Medicinal sweet clover. Sweet clover (grass): medicinal properties, application, indications. Botanical characteristics of sweet clover

An excellent honey plant, an assistant in the fight against many diseases and an excellent green manure ... Today it will be about sweet clover. In the list of medicinal herbs, sweet clover is not the last, its healing properties have proven their strength more than once. The biennial plant is unpretentious, has several varieties and is grown all over the world.

Melilot plant description

The herb belongs to perennial legumes, subfamily of moths. A variety of cultivated sweet clover has grown over time to several dozen species, but the most important variety is yellow and white sweet clover.

Yellow sweet clover belongs to medicinal plants, is grown as an agricultural crop for feeding cattle and as a crop - green manure. In addition to the above, the culture bears the undeniable title of one of the best melliferous herbs.

Sweet clover got its name from the Greek - "honey lotus". In Russia, sweet clover was grown for livestock feed, collected by herbalists for the preparation of decoctions and infusions, and was called: sweet clover, burkun or bottom grass.

A perennial plant has a fairly well-developed taproot system, a bushy stem and many small, oval-elongated, carved leaves on short petioles.

The flowering culture begins in summer, the multi-flowered brushes absorb small yellow or white flowers, about 5 cm in size. The fruits of the sweet clover are beans, often too small.

Melilot is also a highly valuable forage plant, which yields a lot of nutritious greenery and oxygenates the soil.

The most popular varieties of sweet clover for business executives are toothed and yellow sweet clover, which provide livestock with weight gain and have a high lactation effect.

White and medicinal sweet clover are used in fragrances, including for tobacco products, and as a flavoring agent in soap making. Much has been said about the melliferous nature of the culture, but little has been said about the quality of the honey obtained.

So, bottom honey has a bright aromatic smell, rich amber color and delicate taste, it is considered one of the best in the early distillation of honey. Today, sweet clover is grown all over the world and is widespread in Europe, Russia and Asia.

A variety of sweet clover

Donnik has more than 50 varieties. The most common varieties are yellow, white and medicinal sweet clover.

In addition to the above, annual and perennial varieties of sweet clover were bred.

Yellow or medicinal sweet clover. It is a biennial plant preferred in the southern regions. Medicinal sweet clover is not afraid of drought, hardy and cold-resistant. Flowering begins in the summer, in the first decade, the flowers are yellow, densely planted in the inflorescence.

The culture is sown at a rate of about 120 grams per hundred square meters of arable land.

The plant's melliferousness is high, up to 320 kg can be obtained per hectare. honey, the average weight gain of the hive per day is 3.5 kg.

White sweet clover no less popular crop, the plant is not afraid of drought, is grown for silage and as a fodder base for livestock.

Flowering begins in summer, blooms later than its predecessor, but blooms longer, more than a month in time.

It is an excellent honey plant, gives an impressive amount of nectar, even in drought.

If the plant is grown as a fodder base for livestock, the agrotechnics of cultivation of sweet clover should be observed, and the condition of the animals should be monitored; it is not uncommon for a white sweet clover, if stored improperly or prematurely to spoil, to cause massive mortality among cattle. The honey content of the culture exceeds 450 kg. per hectare, and the daily rate of increase in the hive is about 4.5 kg.

Annual sweet clover, blooms in the first year after sowing, in summer. In terms of honey content, it overtakes perennial varieties. It is grown for a variety of fodder ration for livestock and as a melliferous crop.

The plant is unpretentious and grows in almost all soils.

According to the reviews of both "industrialists" and gardeners, the most popular varieties among white sweet clover can be considered:

Perennial sweet clover variety Hoarfrost, Meshchersky, Stepnoy, Chermasan, Sayansky. The yellow varieties include Karabalyk, Omsk and Siberian sweet clover.

These varieties are resistant to insect attacks, unpretentious, fruitful. They are distinguished by early maturity (the period from sowing to harvesting can be as little as 60 days), high yields (up to 215 centners of green mass can be obtained per hectare), varieties are unsurpassed melliferous plants and an excellent nutritious forage crop.

The healing properties of sweet clover

Melilot, the herb included in the book of medicinal plants and for good reason.

Part of herbal teas and homeopathic remedies, it helps to cope with the infection of the upper respiratory tract, has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.

Melilot decoctions and balms help get rid of insomnia and even eliminate varicose veins.

Due to the plant's ability to reduce the permeability of small vessels and capillaries, as well as anti-inflammatory and tonic properties, sweet clover is able to get rid of venous insufficiency and varicose veins.

Foot baths with this plant will relieve fatigue and swelling, itching, and relieve fungal infections. To solve the problem with inflammation in arthrosis and arthritis, weeping skin lesions in burns and injuries, gauze lotions and compresses are made on the affected and sore areas.

Such manipulations can stop even not heavy bleeding.

For diseases of the nasopharynx and oral cavity, it is customary to rinse with a decoction of sweet clover. Such rinsing of the mouth will help with tonsillitis and pharyngitis, increase the resistance of the pharynx to viral infections.

