During the hot summer months, in all corners of Russia you can see yellow and blue-violet fields of the modest forage grass alfalfa. “What a beauty!” - city connoisseurs will exclaim wildlife. “Here comes the food for our little cow…” the farmers will rejoice. “This is not an ordinary herb, but a symbol of wealth and prosperity,” the naive ancient Celts would say. And the healers of Ancient China would have gone without a word to pick alfalfa for their medicinal preparations... What kind of plant is this unique and how is alfalfa useful for people and animals?

Meet alfalfa

Burkuku, lechukha and honeydew - all this is alfalfa, a plant that conquered humanity with its medicinal and nutritional properties 6-7 thousand years ago. The name “alfalfa” is familiar to almost every resident of our country, but not everyone will be able to answer the question without prompting: what does alfalfa look like? The photos show an ordinary field grass with triple heart-shaped leaves and delicate boat inflorescences of yellow or blue color.

Animals were the first to appreciate such beauty - Ancient China They fed livestock with honeydew; the Arabs gave alfalfa to their horses to keep them healthy and fast. Soon Chinese doctors began to use it to treat pneumonia and stomach problems, and Indians began to use it to treat peptic ulcer, and subsequently alfalfa became a cure for a wide variety of ailments.

Today, for making hay, medicinal preparations and even pharmaceutical drugs Mostly two types of alfalfa are used: sickle and seed.

What does sickle alfalfa look like? These are low (20-100 cm) flowers of pleasant yellow with large roots and the amazing smell of fresh hay that occurs when harvesting grass for the winter. Another impression is made by seeded alfalfa - the photos show thick and tall, up to one and a half meters, thickets of grass with beautiful blue flowers, an excellent honey planter and healer.

A treasure trove of vitamins for your health

The inconspicuous fodder grass is fraught with many surprises, and the main one is its unique chemical composition.

• B vitamins (especially choline) improve health nervous system, calm down, put in order all metabolic processes in the body, and are responsible for the full functioning of the brain.
• Potassium and calcium protect our heart and strengthen bones, preventing the development of arthritis and gout.
• Chlorophyll perfectly cleanses blood and blood vessels, heals wounds and reduces the risk of bacterial infections.
• Vitamin E provides us with elastic and fresh skin, strengthens hair, prolongs our youth and beauty.
• Saponins protect us from such a delicate problem as dysbiosis, and most importantly, they bind and remove it from the body along with other dirty tricks.
• act comprehensively: relieve inflammation, relieve pain, have an antibacterial effect and are powerful.

And alone, the alfalfa herb is extremely useful - medicinal properties It is especially actively used in the treatment of peptic ulcers, indigestion, and restoration of appetite after long illnesses. Medunka helps with, improves blood composition, fights atherosclerosis and heart ailments.

Alfalfa is also an excellent natural antipyretic and diuretic. Decoctions and infusions are used in the treatment of colds, prevention and treatment of diseases of the joints and genitourinary organs (cystitis and prostatitis).

Lechuha preparations, homemade infusions and decoctions - effective remedy to support the immune system. Alfalfa stimulates, removes various harmful compounds from the body, heals and supports moral and physical strength at any age.

For all its incredible usefulness, alfalfa grass is also extremely safe - beneficial properties and its contraindications are simply incommensurable. Alfalfa medications are prohibited only for lupus, other serious autoimmune diseases, and also during pregnancy.

Alfalfa juice - for vigor and beauty

Yellow-blue honey bee is used not only in the form of decoctions and herbal infusions; alfalfa juice is also famous for its beneficial properties.

Preparing this product couldn’t be easier: young alfalfa leaves during the flowering period need to be ground in a meat grinder, squeezed out the green juice and strain. This fresh alfalfa is a very concentrated product, so herbalists advise mixing it with juice in a ratio of 1:3. You can also add one part of salad juice to create a unique summer vitamin cocktail.

