Noted skeptic Michael Shermer wrote an article in Scientific American on why we are so accepting of anecdotal stories with no real evidence (and hey, do you think that might apply to UFOs?). It’s a good article and all, as usual for Michael, but I have to chuckle at the picture he posted with it: it’s from our Skeptologists shot, where Michael, Kiki Sanford, and Steve Novella drank the evil green liquid called wheatgrass juice. Kiki’s face is perfect.
For the last segment of the show we all were supposed to drink the wheatgrass, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I can sometimes have something of a delicate digestive system, and Steve’s horror stories about the night after the picture linked above was taken were enough for me to forgo the experience. Plus, it smelled a little bit like gasoline; given that and the natural grassy smell, I was having flashbacks to mowing my lawn as a teenager.
The funny thing about wheatgrass juice is that despite its popularity, it holds almost no significant nutritional value at all. It doesn’t have much in the way of vitamins, minerals, or anything your body needs at all. You’d be far better off with a sprig of broccoli and an apple. Some people claim the chlorophyll in wheatgrass juice is salubrious, but that molecule breaks down in your stomach, so it really does nothing for you.
Plus, wheatgrass clearly tastes yucky. Now, Michael didn’t seem to mind it, but it was hard for me to even hold it near my face. I thought my olfactory system was going to tear itself out of my head and run away sniffling.
And that’s one anecdote you can believe in.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:22 am
I’m always amazed at the crazy stuff people will eat to be “healthy” but won’t eat something simple like, say, beets. The problem I’ve found with anecdotal evidence, is when it crops up in a book by a “doctor”, even people like my father get taken in. “But, this guy’s a doctor, and he read research”, my dad says. Ugh, I love him, but if I hear about “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie” one more time, I’m gonna scream!
August 1st, 2008 at 10:24 am
Umm . . . Phil? Can you reference a study? What I turn up is that wheatgrass is about equal ounce per ounce with vegetables, so while there doesn’t seem to be any advantage in consuming wheatgrass, it doesn’t seem to be, well, water. I did turn up that there had been a few clinical trials and that the supposed health benefits of wheatgrass just aren’t there.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:27 am
I used to work with a guy who drank the stuff, spent lots of $$ on vitamins and belonged to the John Birch Society (connection?
. Anyhow, I clearly remember him holding his nose and draining a cup, making a similar face to those poor souls in the photos and proclaiming it was good for you. I wondered what it would take to get him to drink gasoline.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Great shot! She looks like she’s looking for a place to spit it out!
Rich
August 1st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Gnat:
There may or may not have been a study done by Charles F. Schnabel around 1930 that he thought showed wheatgrass helped egg production in chickens. He supposedly began to tout it as beneficial for humans. Unfortunate (see above) clinical trials show no health benefits in humans. Frankly I don’t know if his supposed study in chickens holds up, or if it was merely providing nutrients that the chicken feed of the era wasn’t providing.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:31 am
Slowly but Surly:
Being that some of us (cough) have a taste for straight tonic water, there are probably some people who have a taste for wheatgrass, too.
Shrug.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
Maybe it’s better with some vodka in it.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Me thinks that if for nothing else I will go down in infamy for this picture alone.
It’s true. That look is worth a thousand words… all of them profanity spewing forth at the person who made me drink the stuff.
Ahem… yum.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:46 am
This might also be proven false, scientifically, but I was under the impression that women eat wheatgrass to make their genetailia smell better, so when a guy goes downtown he doesn’t get some foul odour.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:46 am
My wife used to be a veterinary technician. Constantly, she’d have people arguing with the doctor over the possible issues and proper treatment of said issues. Their response, invariably? “But, my friend is a breeder, and she says….”
Give someone a title, and they’re an expert, it doesn’t matter if they have half a clue or not. I told my wife to respond thusly…”so, what you’re saying is, you’re going to ignore the advice and council of a person who spent many years in school in a rigorous scientific environment learning as much as is currently known about animal anatomy as she could soak up and instead take the advice whose only qualifications are SHE COULD BUY TWO DOGS?? Agreed, one does have to make sure they’re of different sexes, but that still is a fairly limited qualification when it comes to the medical treatment of your pets, but it’s your choice.”
We’re doomed, it really is that simple. We have ignorant people electing ignorant officials whose job it is to decide on the quality of education in this country. The blind leading the stupid.
