Melilot officinalis: benefits and harms, use in traditional medicine. Burkun white or white sweet clover medicinal use contraindications

Sweet clover is found almost everywhere. Many consider it overgrown with weeds. But this plant has, with proper use, many healing properties. The honey plant successfully cures many diseases.

The herb gained popularity both among herbal healers and in official medicine. Medicinal preparations are produced from a medicinal plant by the pharmaceutical industry.

The two-year-old honey plant belongs to the family. legumes. It is called wild buckwheat grass, bottom grass, burkun, and can also be called differently, depending on the area of ​​​​growth.

Sweet clover has a rod-shaped root. Its stem is straight, branching all over. The length is from half a meter to one and a half meters. The leaves are oblong or elliptical with serrate margins. Leaves are bluish above, pale below. The whole plant looks like silver.

Sweet clover has yellow moth flowers, small, up to 7 mm. They are formed in the sinuses and at the top with many brushes.

The plant has small fruits (beans) of an oval configuration, brownish in color with a sharp subulate ending. Flowering occurs almost all summer from June to August, ripening - from July and the entire autumn period.

Grass grows on the sides of the highway, in meadows, along ravines and wastelands. It comes across as a weed in young forest plantings, on agricultural fields. The plant spreads in the Urals, throughout Europe, in the West. Siberia, the Caucasus and other regions.

Procurement of raw materials

For medical purposes, flower brushes, lateral branches no more than 30 cm, plant tops are suitable. Harvesting is done during the flowering period. It is necessary to choose a time when the weather is dry and sunny and there is no more dew, otherwise the raw material will soon darken and become unusable.

It is forbidden to collect medicinal herbs near the highway, as it collects a large amount of dust and toxic substances.

The plant is not dried in the open sun: in attics, under roofs. Good ventilation is required. The raw material is laid out on a paper or fabric bedding with a layer of 5 cm, which needs to be turned over from time to time.

When drying in a dryer, it is necessary to control the temperature, it should not be more than 40 degrees. After drying, the grass cools and splits into special clean bags.

The plant is ready to eat when it begins to break with a crunch. The finished raw material has a salty-bitter taste. The smell of grass is fresh hay, or rather the aroma of coumarin.

Chemical composition

The flowers and leaves of the plant contain from 0.4 to 0.9 percent coumarin, which gives it a pleasant aroma. In addition, the plant contains many useful substances:

  • melilotin acid;
  • choline;
  • purine derivatives;
  • flavonoids;
  • melitoside glycoside;
  • a small amount of essential oils;
  • protein elements;
  • fat-like elements;
  • dicoumarol;
  • amino acids;
  • mucous substances (polysaccharides);
  • phenolcarboxylic acids;
  • carbohydrates;
  • nitrogenous and phenolic compounds;
  • tannins;
  • micro and macro elements (selenium, molybdenum).

Also, honey plant contains vitamins E and C in large quantities.

Medicinal properties

The valuable qualities of the plant are in coumarin. It serves as a sedative for the nervous system, stops convulsions.

From medical research it follows that the substance increases blood pressure, increases the power of the heart muscle, improves blood circulation in the brain and abdominal cavity.

In addition, the substances found in the grass and flowers of sweet clover are biogenic stimulants. The use of drugs, the basis of which is sweet clover, increases leukocytes and activates them.

Decoctions, infusions, ointments, lotions are prepared from the plant; it is contained in medicinal preparations. With the use of sweet clover, a patch is produced for the treatment of purulent-inflammatory processes.

Inside, the funds are prescribed as relieving convulsions and sedatives, for expectoration of mucus from the bronchi and lungs.

Traditional medicine advises using the herb for constipation and flatulence, gynecological diseases, and externally for mastitis.

Sweet clover honey is also good for mastitis, it is used to massage joints with arthritis.

Indications for the use of sweet clover

Sweet clover stimulates cerebral circulation in the coronary and peripheral vessels; it is prescribed for patients with atherosclerosis, with vegetovascular dystonia, with migraines, and hysterical conditions.

The medicine ''Meliocin'', obtained by Bulgarian pharmacologists from the leaves of sweet clover, has a high biostimulating effect. The plant is successfully used by Bulgarian, Polish, Austrian, German, Indian, Chinese doctors.

Preparation of funds from sweet clover

Many different remedies are known from sweet clover for the treatment of various purposes. It can be infusions, decoctions, baths and other means.

Infusion

  1. At 2 tsp. crushed plant is poured 2 cups of hot water. The mixture is infused for 4 hours and filtered. Used for 2/3 cup 3 r./d. half an hour before meals.
  2. 2 tbsp. l. dry plants are placed in an enameled container, poured with a glass of boiling water. The mixture is covered with a lid and heated on a steam bath for 15 minutes. Then the infusion is left for 45 minutes, filtered. The volume of the resulting infusion is topped up with boiled water to the original volume. Reception for half a glass 2-3 rubles / day.

An infusion is used as an expectorant and for inflammations of a different nature, it lowers blood pressure.

Infusions are stored for no more than 2 days on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Decoction

  1. 10 g of dried crushed raw materials are taken, poured with one glass of cold water. Within 30 min. boil over low heat, then cool and strain.
  2. In 250 ml of water at room temperature, 2 tbsp. l. dry shoots of the plant and brought to a boil. On low heat for 30 minutes. After that, strain the broth.

Both decoctions are used for 1 tbsp. l. 3 rubles / day with liver diseases, colds accompanied by cough, sleep disorders, bronchitis.

Ointment

  1. An ointment is prepared from the flowers of the plant. Take 2 tablespoons of raw materials, 2-3 teaspoons of butter or some kind of fat. The raw material of small fractions is thoroughly triturated with fat or oil, and can be brought to a boil.
  2. 2 tbsp. l. grind the powder of the flowers of the plant with 50 g of petroleum jelly.

It is used for boils, rotting wounds, skin rashes of a different nature, for burns with ultraviolet rays. It has the ability to draw out pus.

Compresses and baths

  1. An infusion is prepared for external use. 2 tbsp. l. raw materials are poured with 2 cups of boiling water and infused for 2 hours. Then apply to sore spots.
  2. For local baths, 40 g of a dry plant is poured with 400 ml of boiling water. Then the infusion stands for 30 minutes, filtered. It is used for healing wounds, including purulent and non-healing ones.

If small and large joints hurt, tissue bags with grass in the form of heat should be applied to the sore spots for 20 minutes. The treatment lasts 10 days.