Decoctions and tea with sweet clover normalize stool, and have a carminative effect, used for bloating and disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.

Sweet clover is able to reduce emotional stress, relieve insomnia and migraines, having antispasmodic properties, the herb relieves spasms and relaxes.

Some homeopaths claim that the herb can reduce the development of leukopenia and stimulate bone marrow function.

In addition to the above merits of sweet clover, the plant is valued by healers and healers, for its narcotic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory abilities during the menstrual cycle in girls.

Melilot tincture is able to facilitate the process of menopause in adulthood in women. For men, the herb is no less useful, the stronger sex plant heals from diseases of the prostate and urinary tract.

Melilot cultivation

Growing and sowing sweet clover is not a burdensome process, if early stage comply with all agrotechnical measures. Dry regions most often use the uncovered sweet clover sowing method, which allows you to get good mowing of greenery in the year of sowing.

The middle zone of Russia and forest-steppe regions with a higher than average precipitation rate, sow sweet clover under the cover of forage cereals.

Coverless sowing is carried out, as well as planting of perennial grasses with conventional tillage, plowing and harrowing.

As for the requirements for the cultivation of sweet clover, for a good harvest, a slightly acidic, non-waterlogged soil and an average rate of precipitation will be required, otherwise the plant is unpretentious and feels good on any soil.

Absolutely all agricultural crops can become a predecessor for grass. The sown area before sowing is subject to plowing, harrowing and rolling. If the soil is scarce, nitrogen and mineral fertilizers are applied for plowing at a rate of 4 centners per hectare of arable land.

Melilot seed preparation should begin about a month before sowing, scarification, nitraginization and inoculation are carried out. All these activities are aimed at 100% increase in yield.

The sowing of the sweet clover is carried out by seed drills, in an ordinary way, at the rate of 15.5 kg. per hectare of area. The planting depth varies depending on the condition and density of the soil, on average it is about 3 cm.

Melilot care involves the presence of protective measures against harmful plants and insects, by spraying and treating the soil with herbicides, at the pre-sowing stage.

Top dressing is required only when the plant develops very poorly, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied at the rate of 45 kg. per hectare of land.

Melilot bloom begins at next year after sowing, in the same year bears fruit, throwing out the seeds. The optimum temperature for the growth and development of the culture is considered to be + 4 degrees, the germination of sweet clover seeds is high and lasts up to 10 years.

Sowing of sweet clover begins in early spring, in the first year of growth, the root system of the plant and the stem are actively developing, and the next year gives development to the seeds.

The use of sweet clover

Wide application in medicine, pharmacology, cosmetology and agriculture received a medicinal sweet clover. In addition to the above, flowering culture is an integral part of honey production.

During the flowering period, in the summer, beekeepers actively set up hives near the fields of flowering sweet clover, since the honey obtained from its pollen has truly healing properties.

Honey obtained from sweet clover relieves swelling, has a wide range of antibacterial properties, reduces blood pressure, moisturizes and nourishes the skin, has a diuretic and spasmodic effect.

Such honey enhances immunity, eliminates infections of the nasopharynx, is effective for gastritis and ulcers, as well as diseases of the oral cavity. A spoonful of sweet clover honey per day eliminates immunodeficiencies, saturates the body with vitamins and carbohydrates, improves mood and gives a boost of vivacity.

Donnik has conquered its niche in dietary supplements and herbal preparations.

But this grass does not do without "pitfalls". Medications on the basis of sweet clover, as well as honey are contraindicated for persons with individual intolerance and allergies.

In addition, sweet clover can be poisonous. The toxic component in the herb appears when the aromatic substance coumarin is destroyed, turning into dicoumarin, under the influence of mold. Here is such chemical reaction... Therefore, spoiled or stale sweet clover should never be fed to livestock, even in the form of hay.

So in the Rostov region, a massive death of livestock was described, due to the ingestion of yellow melilot in their diet. In the course of the proceedings, veterinarians discovered a low level of blood clotting in cattle and a dysfunction of the liver, and also identified the reasons for this state of the horned - moldy silage from yellow melilot.

Sweet clover harvesting

The harvesting of sweet clover for seeds begins in the second year after sowing.

The seeds fall off easily, therefore, mowing begins when 1/4 of the seed pods turn yellow, later periods threaten with the complete shedding of small seeds into the soil and the appearance of volunteers. Do not worry about the not ripeness of the seeds, they will ripen calmly in the rolls.

After threshing the mowed mass and sifting, the seeds are sent for storage until the next sowing. It is customary to cultivate sweet clover seeds in areas not included in the crop rotation, due to its high vitality and the risk of turning from an agricultural crop into an annoying weed.

In general, the harvesting of sweet clover is always burdened with a headache, since late mowing results in coarse silage, with a high coumarin content.

