body and on the skin) resulted in a "rapidly increased growth rate" -  40 percent in fact -  and marked increases in the rate of cell division. Both these processes are vital to speeding up the healing of wounds. Other trials using animals with induced skin wounds and burns resulted in faster healing rates (approximately 25%) than other agents tested . In addition, several studies showed marked healing efficacy by chlorophyll derivatives in human burns, chronic skin ulcers, dermatoses (skin conditions e.g. psoriasis, eczema) and gingivitis. 2. Chlorophyllin inhibited the growth of bacteria that commonly infect wounds, such as Staphylococcus aureus. This was shown in experimental animals, in tissue culture in the laboratory, and in one trial of more than 400 hospital patients with suppurative (infected) wounds, regeneration of subcutaneous tissue and regrowth of the overlying skin that was significantly superior to several other healing agents. 3. Chlorophyll and chlorophyll derivatives (a). stimulated production of hemoglobin and erythrocytes (red blood cells) in anemic animals - up to 83 percent increase in hemoglobin in one study (b) caused increased white blood cell counts in animals whose white cell production had been suppressed by x-irradiation. 4. Anti-stomach ulcer effects in animals. 5. Very large doses of the chlorophyll derivatives were fed to various animals, and "no animals were found to exhibit signs of toxicity". 6. Finally, chlorophyll-based compounds were under study as useful anticancer, antiatherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and anti-psoriasis drugs. However, what I found most interesting was the authors' comment that "It is tempting to speculate that at least one common general underlying molecular mechanism may account for the biological activities of chlorophyll derivatives. "They then talk about how this mechanism could involve the binding of one or more of chlorophyll derivatives or "substances" (for example, with the skin, the wall of the intestine, the mucous membrane in the nose and mouth) to form "complexes" that alter in some way perhaps, or, in my view, most likely, the underlying immune status of the tissue it is affecting. My feeling is that the main "chlorophyll derivative" is not in fact a chlorophyll derivative at all, but the yet to be characterised "Grass Juice Factor" that I have mentioned here a number of times before. You may think I have a thing about the "Factor". Well, I do, because if my assumption is proved correct, then the focus on chlorophyll could be re-directed towards what I consider to be the real challenge in healing - helping the body to heal itself by stimulating its immunity either at point of contact with topical wheatgrass, or systemically by ingestion. Wheatgrass. Food for thought, not just nutrition! Finally, almost everyone seems to be writing a book about something or other these days, so I decided to do the same. Believe it or not, but the book's about wheatgrass. Most, if not all books on this topic stress the nutritional importance of the cereal grasses which I could not dispute. However, I would like to produce something completely different that is based both on science and on my own experiences as a clinician using wheatgrass as a healing agent. In other words, it will be about the art and science of wheatgrass therapy and how that information can assist the reader with self-healing. If you can find the time and have some idea where I'm coming from on this, I would greatly appreciate your input/advice. Thank you. Until next month. Dr. Chris Reynolds.