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Alfalfa Information
LATIN NAME
Medicago sativa
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The alfalfa plant, bearing blue and purple blossoms, is considered a nutritional supplement and a body cleanser. Its leaves, growing in groups of three, are thought to nourish the body by stimulating the appetite, acting as a laxative and diuretic and providing such nutrients as fiber, protein, calcium and vitamin A (beta carotene).
TARGET AILMENTS
Inflammation of the bladder, bloating or water retention, indigestion, constipation, halitosis (Taken internally)
PREPARATIONS
Over the counter:
Alfalfa is available as tincture, prepared tea, capsules, dried leaves,
concentrated powder extract or sprouts.
At home:
Tea: 1 to 2 tsp. dried leaves per cup of water steeped for 5 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition: Sprouts or powdered alfalfa added to soups, salads or sandwiches.
SPECIAL INFORMATION
WARNING: Avoid eating alfalfa seeds, because they contain relatively high levels of the toxic amino acid canavanine. Ingesting large quantities of alfalfa seeds over a long period of time may lead to pancytopenia, a blood disorder that causes the deterioration of both platelets, responsible for blood clotting, and white blood cells, which fight infections.
Alfalfa contains saponins, chemicals thought to destroy red blood cells. Consequently, anyone suffering from anemia should use alfalfa only under the direction of an herbalist or a licensed healthcare professional.
If you are pregnant, check with a practitioner before ingesting this herb. Alfalfa seeds contain stachydrine and homostachydrine, which promote menstruation and in some cases can lead to miscarriage.
If you have a predisposition to systemic lupus erythematosus, use this herb only in consultation with an herbalist or a healthcare professional. The canavanine in alfalfa is believed to reactivate this disease in some people who are in remission.
Although scientists have found no direct evidence, some herbalists believe, on the basis of animal studies, that alfalfa can help the body to ward off heart disease and strokes by delaying the absorption of cholesterol and dissolving plaque deposits on the arterial walls.
In a message dated 2/17/99 8:19:28 AM Pacific Standard Time, TAPAKEY writes:
Does anyone take alfalfa seeds? I have not found any literature to back up the use of these seeds, but I have seem them for sale in health food stores. If anyone does take them could you tell me why? My info about the seeds is this: Alfalfa seeds contain two chemicals (stachydrine and homostrachydrine) that promote menstruation and can cause miscarriage. Pregnant women should not eat alfalfa seeds.
No one should eat alfalfa seeds; they contain relatively high levels of the toxic amino acid canavanine. Overtime, large quantities of the seeds may introduce enough canavanine into the body to cause the reversible blood disorder pancytopenia, according to a report in Lancet. This condition impairs the platelets, which are necessary for clotting, and the white blood cells, which fight infection.
The canavanine in alfalfa seeds has also been linked to systemic lupus erythematosus, a serious inflammatory disease that can attack many organs, particularly the kidneys. Alfalfa seeds have reactivated the disease in some people who were in remission, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Another study showed the seeds actually induce lupus in monkeys.