(Sorry if it seems like a bit off topic a post, but I just finished the articles about Ed Mitchell and this one seemed to be similar enough to warrant the same kind of response.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:55 am
After reading Michael Shermer’s article, I think he reaches the wrong conclusion. Not about wheatgrass, but about the reason we’re “accepting” of anecdotal accounts. The reason is simple: There’s many things we deal with day-to-day where it’s difficult to apply the scientific method. When you ask for directions from a local, you are relying on an anecdotal account of how to get from point x to point y. When we hear someone say that a mutual friend is feeling low and we call them to cheer them up, we’re relying on anecdotal account. Eyewitness testimony is another form of anecdotal account, as is the bulk of recorded history. Thus when a person we trust says “I’ve tried thus and so and it really seems to help,” we tend to accept that because most of the time that’s all we have to go on.
Fortunately, medicine lends itself quite handily to the scientific method, and we can separate whether something is actually happening or if this is a form of the placebo effect. Science excels in the area of cause and effect.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:01 am
It never fails to amaze me the stuff health food shops tout as “Good for you” I’m sure some marketing type is given the bi-product from some foul manufacturing process to try and sell and when all else fails he says “Give it to the food faddies.”
August 1st, 2008 at 11:05 am
Being that some of us (cough) have a taste for straight tonic water, there are probably some people who have a taste for wheatgrass, too.
but tonic water tastes good, grass that’s been through the blender (or beets) taste foul.
I may die of malnutrition, but I won’t get malaria.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:14 am
That whole industry is a crock. Good post
August 1st, 2008 at 11:17 am
When I met Michael SHermer at TAM6, I thanked him for trying wheatgrass juice so the rest of us didn’t have to. He chuckled at that.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
[alert: wordgeek post follows]
Oooh … “salubrious” … good word!
I’d heard/read it be fore but had forgotten. The meaning is pretty clear from context, but I looked it up to be sure [Dictionary.com - "favorable to or promoting health; healthful: salubrious air."]
It sort of rolls off the tongue – kind of like “mellifluous” – in fact “salubrious” is a rather mellifluous word. I’ll have to work that into a sentence in a conversation sometime this week.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:29 am
In the way of a comment that’s actually on-topic, I’ve always been amazed at some of the crap being sold in “health-food stores”. During the big anti-oxidant craze, I found one store that was selling small bottles of BHT. This is the crud they put on the lining of boxes of breakfast cereals as a preservative and has been linked with liver damage. The healthy-food fanatics have been campaigning to get banned for years, but because it’s an anti-oxidant it’s suddenly good for you. Ugh.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:35 am
My cat likes wheatgrass.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am
Finally, an advantage to being highly allergic to wheat!
August 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am
I was once persuaded to drink this stuff by a friend of a friend who described the taste as “sweet” and said you feel an instant burst of energy.
I can only describe it as lawnmower-flavored.
And be prepared to burp repeatedly over the next several hours following ingestion, with an instant taste-reminder of why you should never drink it again.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am
madge:
There’s a meme that if it tastes bad, it must be good for us, possibly fostered by things like spinach.
Anyway, there’s some things in health food stores that are beneficial, such as brown rice, just you can sometimes find the same thing at cheaper prices in the grocery store. On the other hand, if you have a taste for things like carob, you stand a better chance of finding it in a health food store than at the grocer’s.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:52 am
KC:
I was reading (IIRC) in the Science Based Medicine blog about why we’re so accepting of anecdotal evidence, even in the face of contradicting scientific studies. The theory goes that back in distant past, you might decide to pet a sleeping saber-toothed tiger and nothing happened, but Ogg walks up and said “Hey, my brother did that and ended up as cat chow”. If you believe Ogg despite your own evidence, you might live to pass on your genes.
As an early human, the whole world is pretty much out to get you so it’s safer to believe anecdotal evidence of bad things. Our brains simplified that to give undue weight to all anecdotal evidence.
Doncha wish the FSM did a better job of designing our brains?
August 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Would I drink something with wheat and grass in it’s name? Never.
Today is a new moon and so is Aug. 30. I know that blue moon is incorrectly regarded as a month with two full moons. Is there a term, whether erroneous or not, to descibe two new moons?
August 1st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Um .. Did the wheatgrass have any other noticeable effects?
‘Sposeiof nothingelse there’s tehplacebo effect – & some people adore the taste of sea-urchin & all sorts of other weird things … cockroaches I’ve heard are a Malaysian delicacy.(I kid you not.)
However bad wheatgrass is I’m sure its not as bad as pepsi blue! Tried that once & *gag* NEVER again! It tasted like I imagine flyspray would ..
BLLLEEEECH!!! ;-(
Oh & vomit tastes pretty horrid too …
August 1st, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Argh! Typos! Any chance of letting us edit here sometime soon-ish Phil?
