Melilot officinalis - the use of herbs at home. Sweet clover useful properties

For many centuries, experience has been accumulated in the treatment of various diseases with medicinal herbs. In medicine, medicinal sweet clover (yellow burkun), lat. Melilotus officinalis. This can be found in temperate latitudes, in different areas: in a field, in a meadow, along the road. The beneficial properties of sweet clover are numerous due to its chemical composition.

Chemical composition

The chemical composition of sweet clover is very rich and contains:

  • coumarins and their derivatives;
  • protein (17.6%);
  • Sahara;
  • vitamin C (up to 389 mg), vitamin E (more than 45 mg), carotene (up to 84 mg);
  • lactone;
  • glycoside;
  • flavonoids (robinin, flovin, kaempferol);
  • melilotin;
  • essential oil (0.01%);
  • polysaccharides (mucus);
  • saponins;
  • allantoin;
  • hydroxycinnamic, coumaric, melilotic acids;
  • phenolic triterpene compounds;
  • carbohydrate compounds;
  • nitrogenous bases;
  • amino acids;
  • tannins;
  • fat-like substances (up to 4.3%);
  • macro- and microelements (accumulates molybdenum, selenium);
  • fatty acids (found in seeds).

Beneficial features

Grass sweet clover has numerous, but do not forget about contraindications. It lowers blood pressure, has an antispasmodic effect in patients with angina pectoris, atherosclerosis.

It has a calming effect on cardiospasm, anxiety, excitability, insomnia, headache, menopause. It is used as a mucolytic agent for coughs, bronchitis, introduced into the ingredients of laxative tea.
It is used externally for wound healing, treatment of boils, joint tumors, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. The beneficial properties of sweet clover "work" in, if there are no medical contraindications. The main ones are allergy to, as well as individual intolerance to its components.

Medicinal properties of sweet clover honey:
  • improves immunity;
  • restores the body in the postoperative period;
  • useful for shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches;
  • promotes lactation in lactating women, etc.

Did you know? In total, there are 22 species of sweet clover in nature. Not all of them have useful properties.

Collection and storage of medicinal raw materials

Harvest the side shoots and flowering tops of the plants during the summer months. Thick stems are of no value, it is better to throw them away.
Grass is recommended to be collected in meadows, in the field, on forest edges, away from roads, settlements, enterprises, treatment facilities, etc.

Dry the collected material in a shaded place, spreading it out in a layer of 3-5 cm at a temperature not exceeding 32 ° C. After drying, dried flowers and leaves (without stems) are crushed.

Important! You can not dry healing herbs in the open sun.If stored incorrectly, mold appears on the grass, and instead of a plant with healing properties, sweet clover becomes poison.

Store in closed containers in a dry place for up to 2 years.

Traditional medicine recipes

For treatment, tinctures, ointments, tea are made from harvested or pharmacy burkun, sweet clover honey, steamed grass are used.

  1. Infusion for internal use: 2 tsp dry sweet clover pour 1.5 tbsp. distilled water, insist 4 hours and consume 0.5 cups 40 minutes before meals. It has a sedative, analgesic, antitussive effect.
  2. For rubbing, compresses: 2 tbsp. l. herbs pour 2 cups of boiled water. Insist 20 minutes.
  3. For baths: 2 tbsp. l. dry raw materials pour 1 cup boiling water. Infuse for 10 minutes (sciatica, rheumatism, sprains).
  4. Ointment preparation: 2 tbsp. l. fresh flowers mixed with 2 tbsp. l. butter and heat over very low heat for 7-10 minutes. Apply with furunculosis, abscesses, sprains.
  5. Tincture: 100 g of dried yellow burkun pour a bottle (0.5 l) of vodka and leave for 2-3 weeks. Drink 10-12 drops before meals 3 times a day. Treats frequent migraines, hormonal disruptions, infertility, endometriosis.
  6. For pain and swelling joints, wrap bags with steamed grass for 15-20 minutes before going to bed for 8-10 days.
  7. Sweet clover honey is necessary for nursing mothers. Take 1 dessert spoon after each meal.
  8. With cough, tracheobronchitis, pneumonia honey is mixed with black radish juice and consumed 1 dessert spoon 20 minutes before meals.

