Alfalfa

Alfalfa - Medicago sativa

• Introduction
• Alfalfa Properties
• Alfalfa - Chemical Compounds/Constituents
• Alfalfa - As a Treatment For
• Alfalfa - Side Effects & Cautions
• Alfalfa Preparations

Introduction

This herb was first discovered by the Arabs who dubbed it, 'father of all foods'.  John Gerard (1957), English herbalist, recommended alfalfa for upset stomachs.  Frank Bouer, biologist and author, found that the leaves contained eight essential amino acids.

Of this plant you can use the flowers, seeds, leaves, spouts and tops.  The leaves of the plant are rich in minerals and nutrients including calcium, magnesium, potassium and beta carotene.  Alfalfa is also rich in Vitamins A, B1, B6, B8, B12, C, D, E, K1, P, U, and the anti-oxidant Tricin.

Alfalfa, also known as Lucerne, Purple Medick and Trefoil, is a perennial flowering plant cultivated as an important forage crop.

Alfalfa lives from five to twelve years, depending on variety and climate. It is a cool season perennial legume, growing to a height of 1 meter. It resembles clover with clusters of small purple flowers. It also has a deep root system sometimes stretching to 4.5 metres. This makes it very resilient, especially to droughts. It has a tetraploid genome.

Alfalfa is native to Iran, where it was probably domesticated during the Bronze Age to feed horses being brought from Central Asia. It came to Greece around 490 B.C. being used as a horse feed for Persian army. It was introduced from Chile to the United States around 1860. It is widely grown throughout the world as forage for cattle, and is most often harvested as hay. Alfalfa has the highest feeding value of all common hay crops, being used less frequently as pasture. Like other legumes, its root nodules contain bacteria, like Rhizobium, with the ability to fix nitrogen, producing a high-protein feed regardless of available nitrogen in the soil.

Its wide cultivation beginning in the seventeenth century was an important advance in European agriculture. Its symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and use as animal feed greatly improved agricultural efficiency. When grown on soils where it is well-adapted, alfalfa is the highest yielding forage plant.

Alfalfa is one of the few plants that exhibit autotoxicity. Alfalfa seed will not grow in existing stands of alfalfa because of this. Therefore, alfalfa fields must be cleared or rotated before reseeding.

Alfalfa sprouts are used as a salad ingredient in the United States and Australia. Tender shoots are eaten in some places as a leaf vegetable. Human consumption of older plant parts is limited primarily by very high fiber content. Dehydrated alfalfa leaf is commercially available as a dietary supplement in several forms, such as tablets, powders and tea. Alfalfa is believed to be a galactagogue.

In the United States, the leading Alfalfa growing states are Wisconsin and California, with most of the latter state's production occurring in the Mojave Desert by means of irrigation provided by the California Aqueduct.

Alfalfa Properties

• abortifacient (seeds)
• alterative
• antianemic
• anti-fungal
• aperitif
• diuretic
• emmenagogue (seeds)
• estrogenic
• galactagogue
• styptic
• tonic 

Alfalfa - Chemical Compounds/Constituents

• Saponins
• sterols
• coumarin
• flavonoids

Alfalfa - As a Treatment For

• Arthritis - may help to relieve swelling and inflammation
• Breastfeeding Problems - because alfalfa is estrogenic it may help increase lactation.
• Bloating/Water Retention - due to its diuretic properties it can help to reduce bloating and water retention.
• Constipation - provides relief of constipation.
• Digestion - help to promote digestion and revive a sluggish appetite.
• Endometriosis- due to the phytoestrogens, alfalfa may help to relieve some symptoms.
• Menopause - because it has demonstrative estrogenic activity it may help with menopausal symptoms.

Alfalfa - Side Effects & Cautions

• If you have lupus or a family history or lupus you should avoid alfalfa, there is some evidence that alfalfa may trigger lupus in sensitive persons.
• Due to its blood thinning properties, alfalfa should be avoided by hemophiliacs or those preparing to undergo surgery.

Alfalfa Preparation