Osteochondrosis 

Sweet clover is healing. Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

Melilot officinalis

scientific classification
Kingdom:

Plants
Department:

flowering plants
Class:

Dicotyledonous
Order:

Legumes
Family:
Subfamily:

Moth
Genus:
View:

Melilot officinalis
International scientific name

Melilotus officinalis(L.) Lam.
View in taxonomic databases

Melilot officinalis, or yellow(lat. Melilotus officinalis) is a biennial herbaceous plant of the legume family ( Fabaceae).

Folk names: moth grass, wild buckwheat, yellow barkun, female sweet clover, hare cold.

Description

A biennial herbaceous plant up to 1-2 m high, with the smell of coumarin (the smell of fresh hay). Rod root. The stem (usually one) is straight, branched, glabrous, slightly pubescent in the upper part. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate with two lanceolate whole or serrated stipules, on long petioles.

The flowers are small, bright yellow, moth-like, on short stalks, collected in many-flowered axillary racemes (with 30-70 drooping flowers). The calyx is five-pronged. Butterfly type corolla.

The fruit is a single-seeded, ovoid bean, with transverse wrinkles. Seeds are oval, green-yellow, smooth or small tuberculate.

Chemical composition

Sweet clover herb contains coumarin (up to 0.9%), coumaric acid, dicoumarol, melilotin, melilotic acid, methylotoside glycoside, flavonoids, purine derivatives, fat-like substances, mucus, protein (17.6%), essential oil (0.01 %), ascorbic acid (up to 389 mg%), carotene (up to 84 mg%), vitamin E (more than 45 mg%). Up to 42% fatty oil was found in the seeds.

The above-ground part contains ash - 7.00%; macroelements (mg/g): K - 24.10, Ca - 18.20, Mg - 3.00, Fe - 0.50; trace elements (CBN): Mn - 0.12, Cu - 0.40, Zn - 0.35, Co - 0.08, Mo - 11.20, Cr - 0.04, Al - 0.12, Ba - 023 , Se - 18.60, Ni - 0.19, Sr - 1.12, Pb - 0.09. B - 65.20 µg/g. Concentrates Fe, Sr, Mo, Se, especially Mo, Se.

Distribution and habitat

On the territory of Russia it is found everywhere, often as a weed of cereals and clover.

It is common in all natural and administrative regions of the Saratov Right Bank. In the Rtishchevsky district, it was recorded near the village of Temp.

Features of biology and ecology

It grows along forest edges, in ravines, along roads, in upland meadows, wastelands, in bushes on fresh and dry soils.

Blooms from June to autumn; fruits ripen from July to late autumn. Propagated by seeds.

Economic importance and application

In medicine

As a medicinal raw material, the herb of sweet clover is harvested. Sweet clover preparations have expectorant, sedative, emollient, analgesic and anticoagulant effects, improve venous circulation and lymph flow. In large doses, they depress the central nervous system, adversely affect smooth muscles.

Sweet clover is also used externally for softening and resorption of infiltrates, boils, carbuncles, abscesses, edema, cuts.

Sweet clover tea is given to patients with embolism, thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and myocardial infarction. Due to the presence of dicoumarin, blood viscosity decreases and its coagulability decreases.

In other areas

In the Caucasus, young roots are eaten raw or boiled, and the leaves are used as a culinary spice. Used to make green cheese. The leaves are used as a flavoring agent in the dairy, meat, fish, tobacco and soft drink industries. It is used for aromatization of soap and as an odor fixative in perfumery and the alcoholic beverage industry.

Insecticide for moths, raticide. Feed for farm animals. Used for feeding livestock in the form of silage. In terms of nutritional value, it is not inferior to alfalfa.

Honey plant. It gives from one hectare up to 300 (800) kg of honey, light amber, transparent, sweet, with a sharp aroma. It is bred near apiaries, in special apiaries, on the slopes of ravines.

Literature

  • Burmistrov A. N., Nikitina V. A. Honey plants and their pollen: a Handbook. - M.: Rosagropromizdat, 1990. - 192 p. - ISBN 5-260-00145-1. - p. 55
  • Elenevsky A. G., Radygina V. I., Bulany Yu. I. Plants of the Saratov Right Bank (compendium of flora). - Saratov: Sarat Publishing House. pedin-ta, 2000. - ISBN 5-87077-047-5. - p. 41
  • Nikolaychuk L. V., Zhigar M. P. Healing plants: Medicinal properties. Culinary recipes. Application in cosmetics. - 2nd ed., stereotypical, - X .: Prapor, 1992. - S. 65-66
  • Universal encyclopedia of medicinal plants / Comp. I. Putyrsky, V. Prokhorov. - Minsk: Book House; M.: Makhaon, 2000. - S. 121-122

Sweet clover (Latin Melilotus) is a herbaceous plant of the legume family. Its Russian name is associated with the word "donna", which was once called gout. The Latin name is derived from the Greek words "chalk" and "lotus", meaning honey and fodder grass.