Did you know? Sweet clover honey occupies 50-70% of the US honey market.

Application in cooking

Sweet clover is used in cooking as a seasoning for fish dishes and soups, salads with this plant, sweet clover tea and are also eaten.

  • Salad Recipe:
4-5 fresh cucumbers, 2 boiled eggs, green onions, a pinch of sweet clover leaves, salt. Fill with sour cream or sunflower oil. If desired, cut young boiled.
  • Donnikov tea:
3 dec. l. dry herbs, 3 tablespoons or juice, 3 tbsp. l. pour 1.1 liters of water. Boil and let it brew. Be sure to strain.

Contraindications and side effects

Sweet clover yellow has not only medicinal properties, but also medical contraindications. Contraindications: pregnancy, lactation, decreased blood clotting, bleeding, kidney disease. Donnikovoy honey should not be used by allergy sufferers.
Before starting treatment, a doctor's consultation is necessary. When using, strictly adhere to the dosage. In large doses, it depresses the nervous system. Side effects can be insomnia, headache, nausea, vomiting, bleeding of mucous membranes.

Today we will talk about sweet clover, its beneficial properties and contraindications ...

Where sweet clover grows - plant photo

Sweet clover (see photo) belongs to the group of medicinal plants, and belongs to the legume family. The height of the plant can reach 1.5 meters, its flowers are collected in brushes and have a pronounced pleasant smell, as well as a rich yellow color. However, there is also a white variety of sweet clover.

Unpretentious grass grows almost everywhere - plants can be found both in the field and along the roads, sometimes even on your own personal plot.

Why exactly - sweet clover? Did the name come from the Don, or does the grass grow in wetlands at the bottom? No, we're wrong. Because he successfully treats bottom diseases - the lower abdomen, the pelvic floor.

The sweet clover plant is used both as a medicine and as a spice - sweet clover leaves, especially the very tops, can be added to salads and first courses. effective in the treatment of colds and sore throats. For more information about the medicinal beneficial properties and contraindications of sweet clover honey, read the link.

Medicinal beneficial properties of sweet clover

So, what is useful sweet clover?

Medicinal sweet clover is rich in many useful elements, and, thanks to this, is able to help with many diseases.

  • Coumarins have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart, normalize blood pressure, and also improve blood circulation in the brain.
  • Choline puts in order the liver function, the gallbladder, is able to reduce, and also improves attention and restores nerves, makes sleep better.
  • Dicoumarol improves blood clotting, so this medicinal herb is indicated in the treatment of varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, hemorrhoids, post-thrombophlebitic syndrome.
  • Saponins have anti-inflammatory properties, act as a diuretic, choleretic, antispasmodic and diaphoretic.
  • Resins, which are found in moderate amounts in sweet clover, have an antibacterial and astringent effect.
  • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), calcium, phosphorus, potassium, carotenoids and chromium support those who are weakened by the disease.
  • Vitamin E delays the appearance of wrinkles, stimulates the work of hormone-producing glands and the production of estrogen by the body - female hormones.

Such a rich composition allows you to treat a wide variety of diseases, such as cystitis, cough with colds, liver diseases, menopausal neuroses, with boils, abscesses, sweet clover accelerates their maturation, relieves inflammation and pain in purulent wounds, bruises and sprains.

A decoction of sweet clover grass helps with bronchitis, helping to better sputum discharge.

There are anticonvulsant, antitoxic and antiallergic properties.

Gynecology is widely represented in the treatment with sweet clover - infertility, menstrual irregularities, menopausal problems are treated, in nursing mothers, sweet clover decoction stimulates lactation.

White sweet clover is considered a more poisonous variety., but no less effective in terms of treatment - its decoctions relieve worms, it is externally used for abscesses, acne. Baths with it will help with radiculitis, rheumatism, myositis.

If the twigs and inflorescences of white sweet clover are rubbed and spread out in rooms, get rid of annoying blood-sucking insects for a long time.