Tincture

  1. Take 100 g of dried raw materials, add a bottle (0.5) of vodka and leave for 2 weeks. Then strain and leave in a cool place. Stored up to 2 years. It is used 10-15 drops 3 r./d. before eating. Drink water.
  2. 50 g of fresh raw materials are filled with a bottle of vodka (0.5) and left for 2 weeks in a dark place. Then it is filtered and stored in the refrigerator. Reception - 15 drops 2 r./d.

Both tinctures are used for infertility, endometriosis, normalization of hormonal disruptions, menopause, diseases of the lungs and bronchi, to increase systolic pressure.

Application in the economy

It is a fragrance in the manufacture of tobacco, soap accessories, is used to get rid of moths and add fragrance to linen. The leaves of the plant can be used to dye fabrics.

Sweet clover honey is among the first-class. Honey is amber, transparent, has a pleasant smell.

The grass is used for animal feed in agriculture, nutritionally similar to alfalfa. It is a fertilizer, enriches the soil with nitrogen.

Contraindications

When used in large doses, the plant adversely affects the nervous system and negatively affects smooth muscles. With prolonged use or use in doses exceeding the norm, there are dizziness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, pain in the head. Occasionally causes liver damage and even CNS paralysis.

It is forbidden to use sweet clover during pregnancy, low blood clotting, bleeding. The plant is used strictly according to the recommendation and under the supervision of the attending physician. It is undesirable to use herbal preparations for children under 2 years of age.

An inconspicuous plant, fragrant medicinal will help with many diseases, alleviate chronic ailments, relieve suffering. It is important to prepare the plant on time and correctly and use it correctly in accordance with the recipes.

We bring to your attention a video describing the medicinal properties of sweet clover and recipes for preparing the infusion:

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Update: October 2018

Sweet clover, also known as wild buckwheat, yellow sweet clover, bottom grass, Italian grass, is a herbaceous plant from the legume family, a biennial. It has a pronounced coumarin smell, similar to the smell of freshly cut hay.

The main area of ​​growth is continental Europe, Asia (Small, Middle, Central), the Caucasus. Found in the British Isles, New Zealand, America (North and South). In Russia, it grows almost everywhere: it prefers wastelands, fallows, meadows, quarries, grows along roads. It often forms thickets with white sweet clover, a related plant with a similar morphology. Cultivated in many countries.

It is a fodder crop. Used as fertilizer. In the food industry, it is used as a natural flavoring agent (in the dairy, meat, fish industries, in the production of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages).

Refers to medicinal plants. Let's talk about the beneficial properties and contraindications of sweet clover in more detail.

Plants sweet clover white and yellow: what is the difference

In fact, there are many more species of the plant, but white and yellow are the most famous. The officially recognized medicinal plant is yellow sweet clover, white is no less often present in traditional medicine recipes for similar indications, and, like yellow, is considered a very productive honey plant.

Morphological description

Rod root.

The stem is straight, branched, 1-1.5 m high.

The leaves have 3 lanceolate leaflets, serrated along the edge. At the base of the long petiole there are subulate stipules, which are several times smaller than the leaflets, have entire or serrated edges. The middle leaflet is located on a longer petiole than the lateral ones.

Drooping flowers are collected in long, narrow apical and axillary loose brushes, are small in size and yellow in color, located on short pedicels. The corolla is moth-like, and the calyx is five-toothed. There are 10 stamens in the flower, 9 of them are fused by 2⁄3 threads, and 1 is free. Flowering falls in June-September and lasts more than a month: medicinal sweet clover blooms a couple of days earlier than white sweet clover.

Grains - small beans, naked, brown, with transverse folds or veins, contain sweet clover seeds - one, less often two, blunted at the top, with an awl-shaped nose, located on a short stalk. Ripening begins in August.

Collection and preparation

It is necessary to collect the plant during the period of active flowering, from July to October, it is better in dry weather, since wet plants do not dry well, they can rot and rot during the drying process.

For medicinal purposes, side shoots with tops are collected, raw materials are laid out on a fabric or paper base and dried in attics, in rooms with good ventilation. During the drying period, the raw material must be turned over so that it does not rot and does not turn black. Readiness is judged by the fragility of the stems with a characteristic crunch.

If roots are needed, they are dug up in autumn or early spring, washed in running water, and dried in dryers.

Dry raw materials can be used within 2 years.

Chemical composition

The main medicinal properties are associated with the presence of coumarin, a camphor-like aromatic substance that is formed from glycosides that can improve memory, attention, stop convulsions, eliminate anxiety and depression, improve blood circulation in the brain and abdominal cavity, increase the force of contraction of the heart muscle. In addition, the plant found:

  • vitamin C. Antioxidant, immunostimulator and regulator of redox processes;
  • vitamin B4. Contributes to the normal functioning of the liver;
  • saponins. Liquefies sputum and improves its excretion, has a sedative, anti-sclerotic, diuretic effect;
  • carotene. Participates in antioxidant protection;
  • tocopherol. It has an antioxidant, rejuvenating effect;
  • dicoumarol. Thins the blood and prevents the formation of blood clots;
  • protein. It is a catalyst for some chemical reactions in the body;
  • fiber (up to 25%). Promotes the removal of metabolic products;
  • tannins. They have anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, astringent properties;
  • cymarin. cardiac glycoside;
  • resins. Characterized by wound healing and anti-inflammatory actions;
  • flavonoids. Helps eliminate free radicals and radioactive substances;
  • minerals. Participate in metabolism;
  • essential oil (about 0.01%). Oily, rapidly evaporating substance. It has an analgesic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory effect;
  • sugars, mucus, fat-like substances (about 4.3%).

Many substances are formed in therapeutic concentration only after cutting and drying of raw materials, so dry grass is more effective than fresh.

Useful properties of sweet clover

Due to the presence of coumarin, plant preparations:

  • soothe the central nervous system;
  • stop convulsions;
  • reduce blood pressure;
  • increase myocardial contractility and cardiac output;
  • improve blood supply to the myocardium, brain, abdominal organs;
  • reduce puffiness;
  • stop the inflammatory process.

The active substances found in the herb are biogenic stimulants. In experiments on experimental rats, it was found that the use of an aqueous extract of sweet clover makes it possible to prolong the life of animals after the introduction of high doses of strychnine. Also, during treatment with sweet clover in experimental rodents, an increase in the number of leukocytes in the blood (more due to granulocytes and less due to lymphocytes) with an increase in their phagocytic activity was revealed.