Fresh alfalfa is not just a healthy and tasty drink. It helps strengthen the immune system, improves tone and saves from a variety of ailments:

• reduces the risk of heart attacks;
• cleanses the liver and intestines;
• fights genitourinary infections;
• eliminates cardiac and renal edema;
• treats weak gums and removes bad breath;
• reduces pain during migraines;
• relieves exacerbations of gastritis and colitis.

Alfalfa juice has long been recognized as a powerful cosmetic product. If you drink this fresh juice at least 2-3 times a week, your hair will certainly improve its condition: it will fall out less, begin to grow more actively, and a natural shine will appear.

And for beautiful young skin there is such a mask: mix a teaspoon of alfalfa juice with a spoonful of liquid honey, spread evenly on the face and neck and rinse after 20 minutes. A course of 10 alfalfa masks (every other day) will give an amazing effect: the skin will noticeably freshen, tighten, and fine wrinkles will smooth out.

Alfalfa in cooking

Young garden alfalfa is not only a medicine and the basis for a delicious drink, but also a universal culinary product. Alfalfa shoots and leaves are put in salads and soups, and the seeds are even ground into flour and baked into amazing healthy bread. What can I say - among the recipes with this plant there are also such exotic things as alfalfa inflorescences in dough!

For summer green soups, crescent alfalfa is best: if you add it to the end of the dish, it tastes almost the same as fresh chicken broth.

And for lovers of dietary salads, you can offer a recipe for a cucumber salad with alfalfa: you will need 2 cucumbers, a glass of alfalfa herb and lemon juice and salt for dressing. Finely chop the greens and vegetables, season with lemon - and your vitamin snack is ready!

In order for alfalfa to maximize its beneficial properties, it is necessary to grow it correctly. For dining table Ordinary forage grass from wild fields will not work - it is better to grow a small batch of lechuha in a greenhouse, along with salads and herbs. And before cooking, soak it in a liter of boiled water with a spoon for 15-20 minutes - this will kill all random microbes and remove the characteristic alfalfa bitterness.

How to use alfalfa?

To prevent diseases and improve the overall tone of the body ideal option– salads with young shoots of honeydew and fresh green-orange juice. If you include dishes with alfalfa shoots in your menu, this will help you forget about heartburn, flatulence, improve digestion and reduce the risk of exacerbations of gastrointestinal ailments.

Fresh alfalfa is an excellent remedy against chronic fatigue, with overwork and nervousness, especially in children. For frequent nosebleeds and severe stages of hemorrhoids, you can take pure juice - 25 grams per day. Single nosebleeds can be stopped with a cotton swab dipped in alfalfa decoction (a teaspoon per glass of boiling water).

To grow and strengthen your hair, you don’t have to take it internally - you can rinse your hair with the infusion and rub it a little into the scalp.

In China they always said: “What is good for animals is good for you.” But in the case of alfalfa, one can even argue - it is not known who was more fortunate with this miracle herb - people or animals. It is no coincidence that today is the most famous manufacturers Herbal medicines offer various products based on it - tablets, powders and extracts. Don’t be afraid to save money, grow alfalfa in your country house and in the countryside - and you will get a unique home doctor and delicious greens for your table!

Syn.: doctor's office, lechukha grass, red burkun, burkunets, burkunchik, honeydew, blue alfalfa, zorya, steppe vesil, meadow elm, steppe mouse, snorer, ionzha.

Alfalfa - perennial herbaceous plant, belonging to the legume family, is used as a fodder crop. In addition to use in agriculture also used in herbal medicine, folk medicine and in the manufacture of dietary supplements. Alfalfa is listed in the pharmacopoeias of some countries Western Europe as a cholesterol-lowering agent.

Ask the experts a question

Flower formula

Alfalfa flower formula: P(5)L1.2.(2)T(5+4).1P1.

In medicine

Alfalfa is cultivated as a valuable forage plant and as a phytosanitary for soil health. The plant is not included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation and is not used by official medicine. However, herbalists consider the plant to be a source of large amounts of vitamins and beneficial minerals; in folk medicine, alfalfa grass is used as a sedative.