Harvesting grass sweet clover

The medicinal yellow sweet clover is collected during the flowering of the plant - from June to August inclusive. The upper part of the plant is cut off, as well as side shoots up to 25 cm long.

A sunny, dry day is chosen for harvesting plants, since sweet clover cut off after rain darkens and quickly loses all medicinal properties. Cut plants are laid out in a thin layer on paper and placed in a dry place, such as an attic, until completely dry.

To make the blanks dry more evenly, you can periodically stir up the sweet clover. To preserve the beneficial properties of the medicinal plant throughout the year, completely dried sweet clover is packed in jars and placed in a dark, warm and dry place.

The shelf life of well-prepared raw materials can reach 2 years, provided that the medicinal herb is properly stored.


The use of medicinal sweet clover in folk medicine

Most often, sweet clover grass is used in the form of infusions, ointments, decoctions, compresses and for taking baths.

To prepare a soothing sweet clover infusion you will need a container (preferably a thermos), into which 1 tbsp. spoon with a hill of ground grass and poured 400 ml. steep boil. The mixture is infused for about an hour, after which it is ready for use. It will also help with insomnia, nervous overexcitation, headaches.

For external use, a stronger infusion is prepared - for the same amount of grass, half the dose of boiling water is used - 200 ml. It is used for external compresses, rubbing abscesses, as well as baths for the treatment of joint pain.

Dosage for bathing more - 200 grams of medicinal raw materials per liter of boiling water. Boil for three minutes, then insist, strain, add to the bath. The bath itself lasts 20-25 minutes and has soothing properties, reduces swelling, swelling and joint pain.

Used to restore hormonal levels alcohol tinctures- 50 grams of crushed sweet clover is poured into 250 ml. vodka and infused for two weeks in a dark place, sometimes shaking. The finished composition is stored on the refrigerator door and taken three times in laziness, 15 ml each. before meals.

Also, this tincture will be effective for endometriosis, infertility,. The course is usually a month, after which it is recommended to take a break.

To prepare an ointment from yellow sweet clover at home, you will need dried flowers of the plant, ground into powder, as well as petroleum jelly, which is mixed with flowers in proportions of 1: 1. This ointment treats carbuncles, purulent wounds and.

With aches in the body, bones, muscles, it is advised to simply steam the grass and apply it warm to twisting joints, painful places, then a warming bandage for a couple of hours.

Quite often, sweet clover is combined with other medicinal herbs in various collections, for example, with coltsfoot and centaury, sweet clover. Sweet clover tea is useful for thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, embolism.

Sweet clover contraindications

Like any medicinal plant, yellow sweet clover has not only useful properties, but also a number of contraindications.

When using sweet clover grass, you must carefully adhere to the indicated dosage, since the plant is poisonous.

An overdose threatens to suppress the nervous system, and also adversely affects the intestinal muscles.

Too long use of sweet clover infusions inside can result in headaches, nausea, frequent dizziness, occasionally hemorrhages in the muscles, as well as damage to the liver and central nervous system.

It is strictly forbidden to use sweet clover during pregnancy and lactation, with violations of the blood coagulation function, hemorrhages in internal organs, hemorrhagic diathesis, as well as cirrhosis of the liver.

Failure to follow the rules for the preparation of infusions, ointments and decoctions, incorrect plant proportions can lead to more serious health problems.

An excellent honey plant, an assistant in the fight against many diseases and an excellent green manure ... Today we will talk about sweet clover. Sweet clover occupies not the last place in the list of medicinal herbs, its healing properties have proven their strength more than once. The biennial plant is unpretentious, has several varieties and is grown all over the world.

Sweet clover plant description

The grass belongs to perennial leguminous plants, the moth subfamily. A variety of cultivated sweet clover has grown over time to several dozen species, but the most important variety is yellow and white sweet clover.

Yellow sweet clover belongs to medicinal plants, is grown as an agricultural crop for cattle feed and as a green manure crop. In addition to the above, the culture bears the undeniable title of one of the best melliferous herbs.