Melilot preparations have medicinal properties:

  • antibacterial;
  • astringent;
  • enveloping;
  • antispasmodic;
  • fibrinolytic;
  • blood-thinning;
  • expectorant;
  • painkillers;
  • diuretic;
  • sedative;
  • anticoagulant;
  • hypotensive;
  • carminative;
  • anti-inflammatory;
  • restorative;
  • emollient.

Indications for use

In medicine, sweet clover is used for a wide range of diseases:

  • CNS: convulsions, hysteria, migraine, headache, increased nervous excitability, neurasthenia, melancholy, insomnia;
  • CCC: vascular thrombosis, ischemic heart disease, cardiospasm, hypertension, angina pectoris, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis, impaired cerebral and peripheral circulation, varicose veins;
  • Respiratory system: colds, acute respiratory viral infections, prolonged, painful cough, chronic bronchitis (as an expectorant);
  • Gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, intestinal pain, pancreatitis, flatulence;
  • Genitourinary area: pain in the bladder, cystitis;
  • Immune system: prolonged inflammatory processes in the body, reduced immunity, condition after severe infections;
  • Endocrine system: metabolic disorders, especially fat metabolism, thyroid dysfunction;
  • Women's sphere: menstrual disorders, painful and heavy menstruation, severe menopause, lactation disorders, adnexitis, reduced libido, infertility;
  • Male sphere: dropsy, prostate adenoma;
  • Connective tissue pathologies: rheumatism;
  • Joint diseases: arthrosis, arthritis.

Sweet clover grass is used to obtain a green plaster (corn and abscess), effective for skin diseases accompanied by inflammatory and purulent processes.

Ointments, decoctions and tinctures based on sweet clover flowers have a distracting, irritating, cleansing, anti-inflammatory and softening effect and are effectively used in external treatment:

  • furunculosis, purulent wounds;
  • herpes;
  • abscesses;
  • mastitis;
  • otitis;
  • rheumatic polyarthritis;
  • malignant tumors;
  • hemorrhoids and anal fissures.

It is used in the form of lotions, compresses, washings, poultices, added to healing baths and baths: it reduces pain and has an anti-inflammatory effect in rheumatism, gout, and ovarian diseases in women.

Chinese healers use the plant to treat epidemic encephalitis.

Young herbs are used for culinary purposes, in the preparation of salads, okroshka, soups, and in dried form - as a spice for salads, soups, drinks.

Honey obtained from sweet clover nectar helps in the treatment of mastitis, diseases of the respiratory system, relieves arthritis and arthrosis.

Pharmaceuticals

  • Melilot medicinal. Dry vegetable raw materials with a wide range of applications for the preparation of various dosage forms. It belongs to the group of drugs with anti-inflammatory activity.
  • It is part of Cardiofit, a combined cardiological drug prescribed for functional cardiovascular disorders. It has a mild hypotensive, cardiotonic and antiarrhythmic action.
  • It is part of a series of means for maintaining the vessels of the legs - Venokorset produced by Evalar (capsules, gel, drainage).

In addition, the plant is part of various herbal preparations.

Folk recipes with clover

  • Water infusion. 2 tbsp mix raw materials with 200 ml of boiling water, insist for 5-6 hours, filter. Take for insomnia, hypertension, headache, bronchitis, nervous disorders, painful and heavy menstruation, 100 ml three times a day. Also, the tool increases the number of leukocytes in the blood in patients with radiation sickness.
  • Universal decoction. Take 10 gr. herbs, boil over low heat in 200 ml of water for 30 minutes, strain, drink 1 tbsp. l. three times a day for diseases that are listed in the indications. Especially well helps with colds, respiratory diseases. It can be used together with sweet clover honey.
  • Extract. Take 50 gr. fresh herbs and pour half a liter of vodka, insist 14 days in the dark. Take with water, 10-15 drops, before meals with menopause, hormonal disorders, severe migraine, insomnia (before dinner).
  • Ointment:

- 2 tbsp. grind the dried flowers into a fine dusty powder. Mix with vaseline (50 gr.). With the resulting ointment, treat cuts, wounds, boils, carbuncles, acne on the face (pointwise), the area of ​​inflamed joints several times a day.

- 50 gr. fresh flowers, ground into gruel, mix with 3 tbsp. butter. It helps with abscesses (promotes their early maturation) and quickly relieves inflammation in diseases of the joints.