Alfalfa is also used in the manufacture of dietary supplements containing flavonoids and isoflavones (Cardiin, Artriosin international formula, Alfalfa-Santegra.).

Contraindications and side effects

Taking alfalfa and its preparations is contraindicated for pregnant, lactating women, children, as well as for autoimmune diseases, a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

In cooking

Recently, alfalfa has been used to make purees and soups. There is also such a dish as pickled alfalfa, but it contains a lot of salts, so if you have joint diseases, it is better not to eat it.

In other areas

Alfalfa is an excellent honey plant; you can collect up to 300 kg of clear honey from a hectare of irrigated land.

Alfalfa grass serves as food for worms and soil microorganisms. Where alfalfa grows, soil formation conditions improve. On such soil, the incidence of plant diseases decreases, and the yield of subsequent crops increases.

Classification

Alfalfa (lat. Medicago sativa) is a herbaceous plant, a type species of the genus Alfalfa (lat. Medicago) of the legume family (lat. Fabaceae).

Botanical description

The stems are tetrahedral, glabrous or pubescent, strongly branched in the upper part, reach a height of 80 cm, can be straight, widely bushy or recumbent. The rhizome is powerful, thick, lies deep, can reach a depth of 10 meters. The leaves are located on petioles, 1-2 cm long and 0.3-1 cm wide, oblong-obovate, entire. Peduncles are axillary, longer than the leaves. The raceme is capitate, dense, multi-flowered, 2-3 cm long. The flowers are blue-violet. The calyx is 0.5-0.6 cm long, tubular-funnel-shaped, hairy. The formula of the alfalfa flower is Ch(5)L1.2.(2)T(5+4).1P1. The fruit is a spirally twisted bean, with kidney-shaped achenes, about 0.6 cm in diameter.

Spreading

In its wild form, alfalfa grows in Asia Minor and the Balkans. Cultural forms and as an alien plant it is found almost throughout the world. Most often, alfalfa can be found in dry meadows and river valleys, in the steppe and forest edges, on grass pastures and hillsides.

The plant is also found in warm places Europe with a temperate climate, in Central Asia, North Africa and Australia.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

IN medicinal purposes In alfalfa, aerial parts are used. They are harvested during flowering, in June - July. The collected stems and leaves are dried by spreading thin layer(about three to five centimeters) per fresh air, better in the shade. Alfalfa seeds are harvested from the grass stand of the first cutting. Best term harvesting alfalfa for seeds - the presence of 75-80% brown beans in the clusters. Freshly threshed seeds are cleaned, dried to a moisture content of no more than 13% and stored. The shelf life of raw materials is 2 years.

Chemical composition

Alfalfa is rich in active substances: iron, phosphorus and calcium. The plant also contains vitamins A and C, unsaturated fatty acids, tannins, amino acids, phytoestrogens (coumestrol and genistein), cyclic compounds and saponosides.

Alfalfa seeds contain vitamins B 1, B 2, B 12, C, D, E, K, chlorophyll and amino acids. The concentration of vitamins and accumulation of nutrients in the seeds increases during the ripening period of the pod. Alfalfa leaves also contain niacin, biotin, folate and pantothenic acid.

Pharmacological properties

Alfalfa is rich in beneficial microelements and contains large number vitamin C, and also has general strengthening properties. Active substances, contained in the plant (phytoestrogen stachydrin and 1-homostacidrin), regulate menstruation and increase milk secretion in women. Alfalfa has a diuretic effect. An extract made from alfalfa protects against sunburn and radiation.

Alfalfa is used for exhaustion, fatigue of the body, and to maintain strength during the recovery period. Consumption of alfalfa increases the elasticity of the arteries, prevents the development of atherosclerosis, stabilizes blood sugar levels, effectively lowers blood pressure, has an antitumor effect, improves immunity and regulates the function of the pituitary gland.

Use in folk medicine

People use alfalfa for obesity, atherosclerosis, heart pain, coronary disease heart, joint diseases, to relieve pain from arthritis, arthrosis, gout, rheumatism. Alfalfa also helps with colds and bronchial asthma.