If the sweet clover is mowed for silage, then the beginning of harvesting is the budding phase and the plant height up to 16 cm. This period reduces losses when collecting in windrows, and allows you to accelerate the next mowing of green mass.

Sweet clover is poorly suitable for hay harvesting, due to the high loss of leaves, in order to avoid this, business executives dry the already dried greens with installations with good ventilation.

If the sweet clover was grown as a green manure, its embedding into the soil begins when it reaches a height of about 25-37 cm. Before embedding, the grass is crushed with disc harrows and then plowed.

So, with timely harvesting, of course, depending on your growing goals, you can get a fairly large amount of nutritious green mass or hay. And also to use sweet clover as a green manure and saturate the soil with oxygen and important trace elements.

Melilotus officinalis is an herb of the legume family (Latin Fabáceae).

The plant has other names: burkun, wild buckwheat, yellow sweet clover, female sweet clover, yellow burkun, Italian grass, meadow burkun, burkunets, bottom grass.

It is a biennial taproot plant. Stem erect, branched, 0.5-1.5 m high. Leaflets are oblong-obovate or elliptical with a serrate edge. The leaves are glaucous above, whitish below, the whole plant is slightly silvery.

Flowers are yellow, collected in apical and numerous axillary racemes. They are moth, not large - 5-7 mm long.

Fruits are bare, brown pods, short, oval, with a subulate acumen at the top.

Blooms in June-August; fruits ripen from July to late autumn.

Along with sweet clover medicinal in medicine, tall clover is also used, which is distinguished by larger flowers with a pubescent calyx, beans with sparse hairs.

The widespread white sweet clover, which has white flowers, is almost never used, but it has similar healing properties. Sweet clover, that is, yellow, unlike its counterpart, is more studied and is much more widely used in folk medicine many countries.

Melilotus officinalis grows on wastelands, along roadsides, on dry and steppe meadows. It is found as a weed in fallow fields, in young forest belts. Distributed throughout the European part of the CIS, in the middle and southern Urals, in Western Siberia, in the Caucasus.

Harvesting and drying of raw materials

The medicinal raw materials are flower brushes, tops of grass with leaves and lateral shoots (up to 30 cm in length), harvested during flowering. Often the medicinal sweet clover grows together with the white sweet clover, but they should be harvested separately. Harvested in dry, clear weather, when the dew melts, otherwise, being wet, it quickly darkens and deteriorates.

Dried in the shade under awnings, in attics, in a well-ventilated place. Spread the grass in a thin layer (up to 5 cm), on a cloth or paper, periodically turning it over. You can also use a dryer, but the temperature should not exceed 40C. The resulting raw material tastes salty-bitter, with a strong aromatic coumarin smell (the smell of fresh hay).

Chemical composition

Melilotine herb contains 0.4-0.9% coumarin, which gives the raw material a pleasant smell (fresh grass contains the coumarigen glycoside), dihydrocoumarin - melilotin with the same odor, coumaric and melilotic acids, melilotoside glycoside, flavonoids, purine derivatives, fat-like substances , proteins, traces of essential oil, etc.

Medicinal properties and application

The healing properties of sweet clover have been known for a long time. V medicinal purposes it was used and repeatedly mentioned in their writings by the ancient Roman doctors - Dioscridus and Galen, the Persian doctor Avicenna. And in the Middle Ages, sweet clover was widely used by Paracelsus.

The plant has anti-inflammatory, expectorant, anticoagulant, hypotensive, antiseptic, emollient, diaphoretic, sedative, carminative, wound healing, anticonvulsant, analgesic properties.

Thanks to coumarin, sweet clover increases systolic blood pressure, relieves convulsions well, increases the minute volume of the heart and the number of leukocytes in the blood, which can help patients with radiation sickness. Improves blood circulation to organs abdominal cavity as well as cerebral, peripheral and coronary blood supply.

Melilot preparations are used in the treatment of cough, bronchitis, hypertension, atherosclerosis, flatulence, constipation, increased nervous excitability, hysteria, migraine, insomnia, diffuse toxic goiter, neuropirculatory dystonia, rheumatoid and gouty arthritis, with inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs, purulent wounds, abscesses, boils, as well as in menopause.

It is widely used in Bulgaria, Poland, Austria, France and Germany, China and India. In Bulgaria from the leaves the drug "Meliocin" was obtained, which has a biostimulating effect twice as high as that of aloe extract.

Traditional medicine recipes

Melilot infusion(cold): 2 teaspoons of chopped sweet clover herb, pour 2 cups cold water, insist 4 hours, filter. Take 1/3 cup 2-3 times a day 20-40 minutes before meals.

For external use in the form of compresses, trays, an infusion is used at the rate of 2 tablespoons of herbs for 2 cups of boiling water, leave for half an hour, then strain.

Sweet clover decoction: 10 g of dry chopped herbs in 1 glass of water, boil for half an hour over low heat, then strain. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for acute respiratory diseases, bronchitis, insomnia, and liver disease.