  • Infusion for douching in inflammatory gynecological diseases. Take 1 cup of boiling water and mix with 1 tbsp. herbs, insist 1 hour and filter. You can do douching, soak sterile tampons with it, add it to baths.
  • Green patch. Take 12 gr. yellow wax, melt, enter 22 gr. rosin and 1 tbsp. low-temperature rendering from goat, goose or badger animal fat, add 1 tsp there too. sweet clover grass powder. Warm up with a small flame for 5 minutes, stirring often, strain into a jar and apply the composition in a warm form to the inflamed area for 20-30 minutes. Effective for osteomyelitis, boils, abscesses, abscesses (used for early maturation).
  • Help with joint pain. Steam fresh sweet clover grass and place in a tissue bag, apply to the sore joint for 15-20 minutes. Repeat for 10 days.
  • Infusion to stimulate lactation. 2 tsp dry sweet clover pour 1/2 cup boiling water, insist 4 hours. Divide the drug into 3 doses, drink half an hour before meals.
  • Anesthetic infusion. Grind a pinch of dry grass, brew one and a half cups of boiling water and insist in the dark for 2-3 hours, strain. Take 1/3 cup three times a day to relieve pain of any localization.
  • Tea. To prepare it, take 30 gr. sweet clover flowers, pour a liter of boiling water and insist in a thermos for about 1 hour. Drink in small portions with honey throughout the day for severe coughs, as a sedative to relieve anxiety and depression, and as a light sleep aid at night. Another area of ​​application in women and men is to increase sexual desire. In ancient times, they said that sweet clover is a supporter of amorous affairs. It is impossible to call the plant an aphrodisiac, but with regular use the effect will be.
  • Decoction for the treatment of headaches, migraines, insomnia, nervous disorders. Take 1 tbsp. herbs (chopped), pour 200 ml of boiling water, soak in a water bath for half an hour, cool and strain. Drink 1 tbsp. l. before meals, three times a day.
  • A decoction for thrombosis. Prepared on the basis of white clover roots. Take 1 tbsp. roots (well crushed) and brew 1 cup boiling water, put in a water bath for 20 minutes, strain. Drink 1 tbsp. before meals three times a day.
  • Tincture for the treatment of infertility and hormonal disorders. 200 gr. dry crushed grass pour 400 ml of vodka or medical alcohol, put the jar in a dry and cool place for 14 days, shake occasionally, then strain. Take 4 times a day, 20 drops with warm water.
  • A decoction for pathologies of the female genital area. Take equal amounts of centaury grass, sweet clover and coltsfoot, mix, pour a pinch of the collection into 200 ml of boiling water, insist for 3 hours. Take 60-70 ml every 2 hours, the course is 30 days.
  • Porridge for the treatment of pancreatitis. Take in equal parts: sweet clover, plantain, thyme, marigold flowers, medicinal chamomile, marsh calamus, ash, cudweed, mix everything, weigh 60 gr. raw materials and pour half a liter of boiling water. Place the container for 2 hours in a warm place, strain and squeeze. The slurry is applied to the projection area of ​​the pancreas, covered with parchment paper and cotton cloth. Leave the compress for 1 hour, repeat every day for 14 days.
  • Decoction for hypertension. Take 30 gr. dry sweet clover grass, pour 300 ml of boiling water, leave for 3 hours, squeeze and drink half a glass 4 r / day.
  • Remedy for flatulence. Take 20 gr. dry roots, pour 300 ml of boiled water, boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, filter. Take 3 times a day for 1 tsp.
  • Treatment of hemorrhoids. Take 1 dessert spoon of sweet clover grass, 5 gr. highlander, 10 gr. lush carnations and the same number of multi-colored carnations. Grind all components in a coffee grinder, take 20 gr. the resulting powder, mix with goose or pork fat and evaporate on a steam bath for 3-4 hours. Apply to inflamed hemorrhoids at night. In parallel, during the day, you can do sitz baths with an infusion of the plant. Such procedures relieve pain and severe itching in the area of ​​​​the nodes, accelerate the healing of cracks.
  • Poultices for external treatment. With furunculosis and skin abscesses, freshly ground leaves of the plant are applied directly to the inflamed area and a piece of clean bandage is placed on top. For the treatment of abscesses, you can make hot poultices: pour 1 cup of dry grass into 1 liter of hot water, leave it warm for half an hour and apply it to the sore spot, wrapping the herb in a bandage.
  • Migraine remedy. Take 1 dessert spoon of sweet clover and hop cones, pour 200 ml of boiling water, boil the medicine for 5 minutes, leave for 1 hour in a sealed container. Drink 50 gr. before meals 3 times a day.
  • Medicine for varicose veins. To obtain a decoction, take 1 tbsp. l. herbs and 2 cups of boiling water, mix, insist 4 hours and drink three times a day, 1 dessert spoon before meals.
  • Collection with adnexitis. Take 5 gr. flowers of coltsfoot, oregano, centaury umbrella and sweet clover, mix. For 10 gr. the mixture needs 1 glass of boiling water, which is poured with raw materials for 3 hours. Strain the finished product and drink a third of a glass for a month.
  • Poultice for rheumatism. Take a clean canvas bag, put 3 parts of marshmallow and chamomile into it, add 4 parts of yellow sweet clover, tie, pour water and 10 minutes. boil. In a warm form, apply the bag to the affected area.

sweet clover honey

Melilot officinalis is an excellent honey plant that produces a large amount of nectar during flowering. The special structure of the flowers allows the nectar to be preserved even after rain and during periods of severe drought. From nectar collected from 1 ha of a wild plant, bees produce 200 kg of honey, and from 1 ha of cultivated sweet clover - 600 kg. Sweet clover honey is of high quality, has excellent taste, light amber or white color, delicate aroma, similar to the smell of vanilla. Contains fructose (39.59%) and glucose (36.78%). In addition to honey, useful pollen is obtained from the plant.

The product is valued as an effective medicine and helps with diseases of the digestive system, hypertension, cough, headache, neurosis, fatigue.

Massage with honey helps well with arthrosis and arthritis, but it should be remembered that in the acute phase such procedures are most often contraindicated.

Contraindications

  • Individual intolerance to the plant;
  • kidney disease;
  • Hemocoagulation disorders;
  • Hemorrhagic vasculitis;
  • Bleeding from internal organs;
  • Tendency to bradycardia;
  • low blood pressure;
  • Pregnancy;
  • Children's age up to 18 years.

Contraindications to the use of sweet clover are absolute, i.e. they cannot be ignored.

Special instructions and possible side effects

In case of overdose and hypersensitivity to the plant, there may be: nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, tremor. In severe cases, it can develop: liver damage, hemorrhages in muscle tissue, internal organs, under the skin, and even paralysis of the central nervous system.

Do not take sweet clover preparations together with drugs that help reduce blood clotting. It should also be remembered that sweet clover preparations are poisonous when used in large doses.

If you are going to have surgery, you should stop taking sweet clover a month before it: problems with blood clotting may develop.

Melilot officinalis: useful properties and applications

Melilot officinalis: description, useful properties, use and contraindications

This is one of the most unusual plants that is used in folk medicine. Its unusualness is due to the chemical composition of the plant, which is atypical for leguminous plants. But first things first.

The plant has different names in different places. There are also such names: burkun, burkunets, wild buckwheat, female sweet clover, yellow sweet clover, bottom grass, yellow burkun.

Such a number of names is explained by the vast distribution area of ​​the sweet clover.

Biological description of sweet clover

Melilot officinalis (lat. Melilotus officinalis) is a biennial herbaceous plant that grows up to 1 meter in height, belonging to the legume family (Fabaceae). It is now distributed on all continents (with the exception of Antarctica).

In places where sweet clover is rare or not found at all, it is cultivated. For some countries, this plant is even an export item.

The root system of the sweet clover is pivotal. Stems ascending, rounded below, angular above. The leaves, like those of many other legumes, are trifoliate, obovate in shape, with a saw-toothed margin.

The flowers are dirty yellow, irregular, located on short stalks. Blooms depending on climatic conditions from June to August.

Distribution of sweet clover

It is found in Great Britain, New Zealand, North America, in the very south of South America, however, the "historical homeland" of the plant is Europe, Asia Minor, Central and Central Asia.

In Russia, it is distributed everywhere, preferring to develop meadows, roadsides, quarries, wastelands, deposits, etc. Very often it grows together with its relative - white sweet clover, which differs in flower color (in the case of white, the color of the petals is white) and the shape of the surface of the beans (in the case of white, they are wrinkled).