With liver intoxication and general exhaustion of the body after illness, alfalfa helps cleanse the body of toxins and gain strength again. Can be used for detoxification in the treatment of alcoholism. Alfalfa can help with cramps and removes excess cholesterol from the body.

Alfalfa is effective for constipation, acne, allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, removes uric acid, and normalizes water balance. Helps with bladder diseases, cystitis, nephritis. A decoction of alfalfa grass is used for douching for trichomonas colpitis.

Alfalfa improves the condition of patients with diabetes and those suffering from dysfunction of the thyroid and pancreas.

Alfalfa contains a significant amount of vitamin K, which prevents hemorrhages and bleeding, and is used for various forms hemorrhagic syndrome, one of the causes of which is radiation damage. Powder from alfalfa leaves is used externally as a hemostatic and wound-healing agent, especially for cuts.

Just like mint, alfalfa helps improve appetite; all you need to do is brew it like tea. The high fluorine content allows the use of alfalfa to prevent caries.

Historical background

The plant got its name "alfalfa" from Latin word"lampshade", "lamp". This was due to the glowing of the seeds in the pods at night due to the high phosphorus content of the seeds.

“Medicago” is the Latin name for alfalfa, translated as “food from the Mussel” - this is the name of the Central Asian state considered the birthplace of the plant. Alfalfa was brought to Europe more than 6 thousand years ago and from there the plant spread to different continents.

The Arabs called alfalfa the ancestor of all food. And in medieval medicine in Armenia, the seeds of the plant were used as a potency enhancer in men.

There are more than 50 varieties of alfalfa, but only a few are widely grown. Alfalfa is now grown throughout the world, especially in the irrigated lands of the United States and Argentina, and is the leading forage crop in the western United States.

Literature

1. Flora of the USSR. In 30 volumes / Ch. ed. acad. V. L. Komarov; Ed. volumes B.K. Shishkin. - M.-L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1945. - T. XI. - pp. 148-150. - 432 s. - 4000 copies.
2. World of medicinal plants NSP: Illustrated reference book / ed. P.V. Druzhinina, A.F. Novikova; comp. I. Turova. – M., 2010
3. Pocket encyclopedia. Medicinal plants. - St. Petersburg: LLC SZKEO, 2010.
4. Abrikosov Kh. N. et al. Alfalfa // Dictionary-reference book for beekeepers / Comp. Fedosov N.F. - M.: Selkhozgiz, 1955.- P. 179.

Seed alfalfa from the legume family. Alfalfa – medicinal plant, which grows wild in Asia Minor and the Balkans. As an alien plant and in cultivation, it is distributed throughout the world. Alfalfa can be found on forest edges, dry meadows, grassy pastures and slopes, pebbles, steppes, river valleys, scree, and bushes. In and around crops, alfalfa grows like a weed.

Description.

Alfalfa is a herbaceous perennial plant. Alfalfa has many tetrahedral, erect, pubescent or glabrous, densely leafy stems. The stems grow from 30 to 90 centimeters in height. In the crown part the stems are branched. The plant has a powerful, thick, deep-lying rhizome. The leaves are located on petioles, alternate, entire, trifoliate, compound. The leaves are elliptical, oblong-wedge-shaped, oblong-obovate in shape.

The flowers are moth-type, blue-violet, small, concentrated in 20-30 flowers in capitate racemes. The flower stalks of alfalfa are axillary, slightly longer than the leaves. The calyx is hairy, tubular-funnel-shaped, reaches 0.5-0.6 cm in length. The raceme is dense, capitate, multi-flowered, 2-3 cm in length. Alfalfa blooms in June-July.

The fruits are spiral-twisted beans, reaching 0.6 cm in diameter. The fruits ripen in August-September.

Spreading.

Although the alfalfa plant can grow in any soil in sun or partial shade, it prefers light and dry soils. Alfalfa is propagated before winter or in spring by seeds. Seeds must be soaked in water for 12 hours before sowing.

