Wheatgrass is not a new super food. It has a long, rich history as you will discover throughout our site including this history section.
The Researcher
DR. CHARLES SCHNABEL
Wheatgrass was identified as the finest grass food of all after a series of intensive agricultural research studies spearheaded by Dr. Charles Schnabel and assisted by Dr. George Kohler, Dr. Richard Graham, Conrad A. Elvehjem and E. B. Hart in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Of particular note, they performed direct comparisons of wheatgrass against other well regarded vegetables including spinach, broccoli and alfalfa.
While animals fed these foods exclusively began to waste away, those fed only wheatgrass thrived on it. This spawned further research which showed that wheatgrass contains a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids and enzymes. In addition, their research also identified benefits that could not be associated with any of these known nutrients. The expression “grass juice factor” was termed to describe beneficial powers in grasses that were distinct.
The Juicing Innovator
ANN WIGMORE
Ann Wigmore started juicing wheatgrass in the 1950’s. Her story is fascinating and you can read all the details in Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine by Steve Meyerowitz). The essence is that she was a Boston resident of Lithuanian descent who suffered from a variety of ailments in her early life. Drawing on her peasant background and the experiences of her grandmother (a self taught naturalist), she healed herself with wild weeds, herbs and greens. She consumed many different types of greens and also fed the same to her animals. Her observations led her to conclude that wheatgrass was the best source of greens. One day, at a local yard sale, she picked up an old cast iron meat grinder. With a few modifications, the first wheatgrass juicer was born. Ann Wigmore later formed the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston and worked to educate thousands of people over the years to achieve vibrant health. Visitors to the institute were thrilled with their results and additional health education centers were formed across the country by former Hippocrates clients.
We Embrace And Enhance
Dr. Charles Schnabel went further than just identifying wheatgrass as potent, he determined how to grow it and when to harvest it. He stressed the need for chemical free farming, soil enrichment and proper timing to produce optimal wheatgrass. Our farming techniques use all of Dr. Schnabel’s strategies.
Ann Wigmore brought us juicing which breaks down the indigestible cellulose and gives us a powerful way to tap into the benefits of wheatgrass. We incorporate Ann Wigmore’s juicing approach and are very careful to maintain the integrity of the juice through flash freezing. The result is that DynamicGreens brings the work of these innovators together superbly and the juice quality is literally greater than the sum of its parts.
