ALFALFA

MEDICAGO SATIVA; LEGUMINOSAE

HISTORICAL USES

Used in disease prevention, for black and blue welts, for anemia, ulcer treatment, urinary disorders, peptic ulcers, gastric and duodenal ulcers, for bladder and prostate problems, for lumbago, to retard tooth decay, as a diuretic, for dropsy, helps clot blood in hemorrhages, for high blood pressure, pregnancy, to increase quality of mothers milk, for jaundice, malnutrition, to lower cholesterol, for arthritis, rheumatism, colitis, wounds and to help alcoholics and drug addicts.

Although some herbalists consider Alfalfa so mild that it is a food rather than a medicine, the herb has to its credit some wonderful cures. Frank Bower (who is known as the Father of Alfalfa) discovered that the plant contained important enzymes, which assist in good digestion. Tests over a period of years revealed that in addition to enzymes, the plant contains important chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals, all of which stimulate the appetite. The enzymes are sufficiently present to help in the digestion of all four classes of foods--proteins, fats, starches and sugars. One of the important vitamins present in the food is Vitamin U, which is also present in raw cabbage and which has been used to treat peptic ulcers. This discovery of Vitamin U confirms the Chinese herbalists’ use of the herb to cure ulcers. In the Soviet Union, after years of testing Vitamin U on laboratory animals, scientists began clinical testing of the substance on human patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers, with an 80% cure rate, the other 20% being noticeably improved.

In any conditions that require cleansing and building of the body--and that includes most ailments! --Alfalfa is recommended as a basic, and mild, herbal food. Alfalfa is especially rich in iron, calcium and phosphorus, all necessary for strong, healthy teeth. The high Vitamin K content of the herb helps to clot the blood properly and prevent against hemorrhages. For this reason--among lots of good reasons--it is recommended that pregnant women take the tea daily. In addition to the blood doffing properties of Vitamin K, it has been found effective in preventing and curing high blood pressure in test animals, and may turn out to be important for the same use in humans. It is important that in the plant kingdom, only Alfalfa contains a significant amount of Vitamin K; most plants are quite deficient in the vitamin.

The high Vitamin A content in the plant is excellent to prevent infection. This vitamin also helps prevent night blindness. The many constituents of the plant make it good for toning the system in high pressure situations. Alfalfa is one of the few vegetable sources of Vitamin D. Alfalfa has been used in the treatment of jaundice.

Alfalfa, along with other foods, is known to help remove cholesterol from the system. Alfalfa has a significant amount of protein--18.9%, as compared with 16.5% in beef, 3.3% in milk and 13.1% in eggs. Eating the sprouts can add a significant amount of important protein in vegetarians who take no animal proteins at all, and whose diet may include so many grains and beans that concentrated proteins are difficult to obtain.

Alfalfa is used in Europe for many functional type diseases such as arthritis and rheumatism, colitis, anemia, etc. It is excellent for children who do not seem to be growing well enough, providing an abundance of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes, which might not be assimilated otherwise. The chlorophyll abundant in the leaves has been found to assist in granulation of tissue after it has been damaged. The substance also helps in the strengthening of the connective tissue in the body. In any conditions that require cleansing and building of the body--and that includes most ailments! --Alfalfa is recommended as a basic, and mild, herbal food.