Alfalfa, like many other legumes, is a good soil-improving crop.

The root tubers of alfalfa contain bacteria that, remaining in the roots, accumulate atmospheric nitrogen, and this, in turn, passes into the soil during plowing. Thus, the place where alfalfa grows receives fertilizer and the soil can not be changed for 50 years, while the quality and quantity of raw materials will not deteriorate.

Preparation.

The above-ground parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes. The grass is collected during flowering, then it is dried in the air under canopies; for this it should be spread out in a thin 3-5 centimeter layer.

Chemical composition.

Alfalfa contains ketones, essential oil, carbohydrates, steroids, triterpinoids, organic acids, alkaloids, pantothenic acid, glycides, vitamins K, C, D, E, B2, B12, B1, higher fatty acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotene.

The aerial part of the plant contains vitamin C, anthocyanins, tocopherols, carotene, carbohydrates, phenolcarboxylic acids, and catechins.

Pharmacological properties.

Medicinal preparations from alfalfa (herb) have antidiabetic, diuretic, wound healing, diuretic, bactericidal, restorative and anti-inflammatory effects. The drugs have a beneficial effect on the intestines, thyroid gland, and stomach. Also, drugs can improve metabolism, enhance lactation, lower cholesterol levels, and normalize circulatory system, increase hemoglobin levels.

Alfalfa contains a large number of microelements, an almost complete complex of vitamins, which allows you to improve general condition body.

Application.

Alfalfa grass is prescribed to weakened people to relieve pain from heart pain, arthritis, gout, atherosclerosis, etc. To reduce pain due to muscle cramps, rheumatism, liver intoxication. And also to lower cholesterol levels and remove toxins. Used to treat nephritis, cystitis, bladder diseases, constipation, acne, anemia, allergies. Alfalfa can normalize water balance, prevent caries and remove uric acid. This medicinal plant can also improve appetite.

Alfalfa leaves, ground into powder, are used externally for cuts as a hemostatic and wound-healing agent, also used for malignant neoplasms. The leaves also have diuretic properties.

Infusion.

3 tbsp. l. crushed alfalfa grass, pour 500 ml of boiling water and leave for 4 hours, then filter. The infusion is consumed 1/3 glass three times a day.

In case of dysfunction of the thyroid and pancreas, or diabetes mellitus, it is recommended to take this infusion: pour 2 teaspoons of finely chopped alfalfa into a glass of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. Drink during the day after it has cooled completely.

For diabetes.

To reduce blood sugar levels, you need to dilute alfalfa juice with water (1:1). Take 1/3 cup of diluted juice 30 minutes before meals.

Decoction.

Fill with water (1 glass) 1 tbsp. l alfalfa, put on water and boil for ten minutes. Then we set it aside and wait until it cools down; we use the cooled broth for douching for trichomonas colpitis.

For external use.

For malignant tumors, it is recommended to use leaf powder as a powder.

Tincture.

Fill one tablespoon of alfalfa (you need to take dry grass) with 40% alcohol (100 ml), leave in a warm place for 14 days. Take ten drops half an hour before meals.

If a nursing mother does not have milk.

50 grams of fresh crushed oat grass, pour 100 ml of 40 percent alcohol, leave for 14 days in a dark place, filter. Take 10 drops together with alfalfa tincture (in equal doses).

Contraindications.

Alfalfa is considered a honey plant, medicinal and fodder crop, as well as green manure. Widely used in agriculture. History of alfalfa cultivation fodder crop began in Persia.

Origin

The distribution area covers most of the Mediterranean, part of Asia, North America and the European-Siberian space, although alfalfa is found throughout the world.

Name

Alfalfa (Medicago) is a herbaceous plant of the legume family. The alfalfa genus is represented by annuals and perennials, as well as subshrubs.

Other names for alfalfa are also known: burkunchik, honeydew, vizil.

Description

More often, alfalfa looks like a subshrub with a height of 0.6-1.5 m.

