Summary
Veterinary surgeons find wheatgrass effective for healing open wounds and dermatitis.
Methods
19 surgeons took part, none having prior experience of wheatgrass as a healing agent, treating mainly horses, cats and dogs.
110 questionnaires were returned and vets were paid a nominal fee for reporting.
Results
Open Wounds
80 percent in all three groups were declared “Very effective” and 18% “Moderately effective”. (Fig. 1)
Eczema/Dermatitis
51% found “Very effective”, 41% “Moderately effective” and the remainder, “Not-effective”. (Fig. 2)
Overall, 92 percent considered WE “effective”, 64% “very effective” and 28 percent “moderately effective”.
Discussion
Being an animal study, placebo effect could be ruled out.
Conclusions
These results show that wheatgrass facilitates wound healing in animals.
Horses
Wheatgrass extract was highly effective in most cases, and chronic wounds that were unresponsive to other treatments also healed rapidly.
Dogs
The extract was “very effective” for open wounds and eczema/dermatitis.
RESULTS:
Condition Treated Effectively |
Horses |
Dogs |
Cats |
Other |
Total |
| Open wounds | 21 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 56 |
| Eczema/ dermatitis | 2 | 34 | 1 | 37 | |
| Burns | 2 | 2 | |||
| Pulled muscle | 1 | 1 | |||
| Nasal granulation | 1 | 1 | |||
| Acute pyoderma | 4 | 4 | |||
| Boils, abscesses, infected cysts | 4 | 4 | |||
| Metatarsal fracture | 1 | 1 | |||
| Acute lick granuloma | 1 | 1 | |||
| Hot spot | 1 | 1 | |||
| Cat bite abscess | 2 | 2 | |||
| Total | 23 | 70 | 14 | 3 | 110 |
Dr. Chris Reynolds
Australia. July, 2001