Alfalfa (scientific name Medicago sativa) is a plant used as food, also known as lucerne, and has medicinal effects. It belongs to the legume family, like beans. Despite being less well known, this means that many people don’t consume it and miss out on its benefits.

Alfalfa has a pleasant taste and is a source of protein, with few calories. It is mostly the sprouts (seeds) that are consumed, but the medicinal properties are also concentrated in its leaves and flowers, and it can also be found for sale in powder form.

Benefits of Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a source of vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B complex, which help to improve the immune system’s functioning and overall energy. It is also rich in calcium, potassium, iron, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, and another 16 amino acids that are essential for health.

When incorporated into the diet, alfalfa can improve blood flow, fight fatigue, and, in addition, it has diuretic and hypocholesterolemic action. In other words, it helps to control blood glucose levels and blood pressure, as well as eliminate toxins from the body through urine and prevent water retention.

Disease Control

Other healing abilities of alfalfa are for stomach and duodenal ulcers caused by gastritis: for those suffering from this issue, regular consumption is always recommended. Alfalfa provides significant benefits for the pituitary gland, where the hypophysis is located in the brain. Its effect on the body’s pH is alkaline, and for this reason, it can detoxify the liver and eliminate excess sodium (salt) in the body, as well as help fight allergies.

Alfalfa also contains “saponins” as one of its active components, which in the intestine, act as an emulsifier, blocking fat absorption and causing it to be eliminated in the stool. Additionally, it helps to fight anemia since it is rich in protein and iron.

The carotenoids it contains can help prevent the onset of heart disease, degenerative eye diseases, and some types of cancer. Phenolic acid, on the other hand, helps to prevent blood clot formation, reducing the incidence of strokes, thrombosis, and other circulation diseases.

In tea form, alfalfa can be taken on an empty stomach, which may help strengthen bones and combat excess urea. The tea is also popularly used as a natural calming agent.

Using Alfalfa: Tea and Cooking

Alfalfa flowers and leaves can be eaten in salads or even cooked. The sprout, alfalfa seed, can be cooked like beans and added to salads or soups. The alfalfa root can also be used by mothers who are more inclined towards natural options: once peeled, dried, and shredded, the root can become a natural toothbrush with medicinal properties to fight halitosis (bad breath). Other less common uses include as a bath herb and hair rinse.

Which Type of Alfalfa to Use

Many recommend using germinated alfalfa sprouts because it boosts the vitamins present in the food. Germinated alfalfa is rich in vitamin E, especially useful for breastfeeding mothers as it increases milk production.

To germinate, just leave the sprouts resting overnight in a glass of filtered water. There’s also the option of buying just the alfalfa extract, made up as medicine or in capsules, which has the same effects.

Tips on How to Consume

The sprout can also be eaten as a complement in the filling of natural sandwiches and breads, going well with low-fat cheese, carrot, and seasoned chicken. When adding sprouts to hot dishes like soup, it’s important not to heat them, just add them to the plate at the time of eating.

In the recipe with alfalfa, avocado, and honey, the food is considered an aphrodisiac. Other experiences have shown that the enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll contained in alfalfa are extremely beneficial for good digestion, so it’s worth incorporating it into your cooking.

How to Make Alfalfa Tea

Alfalfa tea should be made from dried leaves, so that they don’t wilt and lose some of their therapeutic qualities. If drying them at home, it should be done in the shade. The recommended therapeutic use is to drink a glass before lunch, four times a week. Alfalfa leaves and flowers have no type of contraindication, so the tea does not have side effects.

To make the tea, simply add one tablespoon of dried alfalfa leaves for every half liter of water, boil for up to five minutes, and let it sit covered for 10 minutes before consuming. It can also be made, less commonly, by boiling the sprouts, but care should be taken not to consume excessively, as alfalfa sprouts contain alkaloids.

Curiosities about Alfalfa

The name of the plant “Alfalfa” is of Arabic origin, and means “the father of all foods”. Its scientific name “sativa,” referring to the species, means “a long cultivation.” Thus, its history dates back to the Arabs, who fed their racehorses with alfalfa and traveled with them across the deserts of North Africa.

The soil where alfalfa grows is very rich in minerals, and for this reason farmers usually plant alfalfa on their properties to fix nitrogen in the soil. It is also used as food for cows; when they eat alfalfa, their milk production usually increases.

Extracting chlorophyll is another industrial use of alfalfa. In Brazil, alfalfa was introduced through Rio Grande do Sul, coming from Uruguay and Argentina. The difficulties in expanding its cultivation in the country arise from producers’ limited knowledge, demands for soil fertility and management, and the need for irrigation practices. There is also limited local production of alfalfa seeds or ways to combat pests specific to this plant.

See also: Vitamins for Pregnant Women