The sweet clover got its name from the Greek - "honey lotus". In Russia, sweet clover was grown for livestock feed, collected by herbalists to prepare decoctions and infusions, and was called: sweet clover, burkun or bottom grass.

The perennial plant has a fairly developed tap root system, a bushy stem and many small, oval-elongated, carved leaves on short petioles.

The flowering of the culture begins in summer, multi-flowered brushes absorb small flowers of yellow or white, about 5 cm in size. Sweet clover fruits are beans, often too small.

Sweet clover is also a highly valuable fodder plant, yielding a lot of nutritious greenery and oxygenating the soil.

The most popular varieties of sweet clover for business executives are toothed and yellow sweet clover, which provide livestock with weight gain and have a high lactation effect.

White and medicinal sweet clover is used in fragrances, including for tobacco products and as a fragrance in soap making. A lot has been said about the honey content of the culture, but little has been said about the quality of the honey obtained.

So, bottom honey has a bright aromatic smell, rich amber color and delicate taste, it is considered one of the best in the early forcing of honey. Today sweet clover is grown all over the world and is widely distributed in Europe, Russia and Asia.

A variety of sweet clover

Sweet clover has more than 50 varieties. The most common variety is yellow, white and medicinal sweet clover.

In addition to the above, annual and perennial varieties of sweet clover have been bred.


Yellow or medicinal sweet clover.
This is a biennial plant, prefers the southern regions. Medicinal sweet clover is not afraid of drought, hardy and cold-resistant. Flowering begins in summer, in the first decade, the flowers are yellow, densely planted in the inflorescence.

The crop is sown at a rate of about 120 grams per hundred square meters of arable land.

The honey yield of the plant is high, up to 320 kg can be obtained per hectare. honey, the average gain of the hive per day is 3.5 kg.

white clover no less popular culture, the plant is not afraid of drought, grown for silage and as a forage base for livestock.

Flowering begins in summer, blooms later than its predecessor, but blooms longer, in terms of more than a month.

It is an excellent honey plant, gives an impressive amount of nectar, even in drought.

If the plant is grown as a fodder base for livestock, it is necessary to observe the agricultural technique of cultivating sweet clover, and monitor the condition of animals, it is not uncommon for white sweet clover, if not stored properly or prematurely spoiled, caused mass mortality among cattle. The honey content of the culture exceeds 450 kg. per hectare, and the daily rate of weight gain of the hive is about 4.5 kg.


Sweet clover annual
, blooms in the first year after sowing, in summer. It outperforms perennial varieties in terms of honey production. It is grown for a variety of livestock feed rations and as a honey crop.

The plant is unpretentious and grows on almost all soils.

According to the reviews of both "industrialists" and gardeners, the most popular varieties among white sweet clover can be considered:

Variety of perennial sweet clover Hoarfrost, Meshchersky, Stepnoy, Chermasan, Sayansky. The yellow varieties include Karabalyk, Omsk and Siberian sweet clover.

These varieties are resistant to insect attacks, unpretentious, productive. They are distinguished by early early maturity (the period from sowing to harvesting can be only 60 days), high productivity (up to 215 centners of green mass can be obtained per hectare), the varieties are unsurpassed honey plants and an excellent, nutritious, fodder crop.

Medicinal properties of sweet clover

Sweet clover, an herb included in the book of medicinal plants and for good reason.

Included in herbal preparations, teas and homeopathic remedies, it helps to cope with upper respiratory infections, has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.

Decoctions and balms based on sweet clover help get rid of insomnia and even eliminate varicose veins.


Due to the ability of the plant to reduce the permeability of small vessels and capillaries, as well as anti-inflammatory and restorative properties, sweet clover is able to get rid of venous insufficiency and varicose veins.

Foot baths with this plant will relieve fatigue and swelling, itching, and relieve fungal infections. To solve the problem with inflammation in arthrosis and arthritis, weeping skin lesions with burns and injuries, gauze lotions and compresses are made on the affected and diseased areas.

Such manipulations can stop even not heavy bleeding.

