#1 – Marloe Scott Wilson’s, Weekly Keep it Green: Alfalfa (Lucerne)
Medicago sativa, also called lucerne
#1 – Marloe Scott Wilson’s, Weekly Keep it Green: Alfalfa (Lucerne)
Little do people know that Alfalfa is a herb. It hails from Asia, mostly, and is highly thought of as the King of Plants, probably one of the first plants known to man.
Everything is used – the leaves, sprouts, and seeds. People use it to make medicine for kidney conditions, bladder and prostate, high cholesterol, asthma, osteoarthritis and diabetes. It is also a great source of Vitamins A, C, E and K4 with calcium, potassium, phosphorus and iron as well as the full family of B vitamins.
The name Alfalfa is derived from the Arabic phrase “al-fac-facah” which literally means “Father of all foods”. It is rich in essential nutrients and when dried, alfalfa is very high in protein and has the highest value of all forage crops. No wonder my horses love it!
One of the amazing discoveries about this plant is that Alfalfa seems to prevent cholesterol absorption in the gut. Who would have thought? And as if that isn’t good enough reason to include it in your diet, how about the following piece of information?
Alfalfa is naturally high in a host of essential vitamins and minerals, including A, D, E, K4, and even the full family of B vitamins, and therefore it is not only of great value to humans and as forage for animals, it is highly valuable as a fertiliser in agriculture. For that reason, I add chopped fresh lucerne to my compost heap, that’s if the horses don’t get to it first.
This health-giving King of Plants aids in detoxing the bowels and is used as a diuretic, making it very useful in cases of water retention or urinary tract infections. It also helps to purify the blood and if eaten regularly it has been known to lower blood pressure and to balance hormones. It is a general immune system booster.
Sow some in your garden. As you can see from the picture above, it is pretty and a great filler. You can use the leaves and sprouts fresh in salads as well as in soups and casseroles. Dried alfalfa is an excellent way of ingesting it and you can drink it as a tea, although it might be better mixed with a flavoured herb tea as it is quite bland. The dried lucerne, ground to a powder in a spice or coffee grinder, can be added to soups, salads and even to green drinks and stews.
You can also share it with the horses…
Until next week, keep it green!
Next week: Beautiful Basil…
For more information on Marloe Scott Wilson or Marloe’s Green Stuff/Organic foods visit:
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