The plant is also called bottom grass, barkun, donets, hargun, hare chill, ragwort, sticky, burkun, wild hop, stable, sweet clover and wild buckwheat.

Titles in other languages:

  • English Sweet clover, field melilot;
  • German Honiglee.

Appearance

The height of the sweet clover is up to two meters. The plant has a branched stem, tap root, trifoliate leaves with stipules, white or yellow drooping long flowers. The plant blooms in summer - from June to August.

Kinds

Many species of this plant are known - jagged, Sicilian, Italian, fragrant, Volga, rough, beautiful, Polish and others.

Traditional and official medicine uses only two types of sweet clover, which we will consider.

An annual or biennial plant with a straight stem up to 170 cm in height. The sheet plate is divided into three parts. Tiny white flowers are collected in elongated brushes. Flowering occurs in the summer, lasting one month. Its gentle pleasant aroma is similar to coumarin, but not close. This species is the best honey plant.

Biennial plant up to one and a half meters in height. Stem glabrous, leaves trifoliate. The flowers are yellow, very small in long racemes. The aroma is strong, coumarin. Blooms all summer and the first month of autumn.

Where does it grow

You can find sweet clover in both Asia and Europe. The plant has spread extensively around the planet. It is often found in meadows, in the forest-steppe zone, in beams, on the edges and in the steppes.

blank

  1. Harvesting is carried out during the flowering period.
  2. The tops of the sweet clover are cut with a knife, obtaining raw materials up to thirty centimeters long. Thick and too coarse stems, as well as plants on roadsides, are not cut. Sweet clover is harvested only in dry weather, as a wet plant quickly deteriorates.
  3. After cutting, the plant is immediately sent to dry. It is laid out on the street, hidden under a canopy, or in an attic with excellent ventilation (it is important that the temperature is up to +40 degrees).
  4. Raw materials should be laid out on fabric or on paper with a layer of up to seven centimeters. It is periodically turned over.
  5. When the stems break easily, drying is completed. It is necessary to ensure that the raw material does not dry out, otherwise the leaves will crumble.
  6. Dried sweet clover can be stored for up to two years.

Peculiarities

  • Dried sweet clover has a bitter-salty taste.
  • The smell of the dried plant resembles fresh hay (it is called coumarin).
  • Sweet clover is used to improve soil and restore soil fertility.
  • The plant is also medicinal, melliferous and fodder.

Nutritional value and calories

For 100 g sweet clover:

Chemical composition

The clover contains:

  • glycosides (one of them is coumarin, which provides the flavor of the plant);
  • essential oil;
  • cymarin;
  • protein;
  • acids - coumaric, ascorbic, melilotic;
  • fatty substances;
  • purine derivatives;
  • melilotol;
  • flavonoids;
  • tannins;
  • Sahara;
  • choline;
  • slime.

When sweet clover begins to rot, dicoumarin is formed in it.

Beneficial features

The plant has the following effect:

  • expectorant;
  • lactagon;
  • painkillers;
  • antiseptic;
  • laxative;
  • promotes wound healing;
  • helps with fever.

Contraindications

The plant is not used for:

  • pregnancy;
  • kidney disease;
  • problems with blood clotting;
  • internal bleeding.

When using sweet clover, remember the poisonousness of the plant - never exceed the dosage and use it better as part of the collection.

Excessive and too long consumption of sweet clover can cause CNS depression, drowsiness, dizziness, liver damage, headaches and other problems. Animals that consume rotten hay containing sweet clover are poisoned by dicoumarin.

Honey

Bees collect honey from sweet clover all summer.

The color of honey is determined by the type of plant and the soil in which it grew. It is white to amber, sometimes with a golden and greenish tinge.

Sweet clover honey smells very pleasant.

Yellow sweet clover produces honey, which has a very mild taste and a delicate smell.

White sweet clover gives honey with a sharper, slightly bitter taste and smell with hints of vanilla.

Benefit

Honey obtained from sweet clover is very useful. It contains fructose (40 percent) and glucose (about 37 percent).