Correction : ‘Spose if nothing else, there’s the placebo effect!
Besides, some people adore the taste of sea-urchin & all sorts of other weird things – cockroaches I’ve heard are a Malaysian delicacy.(I kid you not.)
August 1st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
The BadAstronomer wrote :
“Noted skeptic Michael Shermer wrote an article in Scientific American on why we are so accepting of anecdotal stories with no real evidence (and hey, do you think that might apply to UFOs?).
Ah .. let me think now …
August 1st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Oh dear, what’ve I done ..? :-0
This’ll turn into another UFO’s thread now won’t it .. *Sigh *
UFO-lovers (can I say lovers here?) please keep your comments for the other two (or is it 3?) UFO-dedicated threads .. Mmmm-kay?
August 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Wheatgrass and it’s various genetic mutations are being studied for use as a cheap biofuel.
I have no idea why folks would ingest this stuff; but, put it your car’s gas tank and reap the benefits…
August 1st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
# Brett McCoy Says:
August 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
“Maybe it’s better with some vodka in it.”
“I call it a lawnmower.”
August 1st, 2008 at 1:03 pm
My cats also like wheatgrass and if they are interested in eating that instead of the other houseplants I’m happy. However there’s no way I’d eat it myself, there are plenty of healthier and yummier foods out there.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
RiprupvonVanderfoo :
“I was once persuaded to drink this stuff by a friend of a friend who described the taste as “sweet” and said you feel an instant burst of energy.
I can only describe it as lawnmower-flavored.”
You can drink lawnmowers?! Wow, I’ve never tried that, I just use them for mowing my lawn. So – what do they taste like?
(Sorry couldn’t resist the temptation.)
August 1st, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Look, I give wheatgrass to my BIRDS, I’m not gonna eat that! It’s…well… GRASS!
August 1st, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Wouldn’t we need 3 more stomachs to properly digest wheatgrass?
August 1st, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I understand that wheatgrass is probably a better source for biofuel than corn; certainly there’s less food-energy tied up in an unfermentable stalk, silk, and cob anyway. But I wouldn’t drink pureed wheatgrass unless it was the only thing between me and fatal dehydration.
— Steve
August 1st, 2008 at 2:03 pm
@Bob
Drat, you beat me to it…
August 1st, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I for one can attest to Mr. Plait’s weak stomach as the only time I got to see him was in Seattle when he wasn’t up to his usual bubbly self…
http://www.ballvase.com/jhughson/backtalk/2007/01/phil-plait.htm
I never would have suspected wheatgrass…
August 1st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I’ll proabably get tarr’d & feather’d for say this…
…but wheatgrass doesn’t taste that bad. Then again, my ancedotal evidence is that I’ve always had a pallet for the unusual.
That being said though, next time my client points me in the direction of her girlfriend’s wheatgrass enima “expertise,” I will try to steer her gently over to Michael Shermer’s article.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Heheh, Shermer has had much worse then that back when he was a cyclist.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
That’s ok, Utakata, there is no accounting for taste
But a wheatgrass enima?!?!? Yipes! And Ick!
August 1st, 2008 at 4:11 pm
i love shermer, and scientific american. that why i subscribe. and the pic says it all
August 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
What a fantastic picture! Kirsten looks like she’s blaming Novella for this…ahem…experience, while Steve’s got a great “Who, me?” expression.
August 1st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
The only thing I ever think about with wheatgrass is a “Simspsons” episode where Homer proudly invented drink that mixed wheatgrass with vodka. He called it a Lawnmower. Anyone who will drink it is more brave than I.
August 1st, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Bwahahaa! Great photo! It immediately made me think of that classic Chinese allegorical painting, “The Vinegar Tasters”.
Buddha, Confucius and Lao-Tzu are all shown tasting a vat of vinegar (life). Buddha finds it bitter, Confucius sour, and Lao-Tzu sweet.
Now, over here class, we have the non-allegorical image, “The Wheatgrass Tasters”. As you can see, Sherman, Sanford and Novella have each tasted wheatgrass juice. Sherman finds it disgusting, Sanford horrid and Novella lawnmowerish…
August 1st, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Good to know. Finally I can stop wondering every time I go to Turley’s whether it’s worth the ridiculous price they charge for it.
August 1st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Oh, come on. Wheatgrass juice is worthless, I fully agree… but it really doesn’t taste that bad. The people who say they want to spit it out seem like picky, finicky eaters. I think it has a nice sweet, veggie flavor. I wouldn’t mind having it in a vegetable juice or something. Oh, come on, you also don’t like vegetable juice?