Alcohol tincture of sweet clover(on vodka): Pour 100 g of dry raw materials (grass) with half a liter of vodka or diluted alcohol (40%). Insist for two weeks, then strain and take 10-15 drops orally, 3 times a day before meals, with water. Use tincture for infertility and hormonal imbalance, endometriosis, migraine, etc. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 years.

Here is another recipe for an extract of sweet clover from fresh grass: pour 50 g of fresh chopped grass with half liters of vodka, leave in a dark place for two weeks, then strain. Use internally, 15 drops, 2 times a day.

For external use, compresses with ointment can also be applied.

Oil extract: to accelerate the "ripening" of the boil, an oil extract in sunflower oil is used, which is prepared by infusion for 3 hours in a water bath from 1 part of cut grass with 9 parts of sunflower oil, and then filtered through a cotton swab hot.

Sweet clover ointment prepare according to this recipe: grind 2 tablespoons of freshly dried sweet clover flowers into powder, then add 50 g of petroleum jelly and mix everything well. Such an ointment is used to accelerate the maturation and healing of boils, carbuncles, purulent wounds, etc.

And one more recipe for sweet clover ointment, in butter: we take 3 tbsp. spoons butter and 50-60 g of fresh sweet clover flowers. We carefully grind the flowers into powder, and then mix with oil. Such an ointment draws out abscesses well, relieves inflammation.

The use of sweet clover in cooking

In many countries, sweet clover is used as a seasoning for fish dishes, salads, soups; in the manufacture of cheese, canned food, compotes, pickling cucumbers, tomatoes. Leaves with flowers are used as a flavoring agent in the meat, fish, dairy, and tobacco industries; production of various tinctures and soft drinks. In the Caucasus, young roots, raw or boiled, are used for food, and the leaves are used as a spice.

Melilot powder: dried inflorescences and leaves in a mortar or grind in a coffee grinder, sift through a sieve. Add to first and second courses, sauces, appetizers, drinks, as a spice.

Sweet clover salad: chop 20 g of young leaves, add 100 g of chopped fresh cucumbers, green onions 50 g, hard-boiled egg to them, salt and mix. Fill up vegetable oil(with mayonnaise).

Drink: put 10 g of leaves (inflorescences) in half a liter of boiling water, add 100 ml of cranberry or cherry juice and sugar to taste. Bring to a boil and refrigerate.

Sweet clover is also an excellent honey plant, and honey from sweet clover has medicinal properties. Translated from Greek, the name of this plant means - honey clover. Melilot honey is used for joint tumors in case of rheumatism, inflammation of the mammary glands, bronchitis, dropsy, flatulence, migraines, insomnia, hypertension, etc.

Contraindications

It should be remembered that when using sweet clover in large doses, it is impossible, it is a poisonous plant. Contraindicated with reduced blood clotting, kidney disease, pregnancy, hemorrhagic diathesis, internal bleeding. In large doses, it has a depressing effect on the central nervous system.

With prolonged and uncontrolled use, it can cause headache, dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, nausea, sometimes - hemorrhages, liver damage and even central paralysis nervous system.

The beneficial properties and contraindications of sweet clover are known in most European countries. Several types of grass are found in India, China, North and South America. This plant raw material is used not only for medical purposes, but also in cooking, perfumery, alcoholic beverage industry, it is used to flavor food and tobacco products.

Features of a medicinal plant

Yellow melilot grows in the wild. It is a good forage plant, a green soil fertilizer and a quality honey plant. Recently, it is more and more appreciated healing properties, therefore, in some countries it is cultivated, new varieties are developed.

Area

It is a medicinal plant of the steppe and forest-steppe zone. Distributed throughout the European part. Loves the southern regions, Minor, Central Asia, the Caucasus. In Russia, it can be found even in Western Siberia. Most types of sweet clover grow in Ukraine. Also, this plant can be found in North and South America, New Zealand.

Botanical characteristics of sweet clover

It is a biennial herb. Differs in a branched, erect stem. Its height can reach from 50 to 150 cm. Leaves with a serrated edge, trifoliate. The plant is easily recognizable by its characteristic bright yellow flowers, which are collected in thin clusters in the form of spikelets. Donets exudes a coumarin aroma, which can be described as "the smell of freshly cut grass."

Other species

There are three more types of this plant, which are used in folk medicine and beekeeping.

Procurement of raw materials

The dried sweet clover has a fragrant, pleasant smell of cut grass. It is important to maintain storage conditions - to protect the grass from moisture. When mold appears, raw materials must not be consumed.

Healing action

What are medicinal properties sweet clover medicinal?

• Expectorant.
• Anticonvulsant.
• Emollient.
• Calming.
• Wound healing.
• Anticoagulant (anticoagulant).
• Pain reliever.
• Absorbent.
• Carminative.
• Anti-inflammatory.
• Distracting.

What in chemical composition?

• Coumarin, dicumarin (prevent blood clotting).
• Organic acids.
• Glycosides.
• Slime.
• Vitamins C, A.
• Essential oil.
• Flavonoids.
• Tannins.