Applying sweet clover honey externally and internally, it has useful properties:

  • Increases energy levels and body tone.
  • It has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect in diseases of the respiratory tract.
  • Improves the condition of people with hypertension and heart disease.
  • Has a diuretic effect.
  • Eliminates dizziness and headaches.
  • Stimulates lactation.

With long-term storage, sweet clover honey becomes a viscous mass of white or yellow color.

calories

Calorie content of 100 grams of sweet clover honey - 314 kcal.

Application

In cooking

  • Only yellow sweet clover is used for food, since white sweet clover is classified as a poisonous plant.
  • There are many recipes that include sweet clover, but you should not abuse the addition of this aromatic herb (there is a risk of headaches and nausea).
  • Fresh young sweet clover is added to salads, okroshka, soups.
  • The crushed dried plant is used as a seasoning, adding to sauces, drinks, snacks and second courses.

In half a liter of bread kvass, you need to put 70 grams of boiled beef cut into pieces, 50 grams of boiled potatoes, a hard-boiled egg and 50 grams of fresh cucumber. Clover leaves (20 grams), as well as 25 grams of onion, chop and rub with mustard, sugar and salt, add to okroshka. Season with sour cream to taste.

Sweet clover root garnish

Wash the roots of a young plant well and, after salting, fry with vegetable oil. This side dish can be served with fish or meat.

Meat stewed with sweet clover

Cut 250 grams of meat into pieces and fry a little. Put it in a goose dish and add 50 grams of chopped onion, 50 grams of coarsely grated carrots, 200 grams of chopped potatoes and 20 grams of sweet clover leaves. Also, you need to put pepper, bay leaf and dill seed in the goose bowl, then pour everything with water so that it covers the ingredients. Simmer the dish until cooked on a small fire.

Sweet clover drink

Bring a liter of water to a boil, put 10 grams of inflorescences and sweet clover leaves into it, add sugar to taste and about 100 ml of cherry or cranberry juice. When the drink boils, remove from heat and cool.

In medicine

  • For medical purposes, both yellow and white sweet clover are used. Leaves, stems, and flowers of these plants are also used.
  • Since the white sweet clover is poisonous, only experienced healers risk using it.
  • The plant contains coumarin, which has a depressant effect on the nervous system. This substance prevents convulsions, increases the number of leukocytes.
  • Sweet clover is used for migraine, insomnia, hysteria, headaches, menopause, flatulence, bronchitis and other problems.
  • The herbaceous part of sweet clover is included in the fees, from which poultices are made. Also, the plant is a component of a green plaster that helps against corns and abscesses.
  • After insisting dry sweet clover (2 small spoons), filled with boiling water (half a glass), for four hours, it is used to stimulate lactation, divided into three portions.
  • Decoctions, as well as infusions prepared from sweet clover, are effective for otitis media, mastitis, purulent wounds, boils.
  • Homeopaths use sweet clover in the preparation of drugs against psychosis.
  • Traditional medicine considers the plant an excellent laxative, and also prescribes sweet clover for hypertension, pain, lung diseases, gynecological pathologies, bloating and other problems.
  • From the leaves of sweet clover, the drug meliocin is made, which has a stimulating effect.

Infusion for headaches, hypertension, insomnia

Infuse sweet clover grass filled with boiled cold water (two glasses) in a closed container (take two teaspoons). Take the infusion two or three times a day for half a glass.

For baths and compresses

Prepare the infusion by placing a closed container with 2 tables. spoons of sweet clover and 500 ml of water on a hot stove.

Tincture for migraine

Pour sweet clover grass with 40% alcohol (1 to 10) and place in a dark place for 10-15 days. After straining, the tincture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two years. It can be used either internally or externally - fifteen drops each.

Poultices

They can be prepared from flowers steamed with boiling water, or from crushed leaves.

With hemorrhoids

Take two parts of multi-colored and lush carnations, as well as one part of mountaineer, sweet clover and goose cinquefoil. After grinding everything in a mortar or coffee grinder, take 20 grams of the resulting powder and grind it with 80 grams of fat or lard (melt it first). Keep this mixture for four hours in a water bath, and then strain while still hot.

At home

Sweet clover is used as:

  • fragrance in tobacco products;
  • soap fragrance;
  • fodder plant;
  • honey plant;
  • soil improver.