August 1st, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I wrote Wheatgrass madness over three years ago and I still get emails from people telling me I’m wrong. Unless you have multiple stomachs like a cow, you can’t digest the stuff. Although, as I say in my article, it might work as an enema!
August 1st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
i have to admit, i sorta like it as well…it tastes like the smell of a freshly cut alfalfa field.
but, yeah…other than that, i’m totally with shermer on the science.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Danny, I have been known to cross the street to spit on people I see drinking a V8. Granted, I’m more moderate these days; I merely stalk them and hose them down at my leisure…
August 1st, 2008 at 10:07 pm
You know BA, not everyone actually hates the stuff. I have known for a long time that there is practically no nutritional value in Wheatgrass for a while now, but that doesn’t stop me from the occasional shot of it. I kinda like that taste of fresh lawn clippings. Of course this may be due to the fact that my dad made me drink the stuff when I was like 6-7 years old because he was on some macrobiotic diet and he was all into anything that might help him beat cancer. So anyway, I remember hating it at first, but I started to actually like the stuff.
And to the guy who mentioned beets above, I love beets too. Nothing better than a beat/carrot/celery juice to wake you up in the morning. Beet juice is like an Red Bull x 10, and without the crash.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Does aloe juice have any benefits? My parents fed me some a long time ago, and it was freaking disgusting!! I remember I almost threw up after drinking it. I pleaded, “please, no more.” But no, they had to give me some a few months later. I almost threw up in that case too.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:24 pm
What? You mean there’s actually someone out there who eats that stuff on purpose? PLEH PLEH PLEH!!!!!!11!!!!
I lived in an apartment above a health food store for about 5 years and never really got used to the smells coming out of their kitchen. Admittedly I’m very sensitive to smells, but sometimes it was seriously not fun, especially when they started throwing around the miso (which I almost can’t get within 10 yards of without retching). When friends called for directions to our place, I’d say, “We’re on the second floor above the Hell Food store.”
August 1st, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Wheatgrass is fairly nutritious. Here’s one analysis (from a health food site: I’d like to see s different one): http://www.wheatgrassforlife.com/nutritional.htm
However, since it doesn’t offer anything not provided by many foods that are far cheaper and tastier, there is no reason to consume it.
@Eric H.: Beet juice contains lots of sugar and may indeed produce a “crash” in some people when their blood sugar level rises and falls. Not knocking it…beets are good for you. But I’ve never noticed much of a high or low after drinking beet juice, and certainly nothing like “Red Bull x 10.”
August 1st, 2008 at 11:52 pm
@ Skeptico: your wheatgrass blog post IS incorrect.
Wheatgrass isn’t supposed to be consumed whole, and of course its nutrients are released when it’s juiced. The doctor you quoted is simply wrong about that.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 am
I tried it once. It tasted like something you’d scrape off the bottom of a lawn mower. Then I had the worst allergy attack I ever had. The reactions from the sceptic panel reminded me of several lines from the classic Woody Allen comedy “Sleeper.”
In it, he plays Miles Monroe, a health food store owner who goes to the hospital for ulcer surgery, complications ensue and he is frozen cryogenically for 200 years. Here are the relevant quotes:
Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called “wheat germ, organic honey and tiger’s milk.”
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or… hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy… precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.
Miles Monroe: Where am I anyhow, I mean, what happened to everybody, where are all my friends?
Dr. Aragon: You must understand that everyone you knew in the past has been dead nearly two hundred years.
Miles Monroe: But they all ate organic rice!
Miles Monroe: This stuff tastes awful. I could make a fortune selling it in my health food store.
I think he pretty well summed up the wheat grass crowd.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 am
I hope Cameron Reilly, of The Podcast Network, reads this. I liked his photo of wheatgrass but couldn’t resist winding him up for actually eating the stuff with a comment;
“Unless you like the taste(?) why bother?”
(see the psot link on this comment)
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 am
[...] Wheatgrass Juice -Not only does it taste awful but it’s not even healthy. [...]
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 am
Jewel wrote:
“That’s ok, Utakata, there is no accounting for taste
But a wheatgrass enima?!?!? Yipes! And Ick!”
Yes unfortunately, there is such a beast. The idea it’s suppose to “cleanse” the lower plumbing out. It’s more likely to give the runs…so I’ll stick to fiber, thnx.
…and agreed! Ick!
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
I am really hoping this show gets picked up! Recently there was a teaser of actual science on all those science type channels (Atom was particularly good), but now they are back to Ghost Hunters and Monster Quest…
Phil, are you part of the show itself, or do you just advise and hang out with Shermer?