Preparation of sweet clover

The plant's herb has medical significance. Its preparation should fall on the flowering phase, since it is at this time that the maximum concentration of biologically active substances is observed in the plant.

The grass is cut with a knife, but not the entire above-ground part of the plant is taken, but only the top up to 30 centimeters long. Rough and thick stems are not suitable as medicinal raw materials. I think there is no need to explain that harvesting is carried out far from large settlements and roads.

Harvesting is done only in dry weather, as the raw plant quickly deteriorates. After harvesting, drying should in no case be postponed for these reasons either.

Drying itself is carried out according to conventional technology or in stoves and ovens at temperatures up to 40 degrees. Raw materials are stored for up to 2 years in sealed containers. It has a very strong smell of fresh hay (coumarin smell) and has a salty-bitter taste.

The chemical composition of sweet clover

The herb of sweet clover contains the following useful substances:

  • coumarin;

Hello dear reader!

Midsummer. Heat. Calm. Near the road - thickets of grass growing almost to human height. Tart sweet clover aroma. It is around its flowers that bees heavily loaded with bribes are buzzing. Some plants - with yellow flowers, others, very similar - with white ones. They belong to the same genus, which explains the similarity. Useful properties of sweet clover is the topic of this article.

Thickets of sweet clover along the road

Types of sweet clover

Sweet clover is a genus of plants in the legume family. There are many species in this genus. But the most common sweet clover (or yellow) and white sweet clover. These are biennial herbs. They grow throughout Eurasia, especially in the steppe zone. But they settled widely - both throughout the middle lane and to the north. Plants even got overseas - to America.

Sweet clover has bright yellow papilionaceous flowers similar to those of many other legumes. They are quite small, collected in brushes. They have a strong aroma.

Inflorescence of sweet clover

The fruit of sweet clover is an ovoid bean 3–4 mm in size, with one or two seeds inside.

Stem erect, strongly branched. In plants of the second year, it can reach a height of one and a half meters.

Leaves are small, alternate. The lowest one is trifoliate, of obovate leaflets. The rest of the leaves are lanceolate, oblong, with teeth along the edges. The shape of its leaves, especially trifoliate, sweet clover is also similar to many other legumes.

Melilot officinalis together with white sweet clover

The stems and leaves of the white sweet clover are very similar to those of the sweet clover. Similar in shape and flowers. Only the petals are white.

White sweet clover

It is noteworthy that the chemical composition of plants is largely similar. Therefore, the beneficial properties of both sweet clover are similar. Both of them are medicinal plants, let one be called "medicinal", and the second - just "white".

The habitats of sweet clover are wastelands, roadsides, railway embankments. Often found in crops as a weed. But sweet clover is also grown specifically as fodder plants. A number of varieties have been bred.

Useful properties of sweet clover

The use of plants by humans is determined by their chemical composition. Sweet clover, like other legumes, has a high content of protein and fat in leaves and fruits. Significant amounts contain glycoside coumarin, choline, purines. These are important biologically active substances.

Let us remember the close relationship of both sweet clover and their similarity, including in application. But I will still describe the use of medicinal sweet clover, the beneficial properties of which have been studied most well.

Medicinal use of sweet clover

The use of yellow sweet clover in folk medicine dates back centuries. During this period, the plant has been studied by doctors perfectly. Sweet clover showed its outstanding healing properties in the treatment of many diseases.

I think that the name of the plant comes from its medicinal use. After all, gout was treated with sweet clover. And the lower part of the abdominal cavity of the human body was often called the “bottom”. Diseases of this “lower part” are called “bottom diseases”.

Melilot preparations (extracts, infusions, ointments) were used by folk medicine to treat abscesses, boils, and tumors. With inflammation of the mammary glands, lotions were made from the infusion of sweet clover grass. Inflamed joints with rheumatism were also treated with similar lotions.

For colds, bronchitis, cough, sweet clover decoctions can be used as an expectorant that helps to remove sputum.

Medicinal sweet clover is also used as part of herbal teas that have a calming effect, used for insomnia.

The beneficial properties of sweet clover are recognized by modern medicine. It has been established, for example, that coumarin is an anticoagulant. Melilot preparations reduce blood clotting and are used for thrombosis, angina pectoris.

Infusions are the main form of sweet clover use. One of the recipes is this.

Put two tablespoons of dried herbs in an enamel bowl and pour a glass of boiling water over it. Heat for 15 minutes in a water bath. Cool the infusion, strain and squeeze. Dilute the infusion with boiled water, adding it to a whole glass (200 ml).

Take 2 - 3 times a day for half a glass.

Another infusion can be used as a sedative for insomnia, headaches, irritability, and even hysteria and neurasthenia.

To obtain it, 1 teaspoon of dry sweet clover grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for 30 minutes.

Take 2-3 times a day for half a cup before meals.

At home, it is quite easy to get an ointment from sweet clover that promotes the maturation and opening of abscesses and boils.

To do this, rub 2 tablespoons of fresh flowers with 2 - 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Use such an ointment freshly prepared, applying it to a sore spot.

But remember: self-medication is dangerous! Be sure to consult your doctor. The coumarin that is part of the flowers is poisonous, and if the dosage is violated, it may cause headache, vomiting. With completely immoderate use, even liver damage and blood circulation!

Collection of sweet clover grass

Clover grass is harvested for medicinal purposes during the flowering period. At this time, the tender parts of the plant are cut off or cut off - flower brushes, tops of shoots with leaves.

The raw materials are dried under a canopy in the shade, scattering it in a thin layer. With proper drying, the leaves will remain green and the flowers yellow.

In Russia, sweet clover was called "burkun grass". It was also often called bottom grass and sweet clover. The modern name of this plant in Greek means "honey lotus".

What does a sweet clover plant look like

Sweet clover is a biennial herb belonging to the legume family (moth subfamily) and has medicinal properties. The bushy stem of this plant reaches 2 meters in height. Its small yellow or white (depending on the variety) flowers about 5 cm in diameter are collected in brushes.

Describing what the aerial part of sweet clover looks like, it is necessary to add that the small leaves covering its stem have an oval-elongated shape and are attached to short roots. The root system of the plant is pivotal, developed.

Sweet clover grass

Where does it grow

The area of ​​\u200b\u200bgrowth of sweet clover covers:

  • Western Siberia;
  • Kazakhstan;
  • Central Asia;
  • individual regions of Russia.

