Sweet Clover - Description, Cultivation, Useful Properties And Use Of Sweet Clover, Contraindications. Useful Properties Of Honey Clover And Clover Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Medicinal melilot

Useful properties, cultivation and recipes for the use of sweet clover

Botanical characteristics of sweet clover

This short plant is very widely used in folk medicine. On beautiful branched stems there are panicles of yellow flowers. As a biennial plant, sweet clover belongs to the legume family. Taproot, develops an erect, branched stem 1-1.5 m high (in culture, 1.5-2 m)

The leaves of the plant are similar in shape to eggs, they are serrate at the edges, they are painted in a bluish-green color on top, but the bottom of the leaves is slightly paler in color. Flowers collected in a brush of 6-7 pieces cover the whole plant during flowering. The fruit of the sweet clover is a brown bean containing oval-shaped yellow seeds. Melilot bloom begins in early summer and continues until the end of the summer period. At the beginning of September, fruits ripen.

Sweet clover grows in Russia, Ukraine, Crimea and the Caucasus. It can be seen at the edge of the forest, along the road, in the meadow, in the fields and even along the ravines. Sweet clover often grows among bushes and in young plantings.

Useful properties of sweet clover

Since ancient times, sweet clover has been used for medicinal purposes - due to the fact that it contains many useful substances. For example, sweet clover grass contains coumarin, lactone, melilotin and coumaric acid. Coumarin contained in sweet clover is a substance that lowers systolic blood pressure ("Medicinal plants and methods of their use among the people" - Nosal Ivan Mikhailovich), increases the quantitative content of leukocytes in the blood, and also normalizes blood circulation in the abdominal cavity, peripheral blood supply also improves under the influence of this substance. Melilot essential oil is produced from the flowers of the plant, which contains coumarin, tannin, resinous substances and choline. Preparations made from sweet clover are used as an analgesic, wound healing and antiseptic agent. Melilot also has expectorant and anticonvulsant properties. In folk medicine, sweet clover is most often used as a laxative for gynecological diseases.

Melilot cultivation

For germination, seeds need a temperature of 2–4 ° C. A year after planting the sweet clover, the plant begins to bloom (in June-August). And already at the end of summer, sweet clover begins to bear fruit. Germinating seeds are seeds that have just ripened, or a little immature. While the seeds are stored before sowing them into the soil, the seed coat is compacted, so before spring sowing the seeds must be scarified (break the seed coat). Due to the fact that the sweet clover has a strong root system, it is not picky about soil conditions. Melilot is also a drought-resistant plant, so it does not need constant watering. But excess moisture and acidic soil are destructive for this plant.

Melilot propagates by seed, but tolerates fertilization, which contains both potassium and phosphorus. In early spring, seeds are sown into the prepared soil that have passed the stage of scarification. A distance of 3 cm should be left between the rows, the approximate amount of sowing seeds per 1 meter is 200 pieces.

During the first year of life, the plant is covered with a beautiful green mass, its root fully develops. And all this dies off in the fall. Only the root collar with existing renewal buds remains to winter. If the plant is flooded with melt water, then after two weeks it will die.

During the flowering period, you need to start harvesting and harvesting the plant for medicinal purposes. The clover is cleaned as follows: with the help of scissors, or maybe a secateurs, the tops of the plant are cut off along with the lateral shoots, but thick coarse branches are not cut off. Drying of cut raw materials is carried out under a shed or in a barn. For drying, you need to tie the collected grass in bunches and hang them in the form of garlands.

Next, the dried raw material of the clover must be threshed and passed through a wire sieve (large stems will separate). The composition of raw materials includes flowers, leaves, fruits and small stems. The raw material has a powerful coumarin flavor. The beneficial properties of the plant can be preserved by keeping the raw material of the melilot in closed containers.

The use of sweet clover

Sweet clover has long and very successfully been used in folk medicine as a remedy in the treatment of varicose veins. It is used for hemorrhoids. Melilot is an adjunct in the treatment of thrombophlebitis, lymphostasis and post-thrombotic syndrome. Melilot preparations are used both internally and externally. Outwardly, sweet clover has found application for superficial hemorrhages, sprains and bruises.

Special pillows are made of melilot, which helps to heal sore joints or swellings. Tea is prepared from the plant, which is used for coughs and colds.

Decoction, infusion and tinctures of melilot are used for bronchitis, inflammation of the ovaries, pain during menstruation, to increase lactation, with edema, and even as sedatives for insomnia.

Sweet clover was widely used as an infusion or decoction for taking baths, making compresses and ointments. The dry crushed herb of the plant helps with skin diseases, cracked nipples, inflammation of the eyelids, even mastitis can be cured with it.

Sweet clover honey

In the period from June to August, bees are busy collecting honey from the flowers of sweet clover. This miracle honey tones the human body and adds energy for the whole day. sweet clover honey is used internally and externally. It has an analgesic, antispasmodic and diuretic effect. Used for inflammation of the respiratory tract, honey relieves inflammation and removes the feeling of pain. People suffering from heart disease or hypertension just need to consume honey several times a week - and their condition will improve.

This miracle cure will restore a person who has suffered a strong and serious illness, relieving headaches, shortness of breath and dizziness.

Sweet clover honey is useful for nursing mothers, as it stimulates an increase in lactation.

Due to its unique beneficial properties, this honey is used for various diseases. Besides the fact that this medicine not only smells good, and the taste of sweet clover honey is also very good.

And experts say that even a healthy person will benefit from using such a delicacy regularly.

Melilot treatment

Melilot is used as infusions, decoctions, ointments and teas, which are very easy to prepare. In addition, sweet clover is included in many collections used for various diseases.

A soothing infusion of sweet clover. To prepare it, take 2 teaspoons of crushed plant herb powder and fill it with two glasses of water. Leave it to brew for 2 hours and take 70 ml about 5 times a day as a nerve-soothing agent.

Melilot tincture for headaches. We collect the sweet clover grass and fill a third of a half-liter jar with it. Pour vodka to the top and leave to infuse for 2 weeks, remembering to shake it periodically. After straining the finished tincture, you can apply it. We take a few drops of sweet clover tincture on our fingers and rub the temples with it in the presence of headaches.

Decoction of melilot roots with flatulence. The broth is prepared easily and quickly. We take 15 grams of dry roots, pour 200 ml of boiling water and put on fire for 10 minutes. After this time, cool and filter the finished broth. We take this remedy 3 times a day, 1 tablespoon.

Infusion of sweet clover for external use. To prepare such an infusion, take 30 grams of plant herbs and pour a glass of boiling water. Leave everything for 30 minutes, without touching or shaking. Having filtered the infusion, it is used as lotions, compresses and even for baths. In this way, abscesses, mastitis, boils and articular rheumatism are cured.

Contraindications to the use of sweet clover

Don't forget that sweet clover is a poisonous plant! It can only be used after consulting a doctor. Pregnant women are not advised to take melilot preparations. It is necessary to observe the dosage of the funds, otherwise, in case of an overdose of this plant, a headache, insomnia and vomiting will appear. Melilot taken in large doses depresses the nervous system.

The melilot preparation cannot be used in the presence of internal bleeding, low pressure. Before using sweet clover, talk to your doctor, and only he will give you recommendations on the use of this medicine.

The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist

Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).