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 am
themadlolscientist:
Yes, I’ve eaten carob. Quite a lot, actually. I was once allergic to chocolate and carob was billed as a chocolate substitute. It doesn’t taste all that much like chocolate, but it wasn’t terrible. In the interest of full disclosure, I also like Brussels sprouts, fried liver, and straight tonic water, so your mileage may vary. However, I haven’t cared for carob enough to look for it after all these years.
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:02 am
IBY:
There’s claims that it does all sorts of wonderful stuff. Be aware that some of this isn’t backed up by clinical trials and that drug interaction is possible.
Aloe seems to help relieve the pain of minor burns, and I suspect that has to do with the cooling action and how the sap of the plant acts to seal it off from the air. It doesn’t see to help burns heal any quicker than a placebo.
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
I couldn’t do it. Heck, I don’t even like cold green tea. reminds me of the alfalfa I used to feed my pet rabbit. Also had a very bad experience with my Pyramid-scheme-healthfood salesperson landlady trying to dose me up with that sort of junk when I came down with the flu. Despite feeling like death warmed over, the only time I actually vomited was to throw up the gloppy green crap that smelled like brewed rabbit food and had a texture somewhere between Tea and Stew.
On a related note, the local “good” coffee shop is currently selling shots of “Active Acai” tonic,. which has a list of over 35 positive, unrelated health benefits. About the only things it won’t do are clean your toilets and walk the dog.
August 10th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Hi
I am coming into this post a little late, but I hope Phil and the prior posters catch it.
First, in the interest of full disclosure, I am a commercial wheatgrass grower. I feel qualified to give some valid input.
I have read about “Skeptologists” for a few months now, first seeing some info about it on Kristin Sanford’s blog, and some references made by Phil, and the facebook page of the Skeptologists that the pilot show contained pieces on Ghosts and wheatgrass juice. I know the pilot aired at TAM 6, but, not haveing seen it personaly, I wanted to know if you, Phil, or any of the other folks on the show actually looked into the research on wheatgrass juice?
Granted, there has not been much in the way of clinical studies on wheatgrass juice, as it still is a “cottage industry”, and none of the growers have the funding sources for full blown clinical trials which, these days, cost millions and millions of dollars, but-
From the American Cancer Society-
“one small early study found that, used along with standard medical care, wheatgrass juice seemed to help control symptoms of ulcerative colitis (chronically inflamed large intestine.) This 2002 study tested fresh wheatgrass juice against a sham (placebo) drink in a group of people with ulcerative colitis. All of them received regular medical care, including the usual diet. Those who drank about 3 ounces of the juice every day for a month had less pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding than those in the control (placebo) group. ”
additionally,
“wheat grass is a natural source of vitamins and minerals”
Ben-Arye E, Goldin E, Wengrower D, Stamper A, Kohn R, Berry E. Wheat grass juice in the treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2002;37:444-449.
Phil, I am also curious. From your post you completely wussed-out on even tasting wheatgrass juice (for which I have lost in you a great deal of prior respect), but I read in some blog that multiple takes were required for the episode. How much actual wheatgrass juice did the other skeptologists actually consume?
The taste of wheatgrass juice, as illustrated by comments above, vary with the individual. Some people love the taste, some like it, some tolerate it, others hate it. In my experience, just as in many things, such as wine, the taste varies greatly with the seed used, and the process used in growing the wheatgrass.
Nothing has ever been shown that wheatgrass is not good for you. There are boatloads of studies that show how important consumption of fresh green vegetables are. There has never been a single recorded instance of anyone acquiring a food-borne illness or becoming diseased from drinking wheatgrass juice. Can the same thing be said about many, (or any) of the other things I assume you consume, such as lettuce or milk, or things you may eat, such as vegetables, sprouts, fish, chicken, meat, shellfish and fish?
A couple of specific responses-
Andy Beaton Says:
August 1st, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Wouldn’t we need 3 more stomachs to properly digest wheatgrass?
Andy, you would if you actually ate the wheatgrass. The juice from the young wheat is extracted from the grass by squeezing it in a juicer. The pulp of the grass, which is indigestable by humans, is not consumed, only the juice, which is digested easily.
Patrick Says:
August 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Would I drink something with wheat and grass in it’s name? Never.
Patrick, Did you ever drink something with “coke” as it’s name.
There is some very poor reasoning for “skeptics” on this thread.