In diseases of the nasopharynx and oral cavity, it is customary to rinse with a decoction of sweet clover. Such rinsing of the oral cavity will help with tonsillitis and pharyngitis, increase the resistance of the pharynx to viral infections.

Decoctions and tea with sweet clover normalize stools, and have a carminative effect, are used for bloating and disruption of the digestive tract.

Sweet clover is able to reduce emotional stress, relieve insomnia and migraines, having antispasmodic properties, the herb relieves spasms and relaxes.


Some homeopaths claim that the herb can reduce the development of leukopenia and stimulate the bone marrow.

In addition to the above merits of the sweet clover, the plant is valued by healers and healers for its narcotic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory abilities during the menstrual cycle in girls.

Sweet clover tincture can facilitate the process of menopause in adulthood in women. For men, the herb is no less useful, the strong sex of the plant treats diseases of the prostate and urinary tract.

Cultivation of sweet clover

Cultivation and sowing of sweet clover is not a burdensome process if all agrotechnical measures are observed at an early stage. Arid regions most often use the method of sowing sweet clover without a cover, it allows you to get good green mowing in the year of sowing.

Central Russia and forest-steppe regions with above-average rainfall are sown with sweet clover under the cover of fodder cereal crops.

Coverless sowing is carried out, as well as the planting of perennial grasses with conventional tillage, plowing and harrowing.


As for the requirements for growing sweet clover, a good harvest will require slightly acidic, non-waterlogged soil and an average rainfall, otherwise the plant is unpretentious and feels good on any soil.

Absolutely all agricultural crops can become a predecessor for grass. The sown area before sowing is subject to plowing, harrowing and rolling. If the soil is poor, nitrogen and mineral fertilizers are applied for plowing at a rate of 4 centners per hectare of arable land.

Seed preparation of sweet clover should begin about a month before sowing, scarification, nitraginization and inoculation are carried out. All these activities are aimed at 100% increase in productivity.

Sowing of sweet clover is carried out by seeders, in an ordinary way, at the rate of 15.5 kg. per hectare area. The embedment depth varies depending on the condition and density of the soil, on average it is about 3 cm.

Sweet clover care involves the presence of protective measures against harmful plants and insects, by spraying and treating the soil with herbicides, at the pre-sowing stage.

Top dressing is required only in the case when the plant develops very poorly, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied at the rate of 45 kg. per hectare of land.


Flowering of sweet clover begins the next year after sowing, in the same year it bears fruit, throwing out seeds. + 4 degrees is considered the optimal temperature for the growth and development of the crop, the germination of sweet clover seeds is high and lasts up to 10 years.

Sowing of sweet clover begins in early spring, in the first year of growth, the root system of the plant and the stem actively develop, and the next year gives rise to seeds.

The use of sweet clover

Sweet clover has been widely used in medicine, pharmacology, cosmetology and agriculture. In addition to the above, culture during flowering is an integral part of honey production.

During the flowering period, in the summer, beekeepers actively set up hives near the fields of flowering sweet clover, as the honey obtained from its pollen has truly healing properties.

Honey obtained from sweet clover relieves swelling, has a wide range of antibacterial properties, lowers blood pressure, moisturizes and nourishes the skin, has a diuretic and spasmodic effect.

Such honey improves immunity, eliminates infections of the nasopharynx, is effective for gastritis and ulcers, as well as diseases of the oral cavity. A spoonful of sweet clover a day eliminates immune deficiencies, saturates the body with vitamins and carbohydrates, improves mood and gives energy.

Sweet clover won its niche in dietary supplements and herbal preparations.

But this grass does not do without “pitfalls”. Medications based on sweet clover, as well as honey, are contraindicated for people with individual intolerance and allergies.

In addition, sweet clover can be poisonous. The toxic component in the herb appears when the aromatic substance of coumarin is destroyed, turning into dicoumarin, under the influence of mold damage. This is such a chemical reaction. Therefore, spoiled or stale sweet clover should never be fed to livestock, even in the form of hay.


So in the Rostov region, a mass death of livestock was described, due to the ingestion of yellow sweet clover in their diet. In the course of the proceedings, veterinarians found a low level of blood clotting in cattle and impaired liver function, and also identified the causes of this condition in horned animals - moldy silage from yellow sweet clover.

