-IBIS-1.5.0-
rx
herb
Medicago sativa (Alfalfa)
botanicals
definition
botanical name(s): Medicago sativa
synonyms: alfalfa, buffalo herb, lucerne, purple medic, purple medicle
part(s) used: aerial herb, seed and sprout
qualities: salty, slightly bitter, neutral and moist; secondarily nourishing, thickening, restoring and dissolving
affinities: stomach, liver, pancreas, blood and fluids
actions: nutrient, tonic, antirheumatic, emmenagogue, estrogenic, stomachic and antiscorbutic
dosage:
» tincture: 2 - 8 ml.
» powder: 400 - 1600 mg
therapy: historically used for arthritis, boils, cancer, dysuria, fever, gravel and scurvy high nutrient value, including high quality chlorophyll content; acts as a cholesterol lowering agent
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 1
toxicity: 1
» contraindicated during pregnancy due to the uterine stimulant action on animal uteri of the constituent stachydrine in variety Medicago sativa var. italica (Farnsworth)
» potential for pruritic dermatitis (Spoerke, p. 20)
» potential for mild photosensitization (Keeler and Tu, p. 352)
» excessive consumption of alfalfa sprouts for an extended period of time can reputedly cause erythrocytolysis (breakdown of red blood cells) due to the high saponin content.
constituents:
» vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, biotin, folic acid and other vitamins
» high in saponins (2 - 3%, including daidzein and genistein), triacontanol (a plant growth regulator), medicagol, coumestrol, flavones and isoflavones, the alkaloid trigonelline, tricin(e), stachydrine and homostachydrine
» free amino acids
» 15 - 25% protein, 17 - 25% fiber
» minerals: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, iron, zinc and copper
drug interactions:
» increase rate of metabolism of xenobiotics in the liver by increasing the activity of hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidase reactions (Brinker)
footnotes
Brinker F. 1995. Botanical Medicine Research Summaries. (from Eclectic Dispensatory of Botanical Therapeutics, vol.11), Sandy, Oregon: Eclectic Medical Publications.
Farnsworth NR, Bingel AS, Cordell GA, Crane FA, Fong HHS. 1975. Potential Value of Plants as Sources of New Antifertility Agents I. J. Pharm. Sci., 64:535-98.
Holmes, Peter. The Energetics of Western Herbs. Boulder, CO: Artemis Press, 1989, p.370.
Keeler, R.F., and Tu, A.T. 1983. Handbook of Natural Toxins. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Malinow, MR Alfalfa. Atherosclerosis 30:27-43;1973.
Malinow, MR. Effects of synthetic glycosides on cholesterol absorption. Ann New York Acad Sci Vol. 454;23-27;1985.
Malinow, MR. Experimental models of atherosclerosis regression. Atherosclerosis 48:2;105-118,1983.
Malinow, MR, et al. 2 Steroids 29:105;1977.
Moerman, DE. Medicinal Plants of Native America. Technical Reports, Number 19, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology, 1986.
Perry, LM. Medicinal Plants of East and Southern Asia. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,1980, p.620.
Reddy, BS, Watanabe, K. et al. Effect of dietary wheat bran, alfalfa and carrageenan on cholesterol and fecal bile and neutral sterol excretion in rats. J Nutr 110:6;1247-1254;1980.
Spoerke, DG, Jr., 1980. Herbal Medications. Santa Barbara, CA: Woodbridge Press Publishing Company.
Story, JA, LePage, SL, et al. Interaction of alfalfa plants and sprouts with cholesterol in vitro and in cholesterol-fed rats. Am J Clin Nutr 39:6;917-929, 1984.