Hi to all that comes across this post.

I write this post because i hope that any people out there who are curious about growing at home or are unsure of whether it is worthwhile or too much hassle, or don't know where to look on this site for simple answers, will be able to ask a question, and maybe get some answers and support.

Before i go any further, i would appreciate if derek stem refrains from plugging his supplement here, as it causes too much disruption and this post relates to home growing only.

first i will explain my personal experience of why i came to use wheatgrass.

I was first introduced to what can only be described as a miracle whole food, while i lived in san francisco in the late 90's. Being an active fun loving party animal in my late 20's, my health started showing signs of the abuse it was receiving.

I worked hard and played even harder, which left little room in my busy schedule for such trivial things, such as food in general and sleep. i drank seven nights a week and shocking amounts to be honest.

I didn't really take stock of the rapid weight loss, muscle wastage, mood swings, my body was going through. i was living on pepcid 2 antacids which masked the chronic abdominal pain.

one day hungover as hell i had a work accident which needed hospital treatment, and received a reality check when there. my blood pressure was in line with an unhealthy 60 year old smokers. i had stomach ulcers, and was told in uncertain terms that i was really burning the candle at both ends.

i was given a treasure trove of pills to fix me up. something for the blood pressure, blood thinners, something for the side effects. in some ways i was feeling worse off, not least in the pocket.

i started buying smoothies with boosters, and noticed people buying these tiny shots of a disgusting dark green slime(my initial thoughts) and after an impressive sales pitch by the store owner, i gave it a go.

i closed my eyes and swallowed, and struggled to hold it down, mainly because i thought it looked terrible. the eyes rule the belly. within minutes i had stomach cramps and a sense that my body was being invaded by a monster.

the store owner reassured me that it was normal, and advised me to give it a month and to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. theres less chance of throwing up if the stomach is empty, and the grass will be absorbed by the body in less than an hour.

i felt crap every time i took it for the first week, but after that the stomack cramps just stopped, i began to notice a sense of well being, which i can only describe as a spiritual high, my appetite returned, and my bowel movements returned to normal over a period of one month or so.

after my initial cleansing i never experienced any adverse reactions to the grass, but felt healthier each day. after a couple of months i had upped my usage to 4 oz shots twice or three times a day.

The one thing i noticed, was that although my movements were regular, my stools were distinctly heavy, which i assume was all the toxins being off loaded.
that remained the case for over two months.

People i knew started to pass comment on my glowing skin, shiny hair and general look good factor. I was living a healthier life on all fronts, and as such there are many factors to my looking healthy, but wheatgrass was the nucleus.
The living enzymes are the key factor in my opinion.

when i returned home to ireland i couldn't get wheatgrass, and stopped using.
over the next couple of years i could really appreciate what i was missing, as my body had to make do without this elixir which supplied all my nutrients in a balanced formula.

soon i found a health store with wheatgrass tablets, so i took them. they were better than nothing, but don't stand up to the real deal. when i eventually found a grower here, i had to go through the detox again, and the effects were more profound this time around. i even got a tingling sensation all over my body - especially the legs. then one day it was all over.

i was beginning to fear that it was the mold causing this, as i juicing my own and could see it, and didn't know anything about it. but it was just my body eliminating toxins through the skin.

i decided to try growing my own, to maybe control the mold and save on costs.
i will describe my experiences on growing in my next post. there were many times i felt like giving up, as i tried to get it right, but it was worth all the frustration.

goodnight and god bless.