Sweet clover cleaning

Harvesting sweet clover for seeds begins in the second year after sowing.

Seeds crumble easily, therefore, mowing begins when 1/4 of the seed beans turn yellow, later periods threaten with complete shedding of small seeds into the soil and the appearance of carrion. Do not worry about the unripeness of the seeds, they will ripen calmly in the rolls.

After threshing the mowed mass and sifting, the seeds are sent for storage until the next sowing season. Sweet clover seeds are usually cultivated in areas not included in the crop rotation, due to its high vitality and the risk of turning from an agricultural crop into an annoying weed.


In general, harvesting sweet clover is always burdened with a headache, as belated cuttings produce coarse silage, with a high content of coumarin.

If sweet clover is cut for silage, then the beginning of harvesting is the budding phase and the height of the plant is up to 16 cm. This period reduces losses during collection into rolls, and allows you to speed up the next mowing of green mass.

Sweet clover is poorly suitable for harvesting hay, due to the high loss of leaves, in order to avoid this, business executives dry already dried greens with good ventilation installations.

If sweet clover was grown as green manure, its incorporation into the soil begins when it reaches a height of about 25-37 cm. Before incorporation, the grass is crushed with disc harrows and then plowed.

So, with timely harvesting, of course, depending on your growing goals, you can get a fairly large amount of nutritious green mass or hay. And also use sweet clover as green manure and saturate the soil with oxygen and important trace elements.

Appearance A biennial herbaceous plant from the legume family, up to 1 m high, with a taproot branched root. Stems are ascending, branched, almost round at the bottom and slightly angular at the top. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate, glabrous, long-petiolate) with entire subulate stipules. Leaflets obovate or lanceolate, serrated. The flowers are small, yellow, irregular, moth-like, on short pedicels, collected in long axillary racemes. The fruit is a naked, transversely wrinkled, one- or two-seeded bean. Blooms in June-August.

Places of growth It occurs in solonetsous and upland meadows, slopes of ravines, beams, forest edges, among shrubs in the forest-steppe and steppe zones.

Healing properties Sweet clover herb contains glycosides, the breakdown of which produces coumarin (a colorless, crystalline substance with the smell of fresh hay), melilotol, cymarin, melilotic and coumaric acids, tannins and fat-like substances, purine, choline derivatives, essential oil, protein, flavonoids, ascorbic acid , tocopherol, carotene, sugar, mucus.
In a decaying plant, dicoumarol (dicoumarin) was found, which prevents blood clotting.

Application It has been experimentally established and clinically confirmed that the coumarin contained in the herb depresses the central nervous system and has an anticonvulsant effect. In patients with leukopenia due to radiation therapy, coumarin causes an increase in the number of leukocytes, mainly due to granulocytes and, to a lesser extent, lymphocytes. Sweet clover is used for insomnia, hysteria, cardiospasm, migraine, menopausal complaints, as an expectorant for inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, and a laxative. The herb of the plant is part of emollient preparations for poultices and the preparation of a green (blister and corn) patch.

Sweet clover is an ancient medicine, also known from the pre-Slavic era.
In folk medicine, an aqueous infusion of the herb is used for increased nervous excitability, insomnia, headache, neurasthenia, hysteria, melancholy, menstrual disorders, especially in menopause, bronchitis, dropsy, pain in the intestines and urinary tract, flatulence, and also as a lactic acid ( 2 teaspoons of herbs are infused with 1/2 cup of boiling water, drunk in 3 doses 20-40 minutes before meals.) Externally, infusion and decoction of sweet clover, as well as ointment from sweet clover flowers are used to treat furunculosis, purulent wounds, mastitis, otitis media (2 table spoons of grass insist with 2 cups of boiling water).

Contraindicated in pregnancy and kidney disease. Sweet clover is a poisonous plant, the dosage should be strictly observed. It is advisable to use it only in collections.

