# Wheatgrass juice

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/wheatgrass-juice/  
OnCo record `wheatgrass-juice` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Wheatgrass juice is promoted to detoxify the body and treat cancer, claims no clinical study supports. One small study suggested it may reduce the effect of chemotherapy on the bone marrow in breast cancer, which needs larger trials. Because it is grown and drunk raw, it can carry microbes.

## Summary

Wheatgrass is grown by sprouting wheat seeds for 7 to 10 days and juicing the leaves, or sold as powder. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary states that claims it neutralises toxins and carcinogens and treats or prevents cancer are not supported by clinical studies, and that the idea that its chlorophyll acts like haemoglobin to oxygenate the body is not supported by current science. Small human studies suggest effects on lipid peroxidation, ulcerative colitis and, with mixed results, transfusion needs in thalassaemia. In people with cancer, wheatgrass juice may decrease myelotoxicity in women with breast cancer having chemotherapy, and one report describes lower ferritin in myelodysplastic syndrome; MSK says larger studies are needed. Nausea and difficulty swallowing the grassy juice are reported, and because it is consumed raw, microbial contamination is a concern, which matters for anyone with low white cell counts.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: phase-2
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: A source of chlorophyll, antioxidants and micronutrients; the detoxifying and oxygenating claims have no physiological basis.
- Strengths: A food; small study during breast cancer chemotherapy
- Limitations: Cancer claims unsupported by any clinical study; Raw product with contamination risk during neutropenia

## Sources

- MSK About Herbs: Wheat grass (page last updated 17 March 2023): https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/wheat-grass

## Connected records

- technologies: [Apple cider vinegar](https://onco.cc/technologies/apple-cider-vinegar/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/), [Gerson therapy, coffee enemas and 'detox' regimens](https://onco.cc/technologies/gerson-therapy-detox-regimens/), [Juice Plus (fruit and vegetable concentrate capsules)](https://onco.cc/technologies/juice-plus/), [Moringa (Moringa oleifera)](https://onco.cc/technologies/moringa-oleifera/), [Papaya leaf extract](https://onco.cc/technologies/papaya-leaf-extract/)
- fronts: [Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle](https://onco.cc/fronts/nutrition-lifestyle/), [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- terms: [Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets)](https://onco.cc/terms/unproven-diet-claims/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)

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