Herbal plants have nutritional and therapeutic values as they possess active constituents so that consumers can benefit from their use. Due to fewer side effects, herbal products are widely accepted and consumed worldwide. Literature also confirms the safe use of traditional medicines. Wheatgrass, the most edible crop, has been selected for this review due to the high amount of nutritional phytoactive ingredients, which may be beneficial for treating many diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, fungal infection, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc. Numerous bioactive substances are contained in wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum), including minerals, amino acids, vitamins A, B, C, E, and K [1, 2]. This review aims to compile the nutritional prospects of wheatgrass (young wheat plantlets [3]) and its use in chemoprevention. The review of literature was performed on the basis of searches done on PubMed, Google Patents, Google Scholar, etc. To further explore the nutritional potential of wheatgrass in treating various malignancies, data from many sources have been cited and summarised here in one location. This study includes the relevant literature survey impacting the use of wheatgrass in chemoprevention and its nutritional values from 1976 to 2022.

Wheatgrass possesses potent activity against many diseases due to bioactive compounds like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, etc. The effectiveness of wheatgrass is duly attributed to the existence of these bioactive and nutritionally active ingredients. It has anti-fungal [4, 5], anti-bacterial [5, 6], anti-ulcer, anti-diabetic [6, 7], anti-inflammatory [8], anti-arthritic, antioxidant [9], anti-leukemic [10], anti-hypertensive [11], and anti-microbial properties [12, 13]. Wheatgrass helps with wound healing, digestion, and general detoxification of the body. It also acts as an adjuvant therapy in hemolytic anemia and helps blood-building activity in thalassemia [14]. It is suggested to include wheatgrass in the daily diet (powder, tablet, juice [15, 16], bread [17], or cookies) [18, 19] as it contains chlorophyll, which is almost similar to haemoglobin and strengthens the body’s immune system [1, 20]. Wheatgrass is found to possess anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal activity, and according to the literature available, the plant is effective against the following organisms as tabulated in Table 1 below:

Modern science has accepted the potential benefit of wheatgrass as a source of bioactive constituents. Abundant literature is present showing the nutritive and therapeutic values of wheatgrass. This is all due to the presence of phytoconstituents present in the plant. According to its phytochemistry, wheatgrass contains a significant number of amino acids, antioxidants, minerals, and other vitamins. The presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, polysaccharides, and various enzymes that are responsible for pharmacological activities are detected during phytochemical screening of wheatgrass extract. Owing to the presence of high nutritive qualities, wheatgrass is now being explored as a “functional food” [14].

A study on the impact of wheatgrass juice therapy on haemoglobin levels in anaemic adolescent females found that it improved their symptoms and raised their haemoglobin levels. The conclusion is that wheatgrass juice consumption improves haemoglobin levels [24]. Various antioxidant compounds found in wheatgrass, such as carotenoids and tocopherols, as well as lignans, phenolic acids, resistant starch, and alkylresorcinols, render it an exceptional source of dietary fiber and lignans [25]. Due to its various nutritious components, it can also be called “functional food” [22]. The juice form of wheatgrass is an energy beverage and has been demonstrated to upsurge fertility in male albino rats, owing to the existence of a good amount of magnesium in chlorophyll [26]. Chlorophyll is structurally composed of a tetrapyrrole ring, having a magnesium atom at the center and almost resembling the heme group in haemoglobin where the central atom is iron. Chlorophyll has substantial biological activity by inhibiting P450 cytochrome enzymes followed by synthesis of Phase II enzymes, thereby proving anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative mechanisms and proving this herbal plant beneficial for humans [3, 27].

Due to wheatgrass’ nutritional content and therapeutic properties, it is beneficial for the management of ailments including anemia, high glucose levels in the blood, blotting and constipation, joint inflammation and disorders, skin problems, swelling of the kidneys, cardiovascular problems [9, 28], and Alzheimer’s disease [29]. It is also known as “Panacea on Earth” [30]. The inclusion of bioactive ingredients contributes to the effectiveness of herbal plant extracts and thus, the therapeutic and nutritional prospects of wheatgrass are tabulated in Table 2, as below:

Wheatgrass contains amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids that are easily digested, absorbed, and metabolised by usual physiological methods [33]. The gastrointestinal tract’s ease of functioning depends on its health, which may be promoted by adding fiber to our diet. The significant component of wheatgrass is dietary fiber, which increases stool bulk to keep the gastrointestinal tract happy. Therefore, wheatgrass is essential for maintaining a healthy gut. Wheatgrass also contains lignin and oligosaccharides [37, 38].