In the article we discuss sweet clover. You will learn what the plant looks like, what healing properties it has. We will tell you how to treat varicose veins, hemorrhoids and hypertension with the help of products based on it. Consider contraindications for use, and tell you how sweet clover is used in cooking.

Sweet clover is a herbaceous representative of the legume family (lat. Fabaceae). The Latin name is Melilotus officinalis. Among the people, the plant is known as yellow burkun, wild buckwheat, burkunets, female clover, meadow burkun, Italian grass.

What does it look like

Appearance of sweet clover medicinal sweet clover has a thick taproot with many processes. The plant has a strong coumarin smell, which can be compared to the smell of freshly cut grass.

The plant has a straight branched stem. The height of the shoot is from 1 to 2 meters.

The leaves are lanceolate, serrated, growing in 3 pieces on a long petiole. The surface of the leaf is bluish-green above, pale below.

Small yellow flowers are collected in loose drooping inflorescences in the form of brushes. Each flower consists of 10 stamens, 1 corolla and 5 petals. Sweet clover blooms from mid-summer to early autumn. Elliptical grains with pollen. The color of the pollen is yellow.

The fruits are smooth flattened beans. They consist of one, rarely two seeds. The length of the bean is 3-4 cm. It begins to bear fruit in August.

Where does it grow

Sweet clover is found in the steppe and forest-steppe zones. Grows in meadows, wastelands, along roads. The plant often forms thickets along with white sweet clover, which differs only in the color of the flowers and the shape of the beans.

Melilot officinalis grows almost throughout Russia. Found in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, North America and the British Isles.

For more information about the sweet clover, see the following video:

Flowers, leaves, shoots

The entire upper part of the plant has medicinal properties: shoots, leaves, flowers. In pharmacies, you can find pharmaceuticals with the addition of this plant in combination with horse chestnut and blueberries.

Chemical composition

Melilot officinalis contains:

  • organic acids;
  • essential oil;
  • tannins;
  • coumarins;
  • vitamin A;
  • vitamin C;
  • glycosides;
  • flavonoids;
  • slime.

Medicinal properties

Sweet clover is well studied, unlike white sweet clover, so it is more often used as a medicinal plant. It has expectorant, analgesic, anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory effects. Plant-based products are used to treat diseases of the respiratory tract, hearing organs and gastrointestinal tract.

Sweet clover grass has a calming effect. Plant-based products lower blood pressure and restore the functioning of the nervous system. They are used for nervous disorders, migraines and insomnia.

The plant helps women cope with mastitis and menstrual irregularities. Means based on it normalize the hormonal background.

Sweet clover accelerates wound healing, treats furunculosis and acne. The plant is added to homemade ointments for external use.

How to collect

As soon as the plant blooms, you can start harvesting medicinal raw materials. The grass is cut along with the flowers, dried under a canopy, spreading them out in a thin layer.

Store sweet clover in cloth bags or glass containers in a dark, ventilated place. Shelf life - 2 years.

How to apply

You can buy sweet clover herb at any pharmacy. On the basis of sweet clover prepare infusions and decoctions for oral administration. The plant is used for the preparation of monocomponent products or added to medicinal preparations.

Infusion of sweet clover is used to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous and cardiovascular systems.

The tool has an anticonvulsant effect and improves blood circulation in all organs. The infusion of the plant is used externally for inflammation of the joints, rheumatism and sciatica.

A decoction of sweet clover is used to treat respiratory diseases accompanied by coughing: bronchitis, asthma, tracheitis.

Decoction for varicose veins

Sweet clover reduces capillary permeability, eliminates heaviness in the legs and relieves swelling. A decoction of the plant is often used to treat varicose veins and thrombophlebitis. The remedy is taken orally and lotions and foot baths are made on its basis.

Ingredients:

  1. Grass sweet clover - 1 tablespoon.
  2. Water - 400 ml.

How to cook: Grind the herb, pour warm water, cover and let it brew for 4 hours. Filter the finished broth with a strainer or gauze.

How to use: Take 1 tablespoon 3 times daily before meals.

Result: The decoction eliminates cramps, swelling and heaviness in the legs. The remedy is effective for venous insufficiency.