Varieties

The plant is considered a valuable crop and is grown in different climatic zones. Sweet clover is represented by many varieties, of which more and more are constantly appearing. White sweet clover is represented by varieties Volzhanin, diomede, Rybinsk, Volga, steppe and others. Medicinal sweet clover is represented by the varieties Lazar, Siberian, Golden, Alsheevsky and others.

cultivation

Sweet clover seeds germinate at a temperature of +2+4 degrees. Only ripe seeds or slightly unripe ones germinate well. Before sowing, they are scarified. In the first year, the sweet clover develops a root and a green part. The plant begins to bloom a year after planting.

Due to the presence of a strong root system, sweet clover is not picky about the soil. Also, the plant is drought tolerant, so it does not need to be constantly watered. Only acidic soil and excess moisture have a bad effect on sweet clover.

Sweet clover herb - Herba Meliloti officinalis

Medicinal sweet clover (pharmacy) - Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pall.

Legume family - Fabaceae

Figure 8– Melilot officinalis

Botanical characteristic. A biennial herb with a tap root and an upright branched stem up to 2 m high. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate, with sharply lanceolate or rounded leaflets along the edge. The flowers are small, yellow, drooping, with a moth-like corolla, collected in dense inflorescences-brushes, which end the main stem and numerous branches. The fruits are small ovoid one-seeded beans. The whole plant is very fragrant due to the coumarin it contains. The coumarin smell intensifies when the aerial parts of the plants are dried. At the time of flowering, sweet clover thickets are fragrant with honey, because the flowers are rich in nectar. Blossoms in May-August, fruits ripen in July-September.

Spreading. Sweet clover is found in almost all regions of European Russia, as well as in the south of Siberia.

Habitat. It grows in meadows, in the steppe, in thickets of shrubs, along roads, often forms thickets on railway embankments, sandy banks of reservoirs, and young deposits. Sometimes it is sown on lobes as a honey and fodder plant.

Chemical composition. Melilot officinalis refers to medicinal plants containing coumarins(0.4-0.9%) (coumarin, dihydrocoumarin, dicoumarol, coumaric acid, melitoside):

Coumarins are divided into the following main groups:

    Coumarin, isocoumarin, dihydrocoumarin and their glycosides (Figure 9, 10):

Figure 9– Dihydrocoumarin Figure 10– Dicoumarin

2. Hydroxy-, methoxy- and methylenedihydroxycoumarins.

3. Furocoumarins.

4. Pyranocoumarins containing a pyran nucleus condensed with coumarin at 5.6; 6.7; 7,8 - positions, and having substituents in the pyran, benzene or pyrone rings.

5. Benzocoumarins - compounds containing a benzene ring fused with coumarin in 3, 4 positions.

6. Coumestans - coumarins containing a benzofuran system condensed with coumarin in 3.4 positions (coumestrols).

7. Compounds of a more complex structure containing the coumarin system (aflatoxins, etc.). They are known for several series, which are indicated by letters of the Latin alphabet.

The herb also contains an essential oil; polysaccharides (mucus), saponins, amino acids.

Harvesting, primary processing and drying. Grass is harvested during flowering, cutting off the main apical and lateral shoots up to 30 cm long without coarse thick stems, loosely folded into baskets or bags.

Dry in attics or under sheds with good ventilation, as well as in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 40 ° C. The grass is laid out in a layer of 5-7 cm on paper or cloth. After drying, discolored leaves and coarse stems are removed.

Storage. The grass has a strong smell, so the raw materials must be stored in a well-closed container.

pharmacological properties. Anticoagulant, anticonvulsant, emollient, anti-inflammatory.

Medicines. Dried grass (i.e. leaves and flowers peeled from stems) - Herba Meliloti and a plaster prepared from it - Emplastrum Meliloti. Sweet clover grass is also included in emollient preparations - Species emollients (Figure 11).

Figure 11– Dried sweet clover grass

Application. Currently, sweet clover herb is included in the state register of medicines as a keratolytic, biostimulating, regeneration stimulating, cerebrovasodilating, vasodilating, anticoagulant, expectorant, anti-inflammatory agent.

Traditional medicine recommends infusion and decoction of sweet clover in the treatment of bronchitis, bronchial asthma, pain in the heart area, inflammation of the ovaries, scanty and painful menstruation, with a decrease in the amount of milk in the mammary glands of nursing mothers, edema, cystitis, as a sedative for insomnia, migraine, flatulence , as well as astringent and antispasmodic.

Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis Pall) is a plant that is ubiquitous in European and Asian upland 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 up to two meters in culture. On the stem are medium-sized trifoliate petiolate leaves, the color of which is bluish-green above, and paler below. Because of this feature of the arrangement of the leaves, the sweet clover is also often called the bottom shamrock.

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 denote 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", and "lotus" - "forage grass".

The plant has a fairly large number of interesting folk names. So, herbalists often call sweet clover grass medicinal burkun, wild hops, hare chill, tomka, christ, painter, communica, sticky, Italian and molar 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 smell. Its flowering period falls on the summer months, the fruits ripen from July to late autumn. As a medicinal raw material, the tops of the stems, leaves and flowers of the plant are used, which are cut during flowering. The grass of sweet clover is dried 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 the hay smells like sweet clover.

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

Chemical composition

The sweet clover herb contains glycosides, as a result of the breakdown of which coumarin is formed - a camphor substance with a bitter taste. Its content is from 0.4 to 0.9%. Also in the chemical composition of sweet clover are present:

  • Orthohydrocoumaric (or melilotic) acid, which has a strong honey smell;
  • Cymarin, which has a diuretic effect;
  • Tannins;
  • Coumaric acid;
  • Essential oils;
  • Protein compounds;
  • Fat-like substances;
  • Purine derivatives that 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 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;
  • Ascorbic acid;
  • Tocopherol;
  • Carotene;
  • Sahara;
  • Slime.

Dicumarol (dicumarin) was found in decaying sweet clover plants, which prevents blood clotting.

Beneficial features

The use of sweet clover, due to the coumarin contained in it, contributes to the depression of 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 the minute volume of blood, improves peripheral, cerebral and blood supply to organs located in the abdominal cavity.

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

Sweet clover 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, 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 inflammation of the ear are quite effectively treated. In addition, they significantly accelerate the healing of purulent wounds.

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

Contraindications

The main contraindications to treatment with sweet clover are pregnancy, decreased blood clotting, internal bleeding and impaired renal function.

In large doses, the plant has a pronounced inhibitory effect on the nervous system and adversely affects smooth muscles. Prolonged 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, and liver damage. In severe cases, even paralysis of the nervous system is possible.

Sweet clover is a herbaceous biennial of the legume family. It is found on all continents, but is most common in Eurasia. Among the people, the plant is known under the names "sweet clover", "burkun", "sleepy grass", "hare chill", "soapy grass", "stable". Although it is impossible to call sweet clover exclusively decorative, it brings great benefits to the site and to the person, and is also an excellent honey plant. Because of this, it is worth sowing it on the site at least once every few years.

Botanical description

Sweet clover is a biennial or juvenile herbaceous culture up to 1-2 m high. A strong, branched rhizome can penetrate the soil to a depth of 150 cm. Nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria form on underground processes. Thin, slightly branched stems are covered with a smooth green skin. They form tall but transparent aerial vegetation.

On the shoots are small ovate or lanceolate leaves with wavy or serrated edges. They are slightly bent along the central vein. The foliage is painted in a bluish-green tint. Each petiole has 3 separate leaves. Small stipules are located at the junction with the stem. In the middle leaf, the petiole is somewhat longer than the lateral ones.














Long but narrow racemose inflorescences form on the tops of the stem and its lateral processes. Small corollas on short flexible pedicels are shaped like a moth 2-7 cm long. Flowers are painted yellow or white. The flowering period starts from June to August and lasts about a month. By mid-September, fruits ripen - small elongated beans with a few yellowish-brown seeds that look like beans.

Types of sweet clover

The genus of sweet clover cannot be called diverse. It includes only 22 plant species.

Sweet clover (yellow). A biennial plant with a taproot rhizome forms an airy, branched shoot 100-150 cm high. It is covered with small triple lanceolate leaves. The lobes grow on thin petioles and have jagged edges. Inflorescences in the form of narrow loose brushes bloom on thin shoots. Small moth corollas are painted yellow. Petals surround 10 long stamens, 9 of them with fused filaments. Depending on the climate, flowering occurs in June-September.

Biennial or annual with a branched stem grows 60-170 cm in height. The shoot is covered with rare trifoliate leaves. The top is decorated with a narrow brush with small white flowers. They bloom in summer. In total, flowering lasts about a month, but a single flower lives up to 2 days. The plant produces a large amount of nectar and is the best honey plant in the genus.

A rather compact herbaceous annual grows 15-50 cm in height. Its stems are covered with small, obovate leaves of dark green or bluish color. Short loose racemes consist of yellow flowers 2-3 mm long. They bloom in the first half of summer.