Indications

What are the indications for the yellow clover treatment?

• Varicose veins. The herb reduces capillary permeability. The main application of sweet clover is chronic venous insufficiency, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, hemorrhoids. Medicines from the grass help relieve pain, itching, swelling, heaviness in the legs, cramps with venous insufficiency.
• External use... Compresses and lotions are used for bruises, sprains, subcutaneous hemorrhages, non-healing wounds, abscesses, boils, tumors. The remedy well stops external bleeding, relieves swelling, inflammation in the joints, pain in rheumatism, arthrosis, gout. With fluxes, it is recommended to rinse the mouth with decoctions of sweet clover.
• Respiratory system . Broths help with coughs, inflammation of the respiratory system. They are prescribed for bronchitis, tracheitis, laryngitis.
• Digestive organs... Sweet clover herb acts as a mild laxative and carminative. Helps with indigestion, relieves cramps, bloating.
• Nervous system . The remedy is known for its sedative, narcotic properties, relaxes the nervous system, helps with insomnia, neurasthenia, psychosis. They drink it for migraines, severe headaches, convulsions.
• Leukopenia (decrease in the level of leukocytes). Often the disease develops after radiation therapy for cancer. The herb helps to increase leukocytes.
• For women . Nursing mothers apply compresses for inflammation of the mammary glands (mastitis), cracked nipples. They act as a distracting and anti-inflammatory agent. Also, the herb normalizes the menstrual cycle, it is used to treat ovarian inflammation. It is useful to drink with menopause - it relieves irritability, tension, normalizes sleep.
• For men . Most often, the remedy is used for prostate adenoma, which develops in men after 50 years. The herb acts as a resorption, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent.

Contraindications of yellow melilot: low blood clotting, hemorrhagic diathesis (tendency to internal and external bleeding), liver disease, pregnancy, childhood... The herb is dangerous for the kidneys, for diseases of the central nervous system, mental disorders. A medical consultation before using this herb is strictly imperative.

Methods of preparation and use of sweet clover

What is the use of sweet clover at home? Decoctions, infusions, ointments are prepared from the herb. It is also used in cooking, and sweet clover honey is one of the highest quality varieties of honey.

Decoction

The herb can be brewed separately. It is also often included in the fees used to treat abscesses. It is a good emollient, anti-inflammatory, expectorant. It is taken for varicose veins, insomnia, respiratory diseases.

Preparation

1. Take 1 tbsp. spoonful of herbs.
2. Pour a glass of boiling water over.
3. Boil for 1 minute.
4. Insist 1 hour.
5. Strain.

Broths are taken orally in 1 tbsp. spoon after meals 3 times a day. Used externally in the form of lotions and compresses.

Infusion

There are several recipes for infusions. Coarser infusions are recommended to be applied externally.

Cooking a weak infusion

1. Take 1 tsp. herbs.
2. Pour a glass of boiling water over.
3. Insist 40 minutes.
4. Strain.

Warm infusion is taken orally ¼ glass 3 times a day. Good for insomnia and nervous disorders.

Preparation of concentrated infusion

1. Take 1 tbsp. l. herbs.
2. Pour a glass of boiling water over.
3. Insist 2 hours.
4. Strain.

This infusion can be taken in 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day.

In gynecology, infusions are taken orally, they are also used externally in the form of douching, tampons, baths. Concentrated infusions are added to medicinal baths with diseases of the joints.

Ointment

The ointment is prepared on the basis of fat - melted pork, duck, goose, butter or petroleum jelly. It can be used for mastitis, diseases of the blood vessels and joints, for bruises, bruises, abscesses, for the ripening of boils.

Preparation

1. Take 1 tbsp. l. herbs.
2. Mix with ¼ cup duck fat.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Insist until cool.

The ointment is applied to a napkin and applied to the affected skin area or sore spot.

Features of use for varicose veins

Treatment varicose veins veins are a long and complex process. It is important to include correct diet and drinking regimen, gymnastics, massage. An important role is influenced by the patient's lifestyle, age, occupation. Meet positive reviews on the treatment of yellow clover with the threat of blood clots. Varicose veins are also treated with other herbal remedies: horse chestnut, figs, hare cabbage, hops, thistle, comfrey, milk thistle, Kalanchoe, goat's rue, lungwort, asparagus.

How to make a decoction to treat veins

1. Take 1 tbsp. l. dry grass.
2. Pour in 2 glasses warm water(not boiling water!).
3. Insist 4 hours.
4. Strain.

How to use herbal for veins? Drink 1 dessert spoon 3 times a day before meals. Doctors recommend taking this herb together with other herbs.

How to prepare herbal remedy for vein treatment

1. Take 2 parts each of milk thistle herb, hazel leaves.
2. Add 1 part each of the melilot grass and prickly steel.
3. Mix and take 1 tbsp. collection spoon.
4. Pour in 1.5 cups of water.
5. Boil for 10 minutes and leave for 1 hour.