Wild-growing burkun can most often be found:

  • at the roadside;
  • at the shore of the reservoir;
  • in the steppe meadow.

However, farmers can also grow this herb on their plots.

Types and features of cultivation

Cultivated burkun is represented by several dozen species (about 50), but the most famous are white (toothed) and yellow (medicinal) sweet clover. These are similar varieties of plants that differ from each other in the color of flowers.

In the yellow-colored species:

  • beans with a less embossed surface;
  • more even outlines of leaves;
  • often lower height (about 1.5 meters).

Sweet clover is unpretentious in terms of soil composition, but still prefers non-acidic calcareous soil. It is cold-resistant, but reacts negatively to sudden changes in temperature, and prefers to grow in the southern regions with an air humidity of at least 60%. It tolerates drought without loss and even acquires a more intense aroma during this period. Excess moisture, on the contrary, can lead to the death of the plant.

In dry regions, sweet clover is usually sown without a cover, which brings tangible benefits, helping to achieve good green cuts.

Sweet clover is unpretentious to the composition of the soil

The sweet clover bears fruits with small grayish beans, inside of which there are yellow seeds. Grass that appeared in the first year after sowing does not produce seed. She doesn't even have flowers. The budding of the plant can be observed only in the second year of its life. At the same time, it is completely covered with flowers, becoming, depending on the variety, white or yellow. The approximate life span of each flower is 5 days.

However, there are types of burkun for which this rule does not apply. They bloom already in the year of sowing. Usually this applies to annual varieties.

Attention! For sowing one hundred acres of arable land with sweet clover, about 120 g of seeds will be required.

Toothed and medicinal species of sweet clover differ in productivity (when harvested from one hectare, the farmer gets up to 215 centners of green mass) and are early-ripening (the time interval from the day of sowing to harvesting is no more than 60 days).

If the burkun is intended to be used as a feed base for livestock, the agrotechnical instructions for its cultivation should be followed with particular care. Otherwise, there is a high risk that the raw materials will soon deteriorate and cause mass death of animals.

  • phosphate;
  • potassium;
  • nitrogen.

This rule also applies to recently transplanted plants (they are fed in the fall).

Culture properties and applications

Burkun is widely used in folk medicine. Most often it is used to combat:

  • gout;
  • joint inflammation;
  • tumors;
  • purulent wounds;
  • abscess;
  • cough;
  • varicose veins and venous insufficiency;
  • stagnation of milk during lactation;
  • pain
  • hormonal disorders;
  • bronchitis;
  • kidney disease;
  • nervous overexcitation and insomnia;
  • intestinal obstruction and hemorrhoids;
  • the consequences of sprains;
  • diseases of the prostate and urinary tract;
  • menopause and the consequences of hormonal changes during menstruation.

Decoctions and herbal teas are made from dried sweet clover grass, which have a sedative and diuretic effect.

Foot baths with plant flowers allow you to get rid of:

  • puffiness;
  • itching;
  • fungal infections.

Gauze compresses and lotions with burkun infusion can stop weeping skin lesions or mild bleeding that occurs with injuries or burns.

Attention! The use of excessive amounts of preparations containing sweet clover can provoke insomnia, as well as bouts of nausea and vomiting. Particular attention to this moment should be shown by pregnant women and persons who have had internal bleeding or increased blood clotting.

Often the herb is used as a flavoring for:

  • tobacco;
  • alcohol;
  • soaps;
  • perfume products.

Medicines, which include this plant, are prescribed for angina pectoris and convulsions.

Melilot officinalis

The yellow-flowered species is often grown for feeding cattle and as a green manure crop. Also sweet clover is a highly productive honey plant. From one hectare you can get about 320 kg of the product (for annual burkuns this figure reaches 450 kg), which is a means of maintaining body tone and preventing diseases. Such honey, like the plant itself, will have antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Thanks to its use, a person can get rid of attacks of dizziness and migraines.

About diseases and pests

The main danger that sweet clover can be exposed to is the uncontrolled growth of weeds, so the plant needs regular weeding.

This is all the more useful due to the fact that other herbs can become a source of diseases dangerous for the plant:

  • septoria;
  • white rot;
  • transference;
  • powdery mildew.

The likelihood of diseases moving from other legumes is especially high, so crops belonging to this family are not recommended to be planted nearby. In addition, all diseased plants should be immediately eliminated from the site to avoid mass infection of crops.

Important! The burkun is practically immune to the attacks of insect pests. Although bugs, scoops, caterpillars or weevils can damage it to a certain extent.

How and when to collect and harvest

To prepare the leaves and the flower part of the sweet clover, you will need to properly collect and dry the plant:

  1. Cut the grass stem as close to the root as possible.
  2. Tear off leaves, shoots, tops and flower brushes.
  3. Spread the collected raw materials evenly on paper and place everything under a canopy.

The whole procedure is carried out during the flowering period. In the yellow sweet clover, it falls on the first decade of summer, while in the white clover it starts a little later, but lasts about a month. Dried grass retains its green color and acquires a richer smell. The maximum allowable shelf life of such blanks is 24 months. It will be appropriate to use them as tea leaves or as a seasoning for soup or fish, giving the dish more piquancy.

Sweet clover is an unpretentious plant that can take root well in wastelands, in ravines, so growing it is quite simple. The herb has many useful properties, due to which it is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases.

The herbaceous juvenile plant sweet clover (Melilotus) is a member of the legume family. Sweet clover is a valuable green manure and fodder plant, and it has been present in culture for more than two thousand years. Some species of this crop are grown as plants with medicinal properties. This plant is popularly called burkun, bottom grass and sweet clover. In nature, sweet clover is found in Asia and Europe; it prefers to grow in wastelands, meadows and fallows. This herb has a specific smell.

The height of the branched stem of the sweet clover can vary from 0.5 to 2 meters. Rod root. The leaf plates are trifoliate (which looks like a clover), they consist of serrated leaflets. Apical loose elongated brushes consist of small flowers of yellow or white color. The fruit is a naked bean, which has a rounded shape, and reaches a length of 30–40 millimeters. Seeds remain viable for a relatively long time, or rather, for 14 years.

Sweet clover is grown as green manure, because it improves the structure of the soil and saturates it with a substance such as nitrogen. It is also grown as a forage plant, because it forms a nutritious biomass, which contains a very large amount of vitamins. This biomass is distinguished by fattening and milk-producing action. Also, this herb, which has a pleasant smell of fresh hay, is widely used for aromatizing soap, for flavoring tobacco, and in the perfume industry it is used to fix the aroma. This plant is one of the best honey plants. From the nectar collected from the flowers of such a culture, white or amber honey is obtained, which has a very pleasant aroma of vanilla.