Phil, Try some wheatgrass juice. Only when you first try it, just try a little bit. Less than 1/2 ounce. We sell wheatgrass to juicebars in dozens of fitness clubs. The amount of positive feedback from those who do a “shot” of wheatgrass juice before their workout, I have found, is far higher than what you would find as the placebo effect, although, I have not done a formalized study of it.
and read up on those clinical studies,
Ben Castle
August 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I am an omnivorous yoga non-practioner who tries to drink a teaspoon or so powdered wheat grass (Green Kamut) mixed in cold water once a day. Why? Because it has done wonders to clear up my skin. It also gives me a bit of a buzz and greatly reduces body odor. The taste is pleasant, unlike the fresh wheat grass juice I tried once, which was disgusting.
Phil and friends seem more deserving of the title “wuss” than “skeptic”.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
CJ, I assume you have some proof of your claims, including a double-blind statistically significant study showing what you are saying is not just a personal anecdote which is, no offense, worthless when making medical claims.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Benjamin, I am hardly a wuss. The juice smelled like gasoline, and gave one of my teammates horrible indigestion (including green feces). That, plus the fact that it has been shown to have grossly exaggerated characteristics, made it clear to me that drinking it would be a net negative.
The multiple takes you mention were, I think, the series of takes I did making a different joke each time I was urged to drink the juice.
Also, your claim that it does no harm is not useful in the least as an ad for the drink. At the very least, not drinking the juice does no harm either.
August 28th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Im certain you will say its all in my head but I and my family drink 1 oz of wheatjuice daily and I really do get a lot of energy from it. I grow my own which is fun to watch, too. Greatly reduced colds too. Placebo effect? Maybe… but I LIKE it and it works for me. : )
September 17th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
You do a damn good job of trashing and if that’s your bag let me suggest that I have friends who were having cancer problems…used the wheat grass protocol and have shown remarkable results. I too have cancer and leaving no stone unturned, started the wheat grass protocol. Interesting if you would provide the downsides of the wheat grass protocol per proper documentation to support what you’ve laid out. The proper amounts of ingestion is critical…like 2 oz each day diluted with either carrots juice or some other fruit if you fear the gasoline smell…and, that is really weird. Perhaps you live near a refinery or next to a Exxon Gas Station on the downside of the wind.
November 14th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I am skeptical of anecdotal evidence but I do have a friend whose daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at 3. Whether the fact it went into remission (daughter is now 16) is related to the wheatgrass juice she fed her daughter daily is questionable since it is one incidence, but certainly worth following up with scientific studies.
January 25th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I got tired of reading all the negative comments, so I have not read them all. I just wanted to comment that I actually LIKE wheatgrass. I have been making green smoothies for about 6 months now 1) because I like them (similar to a shake) and 2) to get more leafy greens in my diet. I tried wheatgrass just for the heck of it and I like the taste so much I actually crave it when I haven’t had it for a few days. I usually put a small amount (handful) in the blender with other stuff – flavorings, ice, and a banana and then I drink it. I don’t strain it. It’s fine! It has an interesting flavor, lots of fiber, and probably a few vitamins. If it has lots of vitamins, minerals, healing properties, and it keeps me out of the hospital, I think that’s just great. I do not have any digestive problems and I don’t mind the green poop. So you can eat your Doritos, I’ll eat my wheatgrass, and we can both be happy.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:18 am
I’ve had wheatgrass before but quit buying it from jamba juice when it seemed too expensive. It would cost next to nothing to grow your own, though i’ve never followed through myself. Why would you fault wgj for merely being comparable to broccoli? Broccoli is good stuff but you might not want to attempt growing it on your kitchen counter in little trays . More importantly, you can harvest wheatgrass every ten days in small amounts of soil/medium, where broccoli is a seasonal plant with only 1 harvest. Another benefit to consider is the convenience of the powdered form for situations where eating healthy might be challenging. Maybe the raw juice isn’t appealing, maybe raw hamburger meat isn’t appealing. Wheatgrass juice is an alkaline substance, where things like orange juice are acidic. Hmmmmmm, i wonder could this be important? Have you ever owned a fish tank, or grown a plant? I’m no expert but intuition tells me that balancing the ph level of my body might be as important as the fishtank. Maybe it’s a good idea to balance that oj with some wgj.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
My dad had breast cancer and he drank wheatgrass juice and I can tell you from experience, that it helped heal his illness. He grew it in our home and drank a few ounces every day. It does provide nutrients and vitamins that you can’t get other places. It is a natural source of cleansing the body. Please don’t bash something you haven’t really given a chance or don’t understand the facts about. I don’t think it should be a replacement for other fruits and vegetables and be your sole source of diet, but wheatgrass juice has amazing benefits that I have seen and also experienced.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Actually, you can’t say from experience it helped his illness. Correlation is not causation.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
@Star
What do you mean by “cleansing”? What does wheat grass juice cleanse? How does it accomplish this? Can you please provide citations to peer-reviewed journal articles that provide evidence that wgj cleanses the body and/or how it accomplishes this feat?