Take a collection of ¼ glass 3 times before meals.

Sweet clover honey

Melilot exudes a lot of nectar. Due to the unique structure of the flower, nectar does not evaporate in hot weather, and is not washed off by rain. This honey plant is grown industrially to obtain valuable melilot honey. The greatest honey productivity is given by annual and white sweet clover. Melilot honey is not only a useful delicacy, but also a valuable medicine. It is used externally for mastitis, abscesses, tumors, pain in muscles and joints. Inside take for coughs, hypertension, indigestion, headaches, fatigue, neuroses. Read more about it in our other article.

Cooking

Among the Slavic peoples, sweet clover is not such a well-known herb in cooking. However, among southerners and Caucasian peoples, this is a popular seasoning for fish and meat dishes. Fresh, dry leaves and flowers are salted, preserved, salads and soups are prepared from them, they are added to homemade cheeses and liqueurs. As a seasoning, sweet clover should be used sparingly, as its excess in the diet can cause side effects.

Side effects

Melilotus officinalis is a poisonous plant. Overdose and uncontrolled intake lead to severe side effects:

• dizziness;
• drowsiness;
• headache;
• nausea and vomiting;
• hemorrhage;
• paralysis.

What is important to know?

• Do not increase the dosage of the herb.
• Do not give to children.
• When there is side effects consult a doctor immediately.
• White sweet clover is considered more toxic, so it is much less commonly used as a medicine.

Melilotus officinalis is the first remedy for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Also, the herb is effective for cramps, agitation of the nervous system, insomnia. It is an effective distracting, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent for mastitis, rheumatism, gout. Ointments, compresses are made from it and applied to sore spots.

Melilotus officinalis Pall is a plant that is ubiquitous in European and Asian dry meadows, steppes, wastelands and fallow lands. Belonging to the genus of melliferous juveniles of the legume family, it is a dense, woody at the base, well-branched stem, which reaches a height of one to one and a half meters, and sometimes grows in culture up to two meters. On the stem are medium-sized trifoliate petiole leaves, the color of which is bluish-green above, and paler below. Because of this feature of the location of the leaves, sweet clover is also often called the bottom trefoil.

In general, sweet clover got its name from the words "bottom" (as in ancient times they called the disease, today known as gout) and "bottom", which the ancient Russians used to designate diseases of the lower abdominal cavity. The scientific name of the plant Melilotus has Greek roots and is formed by the words "chalk", which means "honey" in translation, and "lotus" - "fodder grass".

The plant has a fairly large number of interesting folk names. So, herbalists often call the herb sweet clover burkun medicinal, wild hop, hare chill, tomka, chrestovik, malasny, common, sticky, Italian and molten grass, wild buckwheat or burkovina.

Sweet clover belongs to aromatic herbs and, thanks to such substances included in its chemical composition as melitol, coumarin, mellitic acid and essential oils, has a pronounced pleasant coumarin scent. Its flowering period is in the summer months, the fruits ripen from July to late autumn. The tops of the stems, leaves and flowers of the plant, which are cut off during flowering, are used as medicinal raw materials. They dry the herb of medicinal sweet clover in well-ventilated attic rooms, under awnings. Dried grass acquires a strong specific aroma, which is comparable to the smell of fresh hay, although it would be more correct to say that hay smells like sweet clover.

Finished medicinal raw materials are stored in tightly closed cans or wrapped in paper.

Chemical composition

Melilot grass contains glycosides, as a result of the cleavage of which coumarin is formed - a camphor substance with a bitter taste. Its content ranges from 0.4 to 0.9%. Also in the chemical composition of melilot are present:

• Orthohydrocumaric (or melilotic) acid, which has a strong honey smell;
• Tsimarin, which has a diuretic effect;
• Tannins;
• Coumaric acid;
• Essential oils;
• Protein compounds;
• Fatty substances;
• Purine derivatives, which regulate the course of various biological processes in the body (in particular, they have a stimulating effect, as well as antitumor, antiviral and antiallergic activity);
• Cholines, which help to improve memory, affect carbohydrate metabolism, regulate insulin levels in the body, and also improve the transport and metabolism of fats in the liver;
• Flavonoids, which affect the activity of most enzymes in the body, regulate the permeability of the walls of blood vessels of the circulatory system, improve their elasticity, and also prevent sclerotic lesions;
• Vitamin C;
• Tocopherol;
• Carotene;
• Sahara;
• Slime.

In decaying sweet clover plants, dicumarol (dicumarin) was found, which prevents blood clotting.

Beneficial features

The use of sweet clover, thanks to the coumarin contained in it, helps to suppress the central nervous system. The substance eliminates the manifestations of convulsive syndrome and increases the number of leukocytes in people who have undergone a course of radiation therapy. Coumarin increases systolic blood pressure, increases minute blood volume, improves peripheral, cerebral and blood supply to the organs located in the abdominal cavity.

