Medicinal Monday - Alfalfa

Alfalfa is native to Asia and didn't reach North America until the 1860s.  Today this plant is grown from Maine to Virginia and westward to the Pacific coast.  Today, alfalfa is grown all over the world and is particularly important in regard to Chinese and Native American medicinal uses.

About Alfalfa

Alfalfa's official name is Medicago Sativa.  It is a flowering plant that is part of the pea family.  Alfalfa is a perennial herbaceous plant with two stems, one has three leaflets, the other five.  The flowers are violet-bluish in color and bloom from June through August.  It spreads by its' powerful root system that can absorb nutrients as far as 125 feet below the surface of the earth.  The plant resembles its' cousin, clover.  Alfalfa seed production requires the presence of pollinators and the western honey, leafcutter, and alkali bees are the most common pollinators when this plant is in bloom.

Medicinal and Culinary Uses

Native Americans quickly adapted alfalfa for human use as well as to feed animals. It was cultivated as an important forage crop and used for grazing and, also as livestock fodder.

Medicinally, the leaves of this plant that are rich in minerals and Vitamins B, C, E, and K were used as a tonic to treat digestive problems.  It was also used to treat jaundice and to promote blood clotting.  The Costanoan used a poultice of heated alfalfa leaves to treat earaches.

Did You Know...

Alfalfa was discovered by the Arabs that called this plant "The Father of All Foods."

Alfalfa sprouts are a common ingredient in South Indian cuisine.

In the 16th century, Spanish colonizers introduced alfalfa to the Americas as fodder for their horses.

Originally alfalfa was called "lucerne" when introduced in the 18th century to the colonies of the eastern United States.

In the United States, California, Idaho, and Montana are the biggest producers of alfalfa today.