Root system with side branches, it has a powerful central rod that penetrates the soil to a depth of 10 m. Thanks to this, the grass is provided with nutrition that other plants do not receive. The root system of alfalfa, like all legumes, has small tubers containing nitrogen-fixing fungi. They participate in obtaining nitrogen from the air and enrich the earth with microelements.

Alfalfa stems are branched and extend straight from the base. The entire length of the shoots is covered with petiolate leaves, collected in groups of three. A rounded or elongated leaf is located on a small petiole. The outline of the leaf has teeth, and the underside is covered with lint.

Flowers and fruits

The flowering phase begins 1.5-2 months after sowing and lasts 3-4 weeks. The flowering time of the inflorescence is about 10 days. Every day 3-5 fresh buds are formed. Color palette often in blue, yellow, purple tones. There are varieties of variegated colors.

Capitate or racemose heads appear from leaf axils or on the tips of young shoots. The inflorescences contain 10-25 buds and grow up to 8 cm. The corolla is formed by 5 petals and resembles a moth or swallowtail. From below, 2 of them are connected and form a bed for the stamen and pistil. The flowers are planted on short stalks. The lower buds open first.

Insects help pollinate flowers. After this, the ovary appears and fruits similar to beans, covered with a brown film, are formed. The shape of the beans is spiral or crescent shaped. They store small yellow or brown bean seeds.

Alfalfa varieties

Alfalfa varieties

There are over 100 botanical species. About half of them grow in Russia.

Growing conditions

The area for planting alfalfa should be open and sufficiently lit. The shade slows down the development of the plant and the bushes will be low.

Nutrient-rich soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Loams are optimal for growing. In heavy, rocky, saline soils, alfalfa grows poorly due to weak nodule bacterial flora.

It is beneficial for development to keep the soil moist without excess moisture, from which development powdery mildew. Short-term drying of the surface layer of the earth is allowed. Regular watering is especially important for first-year plants.

The heat-loving crop feels good at t = +22-30°C and responds normally to an increase to t = +37-40°C. Plant care consists of weeding and hilling. Hilling helps prevent stems from lodging.

Sowing alfalfa

Alfalfa is bred by sowing seeds in open ground. Sowing work is carried out in the first month of spring.

Site preparation includes removing weeds, adding lime to the soil and digging. Application mineral fertilizers promotes the growth of bushes and bright flowering. If necessary, moisten the soil. The seed material is treated with biological products to protect against various infections. Rows 5-12 cm deep are spaced at wide intervals of up to 45 cm. Sparse plantings provide maximum growth and pollination. To ensure even distribution, seeds are mixed with sand or fine sawdust.

Sometimes mixed crops of alfalfa and cereals are used. However, if the alfalfa becomes thickened, it will receive little light, then its growth and seed ripening will be reduced.

On summer cottage the seeds can simply be scattered on loose soil and the surface compacted with a sheet of plywood.

Pests, diseases

Use in the agricultural sector

On personal plots and in fields, alfalfa is used as green manure. Green fertilizer helps enrich the soil with nitrogen. The plant actively grows green mass and 8 mowings can be made per season. The decomposition of biomass in moist soil enriches the composition, promotes loosening, and reduces acidity. Alfalfa does an excellent job of restoring neglected areas.

Alfalfa has a rich composition of amino acids, phosphorus, potassium and protein, and is therefore considered a valuable feed for livestock. Peak nutritional value alfalfa occurs during the budding period, and most of all useful substances in blooming alfalfa.

Green manure - green fertilizer

Procurement of feed raw materials is carried out 3 times per season. The first time the grass is mowed is during the budding period, and then during flowering. After the procedure, alfalfa will delight you with new flowers in 1-1.5 months. After mowing, a stem about 10 cm high should remain above the ground. This length is enough for quick restoration.

Green raw materials are used as top dressing or dried for hay, and then briquetted.