Also, sweet clover is used as an expectorant for inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, as a laxative, to reduce the severity of symptoms of climacteric syndrome, with insomnia, hysterical conditions, cardiospasm and migraine attacks.

Melilot is used in combination with other medicinal plants for the preparation of emollient preparations for poultices and the preparation of a green plaster (in particular, blister and corn).

Even in pre-Slavic times, the properties of sweet clover were actively used by folk healers to reduce nervous excitability, treat melancholy, relieve headaches, with menstrual disorders, bronchitis and dropsy.

The use of sweet clover as an external agent involves the preparation of infusions and decoctions from it, as well as ointments from the flowers of this plant. With the help of these funds, diseases such as furunculosis, mastitis, and ear inflammation are quite effectively treated. In addition, they significantly accelerate the healing process of purulent wounds.

Besides its use in medicine, sweet clover is widely used in cooking. It is added as a seasoning to fish, vegetable salads and soups, as well as during conservation, preparation of cheeses and compotes.

Contraindications

The main contraindications to the treatment of sweet clover are pregnancy, decreased blood clotting, internal bleeding and renal dysfunction.

In large doses, the plant has a pronounced inhibitory effect on the nervous system and adversely affects smooth muscles. Long-term use of sweet clover and exceeding the recommended dose can provoke the development of undesirable side effects in the form of vomiting, increased drowsiness, hemorrhages under the skin, into muscle tissue and internal organs, liver damage. In especially severe cases, even paralysis of the nervous system is possible.

In the article we discuss medicinal sweet clover. You will learn what the plant looks like, what medicinal properties it has. We will tell you how to use means based on it to treat varicose veins, hemorrhoids and hypertension. Consider contraindications for use, and tell you how sweet clover is used in cooking.

Melilotus officinalis is a herbaceous representative of the legume family (lat.Fabaceae). The Latin name is Melilotus officinalis. The plant is popularly known as yellow burkun, wild buckwheat, burkunets, female sweet clover, meadow burkun, Italian grass.

What does it look like

Appearance of medicinal sweet clover Medicinal sweet clover has a thick taproot with many processes. The plant has a strong coumarin smell, which can be compared to the smell of freshly cut grass.

The plant has a straight, branched stem. Shoot height from 1 to 2 meters.

Leaves are lanceolate, toothed, grow in 3 pieces on a long petiole. The leaf surface is bluish-green above, pale below.

Small yellow flowers are collected in loose drooping inflorescences in the form of brushes. Each flower consists of 10 stamens, 1 corolla and 5 petals. Melilot blooms from mid-summer to early autumn. Grains with pollen are elliptical. The pollen is yellow.

The fruits are smooth, flattened beans. Consist of one, rarely two seeds. The length of the bean is 3-4 cm. Begins to bear fruit in August.

Where grows

Melilotus officinalis is found in the steppe and forest-steppe zones. Grows in meadows, wastelands, along roads. The plant often forms thickets together with white melilot, which differs only in the color of the flowers and the shape of the beans.

Melilotus officinalis grows practically throughout Russia. Found in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, North America and in the British Isles.

For more information about medicinal clover, see the following video:

Flowers, leaves, shoots

The entire upper part of the plant has healing properties: shoots, leaves, flowers. In pharmacies, you can find pharmaceuticals with the addition of this plant in combination with horse chestnut and blueberries.

Chemical composition

Melilotus officinalis contains:

• organic acids;
• essential oil;
• tannins;
• coumarins;
• vitamin A;
• vitamin C;
• glycosides;
• flavonoids;
• slime.

Medicinal properties

Melilotus officinalis is well studied, in contrast to white melilot, therefore it is more often used as medicinal plant... It has an expectorant, analgesic, anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory effect. Plant-based products are used to treat diseases of the respiratory tract, hearing organs and the gastrointestinal tract.

Melilot grass has a calming effect. Plant-based products lower blood pressure and restore the functioning of the nervous system. They are used for nervous disorders, migraines and insomnia.

The plant helps women cope with mastitis and menstrual irregularities. Funds based on it normalize hormonal levels.

Melilotus officinalis accelerates wound healing, treats furunculosis and acne. The plant is added to homemade ointments for external use.

How to collect

As soon as the plant blooms, you can start harvesting medicinal raw materials. The grass is cut along with the flowers, dried under a canopy, spreading them out in a thin layer.

Store sweet clover in fabric bags or glass containers in a dark, ventilated place. Shelf life is 2 years.

How to apply

Sweet clover herb can be bought at any pharmacy. On the basis of medicinal melilot, infusions and decoctions are prepared for oral administration. The plant is used for the preparation of monocomponent products or added to medicinal preparations.

Infusion of sweet clover is used to treat diseases gastrointestinal tract, nervous and cardiovascular systems.

The agent has an anticonvulsant effect and improves blood circulation in all organs. The infusion of the plant is used externally for joint inflammation, rheumatism and radiculitis.

