With flowers that resemble purple clover, Alfalfa is a beautiful pasture forage crop that is believed to have originated in the Middle East. Now the United States is the leading producer of Alfalfa, however, it can be found in many places including the Middle East, South Africa and Argentina to name a few. It is also known as
Purple Medic, Trefoil and Lucerne and grew in popularity due to its hardy nature, soil replenishing nature and its use as cattle feed.
As a cattle feed, it can be harvested as hay or made into silage or left for pasture and is used because of its nutritive value being an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals. It is also a popular choice in crop rotations as it restores nitrogen to the soil preparing the ground for new crops of corn and other grain crops.
It is becoming more widely used for human consumption for the same nutritive values. Sprouts are used in salads and sandwiches and a tea can be made as a supplement as well as a natural treatment for several ailments.
Alfalfa Herbal Tea Recipe
The tea can be made by steeping 1 ounce of dried herb in a quart of boiling water for 10 minutes.
Herbal Remedies
Alfalfa has been used to encourage appetite and weight gain as well as a diuretic to help alleviate symptoms of water retention. It can also be taken as tablet supplements, capsules or liquid extracts as well as used as a tea. The sprouts are commonly eaten as part of sandwiches as well as salads for the vitamin, mineral and proteins it provides.
A tea or tonic has been reported to aid and relieve arthritis symptoms by drinking a quart of tea made from an ounce of the herb through out a day’s time. This is repeated daily for a couple of weeks and then stopped to be started again after several weeks.
The herb can also be made into a special brew to be used to create a natural effective fertilizer for rose bushes as it adds nutrients to the soil and corrects nitrogen imbalances giving you beautiful roses.
Folklore
It has been thought to bring good luck! Carried in the pocket, it was said to attract money and good fortune.
Cautions
This herb contains certain amino acids that are linked to lupus type symptoms and have been reported to cause red blood cell damage in animals after prolonged use. Always check with your health care provider when beginning an herbal supplemental program. The seed can promote menstruation in a woman and therefore the use in pregnant women is discouraged. Although it aids in lactation in cattle it is not recommended to be used for human lactation for lack of studies of effects to infants through breast milk.
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