Thank you.
March 17th, 2009 at 3:22 am
This whole things sounds like a bunch of people with nothing else better to do well if putting down wheat grass does that for you go ahead but you shouldn’t put down something you have never tryed wuss
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Here are a few studies on wheatgrass juice, they are there if you care to actually search for them. Research on plants is not popular as there is no money to be made from studying plants but there has been research done. Wheatgrass juice does have beneficial properties for wound healing and anti-carcinogenic properties as seen in several studies. More studies should be done but good luck getting the greedy medical community to conduct them.
An experimental study of its water soluble derivatives in wound healing. Smith L, Livingston A. Chlorophyll. Am. J. Surg. 1943. 62:358-369
Wound healing involves an inflammatory (exudative) phase and a proliferative tissue growth and repair phase that presumably involves growth stimulating factors. This study tested various water soluble chlorophyll preparations and other agents including vitamin ointments and sulfathiazole on wounds created by excising portions of skin from rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs. Response in rate of healing tended to be greater for chlorophyll than with other agents tested (the data is summarized in several tables not reproducible here).
Conclusion: On the basis of these observations it is suggested that chlorophyll preparations should be used much more extensively in the treatment of wounds and burns.
Studies on the constituents of green juice from young barley leaves. Antiulcer activity of fractions from barley juice. Ohtake, H., Yuasa, H., Komura, C. Miyauchi, T., Hagiwara, Y., Kubota, K. 1985. J. Pharm. Soc. Japan. 105:1046-51.
Green juice and fractions from green juice of young barley leaves containing water soluble proteins and water soluble organic compounds showed anti- stomach ulcer activity in stressed rats.
1. A supernatant extract from wheat grass reduced the production of carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbon (benzopyrene) derivatives. Inhibition of benzopyrene mutagenicity with non-chlorophyll containing wheat sprout extract suggests that chlorophyll is not the main compound responsible.
2. Wheat grass juice in the treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Ben-Arye E.; Goldin E.; Wengrower D.; Stamper A.; Kohn R.; Berry E. 2002. Scand. J. Gastroenterology, Vol:37.4:444-449(6)
A randomized, double-blind, placebo trial was undertaken with 23 patients in Israel. Treatment with wheatgrass juice (100 cc a day for one month) reduced the overall disease activity and severity of rectal bleeding in patients with active distal ulcerative colitis. No serious side effects were found. The authors concluded that wheat grass juice appeared effective and safe as a single or adjuvant treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis.
Clinical experiences with chlorophyll preparations with particular reference to chronic osteomyelitis and chronic ulcers. Carpenter B. 1949 Am. J. Surg. 77:167-171
A clinical study using chlorophyll preparations to treat chronic osteomyelitis, osteomyelitis secondary to compound fractures and chronically infected wounds and ulcers. The study included many patients that had been resistant to other forms of therapy. The author considered chlorophyll preparations not necessarily a cure, but was interested to find such rapid eradication of infection and healing of wounds. Photos show epithelialization and healing of lesions, chronic ulcers and a grossly infected amputation stump. In many of the wound healing and ulcer cases there was no evidence of recurrence of infection or of breakdown at 18 months.
Chlorophyll in wound healing and suppurative disease. Bowers, W. 1947. Am. J. Surg. 1947;73:37-50.
Lieutenant Colonel Bowers of the US Army reports on the use of water-soluble derivatives of chlorophyll in over 400 cases over a period of nine months. He (and colleagues) noted several major effects, notably: loss of odour associated with infected wounds; a stimulating effect on tissue formation (granulation tissue) when used as a dressing particularly for burns; and a drying effect in the case of abscesses, sinus tracts, surface lesions and osteomyelitis. Mention is made of chlorophyll efficacy in treatment of cyst wounds, fistula-in-ano (6 cases), sarcoma/carcinoma (4 cases), ulcerative colitis (1 case), thoracic empyema (several cases, 2 particularly effective), gunshot wound sinus tracts (17 cases), decubitis ulcer (4 cases) and burns (4 patients). In 119 cases of compound fractures to limbs chlorophyll reduced odour and enhanced healing, in some cases with exceptional results, e.g. legs saved from seemingly inevitable amputation. Numerous other cases and conditions are mentioned. Chlorophyll was comfortable as a wet dressing and was easily tolerated by patients. The author is convinced that chlorophyll is the best agent known for use in the treatment of suppurative diseases, indolent ulcers or wherever stimulation of tissue repair is desired.. although it is not presented as a cure-all.