Melilot decoction is used to treat respiratory diseases accompanied by cough: bronchitis, asthma, tracheitis.

Decoction for varicose veins

Melilotus officinalis reduces capillary permeability, eliminates heaviness in the legs and relieves swelling. A decoction of the plant is often used to treat varicose veins and thrombophlebitis. The tool is taken orally and based on it, lotions and foot baths are made.

Ingredients:

1. Sweet clover herb - 1 tablespoon.
2. Water - 400 ml.

How to cook: Chop the herb, cover with warm water, cover and let it brew for 4 hours. Filter the finished broth with a strainer or gauze.

How to use: Take 1 tablespoon 3 times daily before meals.

Result: The decoction eliminates cramps, swelling and heaviness in the legs. The remedy is effective for venous insufficiency.

Tincture for pregnancy (for infertility)

During pregnancy, remedies based on medicinal sweet clover are contraindicated for use, since the plant is poisonous. Tincture of the herb is used to treat female infertility. The tool normalizes hormonal levels and, with regular use, increases the chances of conception.

Ingredients:

1. Medicinal sweet clover - 100 gr.
2. Vodka - 500 ml.

How to cook: Pour the dry herb with vodka, cover with a lid, put in a dark and cool place for 2 weeks. Ready remedy strain.

How to use: Take 10-15 drops before each meal, but no more than 4 times a day.

Result: The tincture normalizes hormonal levels, stimulates the functions of the ovaries.

Infusion for hypertension (from pressure)

Melilotus officinalis is used to normalize blood pressure, vasoconstriction and increase the level of leukocytes in the blood. The infusion of the plant increases the minute volume of the heart. The remedy is taken within 3 weeks, a two-week break is required before the repeated course.

Ingredients:

1. Medicinal sweet clover - 5 gr.
2. Tavolga - 15 gr.
3. Field horsetail - 10 gr.
4. Horse chestnut - 10 gr.
5. Water - 500 ml.

How to cook: Combine herbs, put in a thermos, pour boiling water over and leave for 5-6 hours.

How to use: Take ⅓ glass of the infusion three times daily between meals.

Result: Infusion lowers blood pressure and normalizes heart rate. This healthy recipe effective for ischemic disease hearts.

Ointment for hemorrhoids

Melilotus officinalis is used to treat hemorrhoids. The decoction of the plant is taken orally, the ointment is applied externally. Comprehensive treatment quickly eliminates the symptoms of the disease.

Ingredients:

1. Sweet clover flowers - 20 gr.
2. Vaseline - 50 gr.

How to prepare: Powder the flowers with a rolling pin, combine with petroleum jelly and stir.

How to use: Apply to the anal sphincter after every bowel movement.

Result: The ointment eliminates pain, relieves inflammation and itching, resolves hemorrhoids. The remedy is suitable for the treatment of external hemorrhoids.

The use of sweet clover in cooking

Southern peoples use sweet clover in cooking as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes; sweet clover is especially popular in the Caucasus. Fresh leaves and flowers of the plant are added to salads, first courses and drinks. They are often used in home preservation.

Melilotus officinalis - honey plant

Appearance of honey from sweet clover. Honey from the nectar of sweet clover is distinguished by its high taste characteristics.

Along with buckwheat, acacia and linden honey, sweet clover honey is a first-class product. It has a white or light amber color and a pleasant subtle vanilla aroma.

200 kg of honey is produced from 1 hectare of melilot thickets. An artificially grown plant produces up to 600 kg of honey per hectare.

Contraindications

Contraindications to the use of drugs based on medicinal sweet clover:

• period of pregnancy;
• internal bleeding;
• pathology of the liver and kidneys;
• low blood pressure;
• poor blood clotting.

Melilotus officinalis is a poisonous herb, therefore, the dosage of preparations based on it should be strictly observed. Uncontrolled reception of sweet clover causes side effects:

• nausea and vomiting;
• dizziness and headache;
• drowsiness;
• hemorrhage;
• paralysis.

Classification

Melilotus officinalis is a biennial representative of the genus Donnik (lat. Melilotus), of the legume family (lat. Fabaceae). The plant belongs to the order Leguminous (lat.Fabales), class Dicotyledonous (lat.Dicotyledones), department Flowering (lat.Magnoliophyta).

Varieties

The genus Donnik unites 22 species of herbaceous plants. The most famous of them:

• sweet clover white;
• Indian sweet clover;
• plowed sweet clover;
• sweet clover medicinal;
• clover toothed;
• large-fruited sweet clover.

Donnik officinalis infographics

Photo of medicinal sweet clover, its beneficial features and application
Sweet clover infographics

What to remember

1. Melilotus officinalis is used in folk medicine for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous systems.
2. Plants are poisonous, therefore, before using products based on it, you must consult with a specialist.
3. In the culture of southern peoples, it is customary to use sweet clover in cooking. It is added to soups, main dishes and drinks.

Please support the project - tell us about us

In contact with

classmates