Alfalfa in medicine

Alfalfa contains useful acids, proteins, phytohormones, vitamins and is successfully used for treatment. The stems and leaves of the plant, collected at the time of budding and flowering, are used to prepare infusions and decoctions. Juice is obtained from the juice of fresh grass and sprouted seeds, which is added with dietary supplements.

1. Colds
2. Ulcers of the digestive system
3. Inflammatory conditions in cystitis and kidney diseases
4. Endometriosis
5. Diabetes mellitus
6. Gout and rheumatism
7. Hepatitis and colpitis

Alfalfa helps remove excess fluid, normalizes metabolic processes, stabilizes the functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, and reduces cholesterol in the blood.

The powder of their dry leaves has long been used as a hemostatic agent, as well as for healing wounds and cuts.

Watch also the video

During the hot summer months, in all corners of Russia you can see yellow and blue-violet fields of the modest forage grass alfalfa. “What a beauty!” - urban wildlife connoisseurs will exclaim. “Here comes the food for our little cow…” the farmers will rejoice. “This is not an ordinary herb, but a symbol of wealth and prosperity,” the naive ancient Celts would say. And the healers of Ancient China would have gone without a word to pick alfalfa for their medicinal preparations...

What is this unique plant and how is alfalfa useful for people and animals?

Burkuku, lechuha and honeydew - all this is alfalfa, a plant that conquered humanity with its medicinal and nutritional properties 6-7 thousand years ago. The name “alfalfa” is familiar to almost every resident of our country, but not everyone will be able to answer the question without prompting: what does alfalfa look like?

The photos show an ordinary field grass with triple heart-shaped leaves and delicate boat inflorescences of yellow or blue color.

Animals were the first to appreciate such beauty - in Ancient China they fed livestock with honeydew, and the Arabs gave alfalfa to their horses to keep them healthy and fast. Soon, Chinese doctors began to use it to treat pneumonia and stomach problems, Indians - for peptic ulcers, and subsequently alfalfa became a cure for a wide variety of ailments.

Today, for the production of hay, medicinal preparations and even pharmaceutical preparations, mostly two types of alfalfa are used: sickle and seed.

What does sickle alfalfa look like? These are low (20-100 cm) flowers of a pleasant yellow color with large roots and an amazing smell of fresh hay, which occurs when harvesting grass for the winter. Seed alfalfa makes a different impression - the photos show thick and tall, up to one and a half meters, thickets of grass with beautiful blue flowers, an excellent honey plant and healer.

A treasure trove of vitamins for your health.

The inconspicuous fodder grass is fraught with many surprises, and the main one is its unique chemical composition.

B vitamins (especially choline) heal the nervous system, soothe, put in order all metabolic processes in the body, and are responsible for the proper functioning of the brain.

Potassium and calcium protect our heart and strengthen bones, preventing the development of arthritis and gout.

Chlorophyll perfectly cleanses blood and blood vessels, heals wounds and reduces the risk of bacterial infections.

Vitamin E provides us with elastic and fresh skin, strengthens hair, prolongs our youth and beauty.

Saponins protect us from such a delicate problem as dysbiosis, and most importantly, they bindbad cholesteroland remove it from the body along with other dirty tricks.

Flavonoids act comprehensively: relieve inflammation, relieve pain, have an antibacterial effect and are powerfulantioxidants.

In medicinal fees Alfalfa is also actively showing itself: Wikipedia says that alfalfa is most often included in general strengthening preparations, compositions for the treatment of tumors, and also for improving vision.

And alone, the alfalfa herb is extremely useful - its medicinal properties are especially actively used in the treatment of peptic ulcers, indigestion, and restoration of appetite after long illnesses. Medunka helps with low hemoglobin, improves blood composition, fights atherosclerosis and heart diseases.

Alfalfa is also an excellent natural antipyretic and diuretic. Decoctions and infusions are used in the treatment of colds, prevention and treatment of diseases of the joints and genitourinary organs (cystitis and prostatitis).

Lechuha preparations, homemade infusions and decoctions are an effective means of supporting the immune system. Alfalfa stimulates the immune system, removes various harmful compounds from the body, improves health and maintains moral and physical strength at any age.

