Sweet clover officinalis.

Sweet clover: properties and applications

Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) is a biennial herbaceous plant of the legume family that grows everywhere and about 20 species are known. There are 11 types of sweet clover common in Russia. The plant is 50-100 cm high and has a stem, usually single, branched, and pubescent in the upper part. The leaves are petiolate, trifoliate, bluish-green above, paler below, finely serrated. The plant blooms in June - October. The flowers are yellow, on long peduncles, collected in axillary racemes. The fruit is an ovoid bean with an awl-shaped nose that ripens in August.

Sweet clover is found in fallow lands, along roads, in ravines, meadows and crops. Sweet clover grass is not inferior to alfalfa and clover in terms of fodder properties and is a good honey plant. Sweet clover honey is light amber in color with a subtle aromatic odor.

The aerial part of the plant serves as the medicinal raw material. The tops of the grass are collected at the beginning of flowering. Dry in good weather in the shade - under a canopy or in the attic, tying in bundles or laying out in a thin layer. Dry raw materials are threshed, flowers and crushed leaves are selected, and thick stems are thrown away. Store in a tightly closed container for 2 years.

Coumaric and melilotic acids, melilotin, dicumarol, coumarin, melilotoside, purine derivatives, fat-like substances, protein and essential oil were found in sweet clover grass. These substances have many beneficial properties that are used in medicine and cosmetology.

In medical practice, sweet clover is prescribed as an anticonvulsant, for angina pectoris and blockage of coronary vessels. It is part of the collection for the treatment of rheumatism. In folk medicine, sweet clover is used as an emollient, analgesic and expectorant for diseases of the respiratory organs, pain in the bladder and kidneys, migraines, menopause, purulent inflammation of the middle ear, headaches, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Sweet clover is used to treat boils, carbuncles, purulent wounds, inflammation of the mammary glands and articular rheumatism, and is used as a wound healing agent. Sweet clover is also used in cosmetology to improve skin color and reduce age spots.

However, it should be remembered that sweet clover contains coumarins, which can cause photodermatitis and enhance the effect of anticoagulants, so it should be used with caution and only on the advice of a doctor.

It is also worth noting that sweet clover is a honey plant and can cause allergic reactions in people prone to allergies to honey.

Overall, sweet clover is a beneficial plant that can be used to treat various diseases and improve skin condition. However, before using it for medical purposes, you should always consult your doctor.