Chlorophyllin intervention reduces aflatoxin-DNA adducts in individuals at high risk for liver cancer (Qidong , China). Egner, P. et al. 2001. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 2001; 98:14601-14606
Residents of the area are at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) partly as a result of ingesting aflatoxin. Chlorophyllin was shown to be an inhibitor of aflatoxin carcinogenesis in animals, so this trial was carried out with 180 adult patients. Levels of aflatoxin-guanine in urine (associated with increased risk of liver cancer) were found to decrease 55% over a four month period in comparison to placebo. No adverse events were reported.
Antimutagenic effects of several subfractions of extract from wheat sprout toward benzo[a]pyrene-induced mutagenicity in strain TA98 of Salmonella typhimurium. Peryt, B.,Miloszewska, J., Tudek, B., Zielenska, M., Szymczyk, T. 1988. Mut. Res. 206:221-225.
An aqueous extract from wheat sprout appears to contain two antimutagenic factors as assayed in laboratory bacteriological tests. One compound is of low molecular weight and another of high molecular weight.
Mechanisms of chlorophyllin anticarcinogenesis against aflatoxin B1: Complex formation with the carcinogen . Breinholt, V., Schimerlik, M., Dashwood, R., Bailey, G. 1995. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 1995,8, 506-514
Chlorophyllin inhibits carcinogenesis due to aflatoxin. This study reports a noncovalent complex with aflatoxin which may be involved in anticarcinogenic activity.
Review Article: Biological activities of chlorophyll derivatives. Chernomorsky, S. Segelman, A. 1988. Vol85, 8:669-673.
The authors review the anti-inflammatory, wound healing and odor reducing capabilities of chlorophyllin. Chlorophyllin has bacteriostatic properties aiding in wound healing, and stimulates the production of hemoglobin and erythrocytes in anemic animals. It has been used to treat various kinds of skin lesions, burns and ulcers where it acts as a wound healing agent, stimulating granulation tissue and epithelization. In some cases chronic ulcers failed to respond but use of novel preparations has aided in these cases. The mode of action is not well understood but the authors suggest it may involve the formation of complexes with proteins. Treatment with chlorophyll has been neglected in the past few decades as the use of steroids and antimicrobial products became more prevalent. New areas of application are suggested.
Wheat grass juice reduces transfusion requirements in patients with thalassemia major: a pilot study. Marwaha, R., Bansal, D., Kaur, S., Trehan A. 2004. Indian Ped. 41:716-720
Patients with thalassemia consuming wheat grass juice on a daily basis reduced on average their requirements for blood transfusion. Families raised and prepared the wheat grass at home and a comparison was made with the requirements of the patient in the preceding year. In nearly all patients the mean interval between visits increased and the blood transfused decreased during the wheat grass period. The mechanism involved is unknown.
1. The use of water soluble chlorophyll in oral sepsis. An experimnetal study of 300 cases. Goldberg S. 1943. Am. J. Surg. 1943;62:117-123.
Water soluble chlorophyll was used to treat mouth infections and following dramatic and satisfactory early results, over 300 cases of Vincent’s stomatitis and pyorrhea have been treated. In pyorrhea the use of chlorophyll resulted in cessation of bleeding from gums and growth of new tissue, and in Vincent’s stomatitis chlorophyll regularly brought about complete recovery and more promptly than with other agents. The non-toxic nature and soothing effect of chlorophyll is also beneficial.
2. Chlorophyll in the treatment of ulcers. Gahan, E., Kline, P., Finkle, T. Arch. Derm. & Syph. 1943. 47:849-851.
1. The use of water soluble chlorophyll in oral sepsis. An experimnetal study of 300 cases. Goldberg S. 1943. Am. J. Surg. 1943;62:117-123.
Water soluble chlorophyll was used to treat mouth infections and following dramatic and satisfactory early results, over 300 cases of Vincent’s stomatitis and pyorrhea have been treated. In pyorrhea the use of chlorophyll resulted in cessation of bleeding from gums and growth of new tissue, and in Vincent’s stomatitis chlorophyll regularly brought about complete recovery and more promptly than with other agents. The non-toxic nature and soothing effect of chlorophyll is also beneficial.
2. Chlorophyll in the treatment of ulcers. Gahan, E., Kline, P., Finkle, T. Arch. Derm. & Syph. 1943. 47:849-851.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I think negative comment can attract more people into the blog, its a trick.
good bussiness