Annual herbs grow slightly pubescent, slightly branched shoots 15-100 cm long. The lower part of the stem gradually becomes reddish. The leaves closer to the ground are larger. Together with the petiole, their length reaches 6.5 cm. The color of the foliage is bright green. In summer, loose brushes with yellow moth flowers 5-7 mm long bloom on the shoots.

Growing from seeds

Due to its short life cycle, sweet clover is propagated by seeds. They are sown immediately in open ground before winter or in March-April at a temperature of 0 ... + 4 ° C. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in warm water for 2-4 hours to soften the skin. For better germination, scarification is also carried out.

For sowing, holes are prepared with a depth of 1.5-2 cm at a distance of 50-60 cm. Seeds are scattered manually or agricultural machinery is used. Seed consumption rate: 200-250 g/ar. Shoots appear in 10-15 days. When the seedlings grow a few true leaves, they are weeded, increasing the distance between plants up to 30 cm. In the first year, flowering occurs towards the end of summer, so the fruits do not ripen. It is not so plentiful.

Features of care

In care, sweet clover grass is not whimsical. The right choice of location plays a decisive role. The plant needs a lot of light. It tolerates intense heat and frost equally well, so it does not need shelter.

The soil for planting can be heavy clay, sandy or rocky. Even on saline soil, sweet clover will grow. However, on acidic and flooded lands, he will not survive. It also adapts well to limestone. Before planting, the ground is fertilized with a small amount of organic matter. More fertilizer is not needed.

The plants are drought tolerant, so they usually don't need watering. Only with a long absence of precipitation, when the soil is very cracked, it is possible to water the plantings by sprinkling.

In autumn, the entire above-ground part dries up and dies. A well-developed, long rhizome is preserved underground. Already in early spring, new shoots appear from the renewal buds. If there is too much water from the melted snow, the shoots may rot.

When sweet clover is used as green manure, fodder and medicinal crop, it is cut at the budding stage. To increase the green mass, it is recommended to cut the roots with a special cultivator. Then it will develop better and be more saturated with nutrients.

Economic use

Sweet clover brings great benefits to the site. It is an excellent green manure. The rotted biomass, when decomposed, provides the soil with a large amount of nitrogen compounds and other nutrients. At the same time, a strong and long root penetrates into the depths and well loosens even knocked down clods and dense clay.

The earth becomes looser and more fertile. On sandy and light soils, rhizomes, on the contrary, have a binding effect and prevent erosion. If you do not cut the shoots, they will hold the snow. An additional advantage of sweet clover is its ability to fight root rot, wireworms and nematodes. Also, its smell repels rodents.

Fresh grass and hay made from cut sweet clover are rich in nutrients. The plant can easily compete with alfalfa or clover. Unfortunately, as the stems grow, they accumulate a large amount of coumarins, and they also become very tough. Therefore, fodder is harvested at the stage of budding. Sweet clover is recommended to be combined with other plants. It increases the amount of milk and body fat in animals.

Culture has an important role as a honey plant. The most effective sweet clover is white. During the flowering period, bees collect nectar in the amount of 1.5-2 kg/ha.

Sweet clover honey has a whitish, amber color and an intense aroma. It is used not only as a tasty supplement, but also for treatment. The use of the product increases lactation in lactating women. It is also taken as an antispasmodic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory agent. It relieves pain, relieves hypertension, spasms of the respiratory tract. It is also used externally, applying compresses to the chest with mastitis.

medicinal properties

Sweet clover is rich in coumarins, essential oils, resins, mucus, tannins. It is actively used in folk medicine. For medicinal purposes, flowers and the upper part of the shoots with leaves are used. They are cut and dried, then rubbed with hands, and the hard stems are removed. The resulting raw materials are stored in paper envelopes for up to 2 years. It has a strong dense aroma and a bitter aftertaste.

Ointments, decoctions and alcohol infusions are made from dry grass. Decoctions and tinctures are taken orally to treat insomnia, headaches, hypertension, bronchitis, flatulence and cystitis. Decoction compresses are applied for mastitis, sciatica, sprains, hemorrhoids, inflammatory processes and skin wounds. An ointment from the flowers helps relieve joint pain.

Treatment with sweet clover has contraindications. First of all, without exception, everyone should not increase the dosage, since coumarins can have a negative impact on health. As a result, dizziness, insomnia, headache appear. Also sweet clover is contraindicated in internal bleeding and liver disease.

Have questions?

Report a typo

Text to be sent to our editors:

Send