For all its incredible usefulness, alfalfa grass is also extremely safe - its beneficial properties and contraindications are simply incommensurable. Alfalfa medications are prohibited only for lupus, other serious autoimmune diseases, and also during pregnancy.

Alfalfa juice - for vigor and beauty.

Yellow-blue honey bee is used not only in the form of decoctions and herbal infusions; alfalfa juice is also famous for its beneficial properties.

Preparing this product couldn’t be easier: young alfalfa leaves during the flowering period need to be ground in a meat grinder, squeezed out the green juice and strain. This fresh alfalfa is a very concentrated product, so herbalists advise mixing it with carrot juice in a 1:3 ratio. You can also add one part of salad juice - you get a unique summer vitamin cocktail.

Fresh alfalfa is not just a healthy and tasty drink.

It helps strengthen the immune system, improves tone and saves from a variety of ailments:

• reduces the risk of heart attacks;
• cleanses the liver and intestines;
• fights genitourinary infections;
• eliminates cardiac and renal edema;
• treats weak gums and removes bad breath;
• reduces pain during migraines;
• relieves exacerbations of gastritis and colitis.

Alfalfa juice has long been recognized as a powerful cosmetic product. If you drink this fresh juice at least 2-3 times a week, your hair will certainly improve its condition: it will fall out less, begin to grow more actively, and a natural shine will appear.

And for beautiful young skin there is such a mask: Mix a teaspoon of alfalfa juice with a spoonful of liquid honey, spread evenly on the face and neck and rinse after 20 minutes. A course of 10 alfalfa masks (every other day) will give an amazing effect: the skin will noticeably freshen, tighten, and fine wrinkles will smooth out.

Alfalfa in cooking.

Young garden alfalfa is not only a medicine and the basis for a delicious drink, but also a universal culinary product. Alfalfa shoots and leaves are added to salads and soups, and the seeds are even ground into flour and baked into amazing healthy bread. What can I say - among the recipes with this plant there are also such exotic things as alfalfa inflorescences in dough!

For summer green soups, crescent alfalfa is best: if you add it to the end of the dish, it tastes almost the same as fresh chicken broth.

And for lovers of dietary salads, you can offer a recipe for cucumber salad with alfalfa: you will need 2 cucumbers, a glass of alfalfa herb and watercress each, lemon juice and salt for dressing. Finely chop the greens and vegetables, season with lemon - and your vitamin snack is ready!

In order for alfalfa to maximize its beneficial properties, it is necessary to grow it correctly. Ordinary fodder grass from wild fields is not suitable for the dinner table - it is better to grow a small batch of lechuha in a greenhouse, along with salads and herbs. And before cooking, soak it in a liter of boiled water with a spoon apple cider vinegar for 15-20 minutes - this will kill all random microbes and remove the characteristic alfalfa bitterness.

How to use alfalfa?

To prevent diseases and improve the overall tone of the body, the ideal option is salads with young shoots of honeydew and fresh green-orange juice. If you include dishes with alfalfa shoots in your menu, this will help you forget about heartburn, flatulence, improve digestion and reduce the risk of exacerbations of gastrointestinal ailments.

Fresh alfalfa is an excellent remedy against chronic fatigue, overwork and nervousness, especially in children. For frequent nosebleeds and severe stages of hemorrhoids, you can take pure juice - 25 grams per day. Single nosebleeds can be stopped with a cotton swab dipped in alfalfa decoction (a teaspoon per glass of boiling water).

To grow and strengthen your hair, you don’t have to take it internally - you can rinse your hair with the infusion and rub it a little into the scalp.

In China they always said: “What is good for animals is good for you.” But in the case of alfalfa, one can even argue - it is not known who was more fortunate with this miracle herb - people or animals. It is no coincidence that today the most famous manufacturers of herbal medicines offer various products based on it - tablets, powders and extracts. Don’t be afraid to save money, grow alfalfa in your country house and village - and you will get a unique home doctor and delicious greens for your table!