Tincture for pregnancy (for infertility)

During pregnancy, drugs based on sweet clover are contraindicated for use, since the plant is poisonous. The herb tincture is used to treat female infertility. The tool normalizes the hormonal background and, with regular use, increases the chances of conception.

Ingredients:

  1. Melilot officinalis - 100 gr.
  2. Vodka - 500 ml.

How to cook: Pour vodka over dry grass, cover, put in a dark and cool place for 2 weeks. Strain the finished product.

How to use: Take 10-15 drops before each meal, but no more than 4 times a day.

Result: Tincture normalizes hormonal levels, stimulates ovarian function.

Infusion for hypertension (from pressure)

Sweet clover is used to normalize blood pressure, vasoconstriction and increase the level of leukocytes in the blood. Infusion of the plant increases the minute volume of the heart. The drug is taken for 3 weeks, a two-week break is necessary before a second course.

Ingredients:

  1. Melilot officinalis - 5 gr.
  2. Meadowsweet - 15 gr.
  3. Field horsetail - 10 gr.
  4. Horse chestnut - 10 gr.
  5. Water - 500 ml.

How to cook: Combine the herbs, pour into a thermos, pour boiling water over and insist for 5-6 hours.

How to use: Take ⅓ cup of the infusion three times daily between meals.

Result: The infusion lowers blood pressure and normalizes the heart rhythm. This healthy recipe is effective in coronary heart disease.

Ointment for hemorrhoids

Sweet clover is used to treat hemorrhoids. A decoction of the plant is taken orally, the ointment is applied externally. Comprehensive treatment quickly eliminates the symptoms of the disease.

Ingredients:

  1. Medicinal sweet clover flowers - 20 gr.
  2. Vaseline - 50 gr.

How to prepare: Grind the flowers into a powder with a rolling pin, combine with petroleum jelly and mix.

How to use: Apply to the anal sphincter after each bowel movement.

Result: The ointment eliminates pain, relieves inflammation and itching, resolves hemorrhoids. The tool is suitable for the treatment of external hemorrhoids.

The use of sweet clover in cooking

Southern peoples use sweet clover in cooking as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes, sweet clover is especially popular in the Caucasus. Fresh leaves and flowers of the plant are added to salads, first courses and drinks. They are often used in home preservation.

Melilot medicinal - honey plant

Appearance of sweet clover honey. Honey from sweet clover nectar has high taste characteristics.

Along with buckwheat, acacia and linden, sweet clover honey is a first-class product. It has a white or light amber color and a pleasant subtle vanilla aroma.

200 kg of honey is produced from 1 hectare of sweet clover thickets. An artificially grown plant produces up to 600 kg of honey per hectare.

Contraindications

Contraindications to the use of drugs based on sweet clover:

  • period of pregnancy;
  • internal bleeding;
  • pathology of the liver and kidneys;
  • low blood pressure;
  • poor blood clotting.

Melilot officinalis is a poisonous herb, so the dosage of preparations based on it should be strictly observed. Uncontrolled intake of sweet clover causes side effects:

  • nausea and vomiting;
  • dizziness and headache;
  • drowsiness;
  • hemorrhages;
  • paralysis.

Classification

Sweet clover is a biennial representative of the genus Sweet clover (lat. Melilotus), the legume family (lat. Fabaceae). The plant belongs to the order Legumes (lat. Fabales), class Dicotyledonous (lat. Dicotyledones), Flowering department (lat. Magnoliophyta).

Varieties

The genus Donnik unites 22 species of herbaceous plants. The most famous of them:

  • sweet clover white;
  • Indian clover;
  • plowed clover;
  • sweet clover;
  • toothed clover;
  • large-fruited sweet clover.

Melilot officinalis infographics

Photo of sweet clover, its useful properties and application
Infographics on sweet clover

What to remember

  1. Sweet clover is used in folk medicine for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous systems.
  2. Plants are poisonous, so before using products based on it, you should consult a specialist.
  3. In the culture of the southern peoples, it is customary to use sweet clover in cooking. It is added to soups, main dishes and drinks.

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