Cancer is a disease that is life-threatening and comes from a family of complex diseases. Different forms of cancer are prevailing worldwide. It is known as a multifactorial disease. One of the causes of cancer is oxidative stress, which is the second leading cause worldwide, for many reasons pertaining to the expansion of the disease [47]. Although chemotherapies might successfully treat cancer, the toxic side effects and pain associated with chemotherapies synthetic alternatives may deteriorate a patient’s health. Free radicals are produced as a result of natural metabolism, causing oxidative stress and ultimately leading to the development of many diseases [48]. So, to be on the safe side, one must include antioxidants in a daily diet. Although there are many synthetic antioxidants on the market, they could be hazardous. Plant-based nutraceuticals have been utilised to cure, lessen, and prevent cancer in recent years. For cancer patients with prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers, functional diets and herbal therapies are complementary medicines [49].

Wheatgrass contains natural antioxidants, which are recommended and proven to be potent in preventing cancer. Wheatgrass has many vitamins, β-carotene, and enzymes that help scavenge free radicals and provide anti-oxidative activity. The study assessed the cytotoxicity of wheatgrass and the activation of apoptosis using fluorescent propidium iodide (PI) staining. The presence of antioxidants was confirmed by tests for hydrogen peroxide scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, and anti-proliferative activity, which decreased the spread of Hep2 cell lines. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) analysis of wheatgrass extract confirmed the existence of 9 biologically active constituents having hydroxyl groups and double bonds to stabilise free radicals and thereby possess anti-oxidative action [50]. Free radical reactive oxygen species are changed into hydrogen peroxide and an oxygen molecule by the antioxidant enzymes super oxide dismutase and cytochrome oxidase. This transformation destroys cancer cells [31, 50]. The anti-leukemic potential of wheatgrass has been proven by the presence of polyphenolics [10] and flavonoids [51]. It has also been discovered that components found in fresh wheatgrass juice scavenge free radicals, neutralise toxins and carcinogens, reduce chemotherapy-induced myelotoxicity, and regulate the levels of specific pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12 [52]. Wheatgrass possesses plant hormones in huge quantities. When used after 4 h of cutting wheatgrass, abscisic acid can neutralise the effect of cancer-causing fragments [1, 53]. Graphical representation of wheatgrass used in chemoprevention is shown in Figure 1.

According to literature availability, wheatgrass is useful in curing the following cancers:

Colorectal cancer [41]

The studies done on wheatgrass to prevent or treat different types of cancer are tabulated in Table 3.

Literature on wheatgrass shows that it inhibits metastasis and angiogenesis in Hep2 cell lines (human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma). Metastasis is a significant hindrance in cancer treatment as cancer cells migrate, proliferate, and, through angiogenesis, reach other organs and ultimately infect them. A study focused on the anti-metastatic ability of methanolic extract of wheatgrass containing natural polyphenols was reported. The in silico docking studies were performed on the nine bioactive constituents and five polyphenolic compounds (reported by the authors in another study) identified by GC–MS and HPLC. Docking tests were conducted to assess how well these 14 drugs interacted with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT).

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, organic nutraceuticals and traditional foods are used to get rid of lifestyle diseases. Herbal plants and food supplements are used worldwide to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Wheatgrass is known as a powerful functional food because of its several minerals, vitamins, and enzymes and its potency in treating or preventing many diseases. Wheatgrass has numerous nutritional and therapeutic benefits. This review aims to provide collaborative information on the different dietary values of wheatgrass. One of the main diseases that kills people around the world is cancer. This study on wheatgrass has proved the efficiency of this herbal plant in treating different types of cancer. Wheatgrass possesses anti-oxidative potential, which may arrest the life cycle of cancerous cells, thereby preventing and treating various types of cancer, like laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. Thus, it has been stated that wheatgrass is a potent therapeutic nutraceutical.