By 1940, Dr. Schnabel’s research proved to be so valuable to the health of Americans that cans of his grass were for sale in major drug stores throughout the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, World War II changed that. After the end of the war, large corporations influenced American eating habits and medical choices towards chemicals and drugs, and the companies Dr. Schnabel was associated with discontinued distribution of his grass products. By 1950, Americans had been shifted from a natural approach to a synthetic approach of health care, and it wouldn’t be until the 1970s that natural grasses would make a comeback, largely due to a few committed individuals. Today you can find fresh wheat grass juice in most health foods stores and juice bars because of those pioneers, and for good reason.

Grass from grains such as barley, wheat, oat, kamut and rye—when harvested just before they produce a grain—are a powerhouse of nutrition. Think of how massive cows, antelope, deer, bison, elephants and many other animals become—just from eating grass! That’s because grass has all the major and trace minerals we require, are packed full of vitamins (including all the Bs—even B-12), have all the essential amino acids, contain essential fatty acids and contain over 80 enzymes. They also provide protein in the form of poly-peptides, which are assimilated faster than meat-based protein, and are very abundant in chlorophyll.

For health maintenance, 1 to 2 ounces of wheat grass juice (often taken in “shots”) is plenty; four or more ounces a day is recommended during cleansing and/or for overcoming health challenges. The sweetness of the juice is part of its power—the sugar in the grass helps deliver the chlorophyll into the bloodstream quickly. The sugars crystallize in the intestinal tract, which draws toxins out of the tissues. One ounce of wheat grass juice can contain up to 18,000 units of beta-carotene (precursor of vitamin A, an immune builder), has abundant vitamin E (which fights cancer growth) and a large amount of vitamin K (for proper blood clotting). The juice is loaded with enzymes that help detoxify harmful substances and that participate in thousands of the constant chemical changes taking place in the body.

Although it is a nutritional powerhouse, the most unique aspect of fresh wheat grass juice is probably its “aliveness.” This “liquid sunshine” abounds with an electromagnetic life force (sometimes referred to as “prana,” “chi” or “qi” energy, see Chapter 9). When the concentrated energy of wheat grass enters the body, it has a profound healing effect on everything it contacts. Freshly picked vegetables, especially leafy greens, have this energy as well, but it’s so concentrated in fresh wheat grass juice that you can feel it as soon as you drink it.

In his book,Wheat Grass—Nature’s Finest Food, Steve Meyerowitz documents dozens of people’s stories about the healing effects of using fresh wheat grass juice as an adjunct to their healing process. Real-life stories of people overcoming breast, bladder, prostate, colon, throat, lymph and liver cancers, as well as candidiasis, irritable bowel and leaky gut syndromes, lyme disease, lupus and more are documented in his book.

Generally, wheat grass juice is taken on an empty stomach at least half an hour before a meal. You can find it at your local juice bar or natural food store, or buy a wheat grass juicer (different from a vegetable juicer) for around $200 and juice wheat grass at home. Purveyors of wheat grass juice can usually sell you trays of the grass for home juicing as well. Everything in my book is important, but drinking wheat grass juice on a regular basis, in my opinion, is one of the most important things you can do for your health.