Landing in open ground

Only a small number of species of sweet clover are cultivated, with white sweet clover and yellow sweet clover being the most popular among gardeners. This culture is propagated, as a rule, by seed (generative) method. Sweet clover is not very demanding on the composition of the soil. This herbaceous plant grows well on chernozem, solonetz, slightly podzolic and carbonate soil. But in no case should it be planted in acidic soil, and also in swampy areas where groundwater occurs close enough to the soil surface.

Sweet clover has the ability to accumulate nitrogen, as well as extract nutrients from sparingly soluble soil compounds, as a result of which it is able to grow and develop perfectly even on poor or depleted soil. When choosing a site for planting, it must be taken into account that of the large number of representatives of legumes, this crop has the greatest light-loving nature, so the site should be open and sunny.

Before planting, the site should be carefully prepared. For this, it is obligatory digging with the introduction of phosphorus and potash fertilizers, so, 50 grams of superphosphate and 20 grams of potassium salt are taken per square meter.

The seeds of this plant are hard stone, which greatly complicates the emergence of seedlings. Therefore, 20-30 days before sowing, they must be subjected to scarification. To do this, you need to pass the seeds two or three times through clover graters. For these purposes, you can also use specially designed scarifiers.

It is recommended to sow seeds in open soil in April or May. To do this, not very deep grooves are first made in moistened soil, while the distance between them should be from 0.45 to 0.6 meters. After the seeds are sown in open ground, the grooves must be sprinkled with a not very thick layer of soil, after which the surface of the site is carefully compacted. Sowing seeds that have not been subjected to preliminary scarification, experienced gardeners advise to produce in winter, or rather, in February or January, they are simply scattered over the surface of the soil or snow cover. Rains in the springtime, as well as melt water, contribute to the softening of the strong shell of the seeds, as a result of which the seedlings appear on the soil surface even when the temperature rises to 2-4 degrees. In the southern regions, seeds of sweet clover are sown in open soil, as a rule, in August.

If the seeds are sown on the garden plot in the spring, the first seedlings will appear after about half a month. During the formation of a pair of true leaf plates, it is necessary to thin out the plants, and weeding is also carried out, removing all weeds, while gently loosening the soil surface between rows. The recommended distance to be left between bushes in a row is 0.3 meters, but this does not apply to the case when this plant is grown as green manure.

Sweet clover has a very high resistance to drought, in connection with this, it is not necessary to systematically water such a crop. However, it must be fed in a timely manner; for this, phosphorus and potash fertilizers are introduced into the soil.

In the first year of growth, fruits are not formed on the sweet clover bushes, this is because they have an intensive development and growth of the root system. Since the root neck of the sweet clover is in open soil in winter, in connection with this, with the onset of the spring period, it is necessary to ensure that the site is not flooded with melt water during the melting of the snow cover. During flowering, this culture attracts a large number of bees that collect its nectar. It produces excellent honey, characterized by high taste and medicinal qualities.

Sweet clover, like almost all agricultural crops, is subject to a wide variety of diseases, and a variety of pests that damage the plant can also settle on it. Most often, this plant is affected by powdery mildew, ascochitosis, peronosporosis, bacteriosis of the roots, septoria and yellow mosaic. As a rule, bushes are affected by fungal diseases only when they are grown in conditions that are not entirely suitable for this crop. It is recommended that diseased plants be treated as soon as possible with a fungicide solution, for example, Fundazol, Maxim, Bordeaux liquid, Abiga-Peak, etc. If the sweet clover is damaged by a mosaic, its bushes should be removed from the soil as soon as possible and must be destroyed so that this disease does not continue to spread throughout the garden plot. The fact is that such a disease today is not amenable to treatment.

On this plant, pests such as: various kinds of bugs and weevils can settle: clover, red alfalfa and yellow seed-eaters; leaf, nodule and large alfalfa weevils; sweet clover and bristly nodule weevil; green palomena; cabbage, rapeseed, herbal, alfalfa and mustard bugs; marginal and camptopus bordered; wingless red bug; spiny stenodema; ruled, berry and spring stink bugs. In order to get rid of such harmful insects, experts advise using systemic insecticides, for example, such as: Aktellik, Aktar, Karbofos or other means that have a similar effect. For the purpose of prevention, it is imperative to follow the rules of crop rotation, do not forget to weed the site in a timely manner, and do not be lazy to process the soil and seed immediately before sowing. Also in spring and autumn, for the purpose of prevention, the site should be treated with insecticides. If everything is done correctly, then the pests will bypass the sweet clover and will not be able to harm it.

Not only an experienced, but also a novice gardener will be able to grow such a culture in his garden plot. If you follow all the rules of agricultural technology of this crop and properly care for it, then problems with sweet clover should not arise at all.

Experts advise harvesting sweet clover during its flowering. To do this, using scissors or a pruner, it is necessary to cut off all the side shoots, as well as the apical racemose inflorescences. The resulting medicinal raw materials must be tied into not very large bundles, which should be hung from the ceiling in a dry and well-ventilated room, where they can dry very well. For these purposes, you can also use an electric dryer, while it should be set to a temperature of 40 degrees, no more, no less. After the shoots are completely dry, they will need to be thoroughly threshed. Then the resulting mass of medicinal raw materials must be sifted using a sieve made of wire, which will remove large pieces of stems that need to be thrown away. Medicinal properties have foliage, small shoots, fruits and flowers of sweet clover, which have the smell of coumarin and a bitter-salty taste. To store dried sweet clover, tightly closed containers made of ceramic or glass are used. Medicinal raw materials of sweet clover should be stored in a dark and dry place.

Types and varieties of sweet clover with photos and names

Only two types of sweet clover are the most popular among gardeners. Their detailed descriptions will be given below. Some of their varieties will also be described, which are also often grown in garden plots in various regions.

