Origin

The history of wheatgrass goes back several thousand years. Wheat is one of the world’s oldest and most important crops, cultivated for its high nutritional value and its ability to grow in different regions.

Wheatgrass, also known as wheatgrass juice or wheatgrass powder, comes from the young shoots of wheat—generally the common soft-wheat variety Triticum aestivum. The shoots are harvested while the plant is still green, at a height of about 15 to 20 centimeters.

The use of wheatgrass dates to ancient civilizations. The Egyptians, for example, cultivated wheat and used juice from the grass for its healing properties. The nutritional properties of wheatgrass were also recognized in other ancient cultures, such as the Greeks and the Romans.

Consumption of wheatgrass in the Western world began in the 1930s as a result of experiments by Charles F. Schnabel, an agronomist who started studying wheatgrass around 1930. He used the grass to restore the health of hens in critical condition. Not only did the hens regain their strength, but after a time they laid more eggs than healthy hens. This observation led Schnabel to dry and powder wheatgrass to supplement the diets of his family and neighbors. The following year, he repeated the experiment with poultry and obtained the same results—the hens laid twice as many eggs. He then promoted his discovery to stakeholders across the agri-food industry. Two multinationals, Quaker Oats and American Dairies Inc., developed products for human and animal consumption. By 1940, cans of dried wheatgrass powder were being sold in major supermarkets across the United States and Canada.