White sweet clover (Melilotus albus), or burkun, gunba, gunoba, male sweet clover, verkin grass

The height of this biennial plant can vary from 0.3 to 1.5 meters. This pasture and silo crop has pinnate leaf blades, stipules that have an awl-shaped shape, as well as axillary inflorescences consisting of white flowers of a moth type. This honey plant differs from others in that it produces nectar even during a long dry period, while the bees fly to the sweet clover, because they are attracted by the rather pleasant aroma of hay. In the wild, this culture can be found on the territory of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Ukraine, Moldova, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She prefers to grow on slopes, along the edges of fields and roads, in ravines and dry wastelands. Gardeners cultivate the following varieties of white sweet clover:

  1. Medet. This early maturing plant is related to the Siberian ecotype. The height of the bush can vary from 1.1 to 1.2 meters. The medium thickness shoots are rather rough. A long narrow racemose inflorescence consists of large white flowers. This variety is highly resistant to drought, frost, it is also salt-tolerant, and it is not afraid of any diseases and harmful insects, so there will be no problems with its cultivation.
  2. Frost. This plant has good bushiness. Bare shoots, with medium coarseness, are painted in a green color tint. Bare trifoliate leaf plates have a green color, as well as a slightly serrated edge. The elongated loose racemose inflorescence is many-flowered and consists of white flowers. Beans are elliptical in shape. The plant is highly resistant to powdery mildew, but it is susceptible to damage by weevils.
  3. Chermasan. The height of this precocious plant is about 200 centimeters. The shoots are rough, and there is no pubescence on their surface. The length of medium loose inflorescences is about 18 centimeters, they include white flowers. Dark gray beans have an elliptical shape.
  4. steppe. This early maturing variety is highly drought tolerant and productive. Rough straight shoots in the upper part are short-pubescent, and in the lower part they are bare. The height of the stem can vary from 1.45 to 1.7 meters. Trifoliate rounded leaf plates have a serrated edge. They are greenish naked, and on their surface there is a thin wax coating. The axillary racemose inflorescence is loose. The fruit is a two-seeded or one-seeded bean, elliptical in shape, which is colored in a yellow-straw color.
  5. Volzhanin. This variety is salt-tolerant, productive and drought-resistant. It is resistant to powdery mildew and is not afraid of the return frosts observed in spring. The bush is upright, non-lodging. The height of the average coarseness of branched shoots can vary from 1.65 to 2.5 meters. The fruits are one-seeded or two-seeded beans of a dark gray color. The yellow seeds are oval in shape.

Also, gardeners quite often cultivate the following varieties of this type of sweet clover, namely: Lucerne-shaped 6, Middle Volga, Volga, Ob giant, Om, Sayan, Sretensky, Meshchersky 99, Rybinsky, Nemyugyunsky, Bulat, Diomede, etc.

Yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), or medicinal sweet clover, or medicinal sweet clover

Among the people, this species is still quite often called burkovina, hargun, wild hops, wild buckwheat, bottom, hare chill, sticky, ragwort and molar grass. In the wild, this species of sweet clover is found on the territory of Belarus, Western Siberia, Ukraine, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Such sweet clover prefers to grow among shrubs, on forest edges, in young plantings, along fields and roads, along ravines and meadows. This herbaceous plant, which is a biennial, has a tap root, which has a very large number of branches. The height of the straight stem varies from 150 to 200 centimeters, in the lower part it becomes woody. Trifoliate alternately arranged leaf plates have long petioles and green-gray serrated-toothed leaves along the edge, which have an oblong-ovoid shape. Multi-flowered racemose inflorescences, reaching a length of 50 to 70 millimeters, consist of flowers of a yellow color shade. The fruit of this type of sweet clover is a transversely wrinkled bean, which is colored brown. Inside the beans are smooth oval-shaped seeds, colored brown-yellow or yellow, they fully ripen in August or September. The most popular among gardeners are such varieties of yellow sweet clover, such as:

  1. Sarbas. This variety is mid-season, it has a high yield, as well as resistance to drought and frost. This variety has an active growth and development in the spring. After this grass is mowed, it grows relatively quickly. Such sweet clover is highly resistant to powdery mildew, and harmful insects that damage seeds do not settle on it.
  2. Koldybansky. This variety is drought tolerant. The bush of such sweet clover is slightly sprawling. The shoots are quite rough, and their height can vary from 0.8 to 1.2 meters. The seeds are relatively small. This variety is one of the best honey plants.
  3. Ishim early. This frost-resistant plant is salt and drought tolerant. It is early maturing and has a high yield. Such a grass is resistant to powdery mildew, and also to all pests that damage seeds. This erect bush reaches a height of about 0.8 meters, its bushiness is medium.
  4. Kokshetau. This drought-resistant and salt-resistant plant, which has frost resistance, is able to give a rich harvest of green mass. Its nectar produces honey of the highest quality.
  5. Omsk. This early ripening plant has yellow flowers. Two-seeded beans are relatively large in size.

Sweet clover properties: harm and benefit

The composition of the herbaceous sweet clover plant includes cymarin, tannins and fat-like substances, essential oil, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, carotene, tocopherol, sugars, mucus and glycosides, in the process of their splitting, coumarin is obtained, which is a crystalline substance with a rather pleasant aroma of hay .

The fact that this plant has medicinal properties, people have known for a long time, even in ancient times. This herb has expectorant, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, emollient, diaphoretic, carminative, anticonvulsant, wound healing and sedative effects. Preparations based on sweet clover are used in the treatment of bronchitis, hypertension, constipation, hysteria, migraine, insomnia, rheumatoid and gouty arthritis, cough, dropsy, atherosclerosis, flatulence, neurasthenia, increased nervous excitability, diffuse toxic goiter, and also their used for purulent wounds, inflammation of the genital organs in women, abscesses and boils.

Honey, which was obtained from sweet clover nectar, also has medicinal properties. It is widely used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, insomnia, neurosis, high blood pressure, pain in the head, as well as for diseases of the joints and varicose veins. This very tasty and incredibly healthy honey also helps to stimulate lactation. Such honey still has a mild laxative and diuretic effect.

Who is contraindicated sweet clover

Sweet clover, as well as all preparations made on its basis, should not be used by pregnant women, as well as people suffering from kidney disease. It is very important to remember that the composition of this plant includes toxic substances, in connection with this, the dosage should be strictly observed. If sweet clover is used in very large volumes, then it has an extremely negative effect on smooth muscles, and also contributes to the depression of the nervous system. If such drugs are used for quite a long time, then because of this, drowsiness, nausea, pain in the head, vertigo and vomiting may develop. In some cases, subcutaneous internal hemorrhage, liver damage, and paralysis of the central nervous system occur. In this regard, the use of such drugs should only be prescribed by the attending physician, who must select the required dosage. And do not forget to strictly follow this dosage.