ALFALFA - AT PRESENT STICK TO ITS SPROUTS: HEALTH BENEFITS, HISTORY AND USES OF ALFALFA

ALFALFA, MEDICAGO SATIVA

Alfalfa is perhaps best known for the sprouted seeds which can be added to salads and soups, but this member of the Fabaceae or Leguminosae family (pea and bean family) has much to recommend it as long as you don’t suffer from gout or hormone-related cancer and are not pregnant or breast-feeding. It is also called Lucerne or Lucerne grass and has been hailed by some as a wonder supplement, although ingesting large quantities of the leaves may lead to liver problems and it may cause photosensitivity. The plant has a purple flower and is not as obvious as the Butterfly pea to which it is related, and grows to a height of around one metre or three feet and three inches. It is valued for the fact that it can improve the soil, as can lupins, (another relative, as the Pongam tree, indigo, the Monkey Pod tree and carob are), and is primarily grown for animal fodder. The name Medicago is believed to have come from Medea, as the ancients considered it to be from the country of the Medes. It is now thought to have originated in the Mediterranean region and spread from there to the rest of Europe including into the British Isles where it is more or less naturalized.

  In 2010 alfalfa sprouts were thought to be the cause of a salmonella outbreak in the USA when six people were hospitalized after consuming contaminated sprouts, so you have to clean them thoroughly before using, or sprout your own from alfalfa seeds.

  The leaves are primarily used in medicine and can be used fresh or dried. They can be made into a tisane, but it isn’t very pleasant to drink as people who have drunk this say that it tastes a lot like old socks.

  A poultice can be made from the seeds, which need to be heated, and applied to the ear to stop earache, but personally I think eardrops would be better or warm olive oil. The leaves have antioxidant properties and contain vitamin A, some of the B-complex ones such as B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), and B3 (niacin), vitamins C and K. The minerals calcium, iron and phosphorous are also present, with some manganese, sodium and chlorine, along with potent bioflavonoids which contribute to their antioxidant properties. They have a mild pain relieving action and have antibacterial properties, so it is ironic that they caused an outbreak of salmonella. The expressed juice from the leaves has been used to produce vomiting and the tisane is a mild laxative, and diuretic. The root has been used to reduce fevers and is also credited with helping urinary problems which cause highly coloured urine to be produced. The plant is prescribed when people were suffering from weakness while recovering from an illness, and for anaemia, and internal haemorrhages. The plant’s extracts have proved to have neuroprotective properties in vitro in experiments, but it is too early to say that this would apply in humans.

  While it is true that alfalfa has been used in traditional medicine systems around the world for centuries, it is sadly the case that there have been few trials carried out on this plant by people who do not have a vested interest in the sale of this plants seeds, sprouts or extracts. Certainly it is a good source of protein and has been viewed as such by many ancient people - but as animal feed not for humans primarily. However the plant is being genetically engineered so that the saponins-like substances are removed from it, so ultimately making it a better source of protein and vitamins for people. As it is if you cook the leaves and change the water once, then you should not suffer any ill-effects. It has been said that alfalfa is the world’s most foraged for plant, for human consumption, so if it were altered so that it were safer to eat this would be beneficial.

  In the past and it is claimed in the present, the plant has been used to help disperse calculus which gathers around the joints causing inflammation, and the bioflavonoids in the leaves seem to have anti-bacterial properties which can help the digestive system. The oestrogenic properties of the plant mean that it may be helpful in women suffering the symptoms of the menopause and painful or irregular menstruation. The high magnesium and calcium levels present in it are believed to help to relieve migraines, and the tisane has natural laxative and diuretic properties. It is also claimed that it can lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels in the blood and promote good cholesterol. It is also said to be effective in the removal or dispersal of kidney stones.

  The plant began to be cultivated in Britain in the 16^th century and was used for digestive ailments, and for this purpose it was taken by the early settlers to North America, where the Native Americans used the seeds as a thickening paste to enrich the nutrient content of their dishes. In the 19^th century herbalists in the US used this plant for a number of purposes including to stimulate milk flow in breast-feeding women, although today this group of people are particularly warned against taking alfalfa.

  Probably the best use for alfalfa for humans is to put sprouts in salads and sandwiches as well as in soup.

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EUROPEAN OR COMMON LIME TREE - BUT NO LIMES FROM THIS TREE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE LIME TREE

EUROPEAN OR COMMON LIME, TILIA EUROPAEA 

Despite its name this tree does not produce limes which come from Citrus aurantifolia species of tree. It does, however produce greeny-yellow flowers which attract bees with their powerful aroma and we have great honey from them. The tree does produce small fruit but these are not eaten although they are edible.

  The flowers and the immature fruit, when ground to a paste form a chocolate substitute, but as the paste decomposes it is not manufactured. If you live near a lime tree you will know that when the flowers fall they leave a sticky mess as they are quickly victims of a fungus. All this is perfectly naturally but slimy and slippery, so walk carefully under lime trees in August. In the UK the flowers blossom in July but in warmer parts of Europe they blossom earlier.

  There are trees of the Tilia genus which have been growing in the British Isles for thousands of years, although they may not be natives, but this genus is a hybrid, crossed between Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos. The lime trees still flourishing in stately avenues in Britain may have been growing since the 17^th century and were imported from the Netherlands. It was the fashion for stately homes to have a walk lined with lime trees in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. These trees can grow to heights of 130 feet (40metres) and may live for up to a thousand years (although there are probably exceptions which have been around for longer).

  A sticky sap exudes from the bark of these trees which has been likened to Biblical manna, and this has been used to make drinks and to make a syrup which is used as a natural sweetener, like honey. Stevia leaves are sweet too of course, but the leaves of the lime tree are not. They can be combined with the flowers and made into a tisane which has been traditionally used to aid digestion and also given in cases of hysteria, when prolonged baths were also advised, with the bath water infused with lime flowers.

  Wood from this tree is good for carving and examples of this can be viewed in St. Paul’s Cathedral, Chatham House and Windsor Castle, all the work of Grinley Gibbons. The wood is white, close-grained and easy to carve, allowing the artist to carve intricate designs in it. It has been used in the past to make parts of musical instruments such as the piano.

  The flowers contain a volatile oil and the leaves exude a sugary substance, and can be used fresh or dried, although fresh is considered best. They are marketed as Linden tea, and the tree is sometimes referred to as the Linden tree, especially in Germany, where “linde” means rope. In the case of this tree it refers to the fact that prior to the invention of synthetic materials, the inner bark of the tree which is very fibrous could be made into matting and it can also be made into beige-coloured paper as well as cloth.

  If you make a tisane with the flowers, make sure that they are young ones, as the older ones seem to have narcotic properties.

  The young leaves and shoots may be eaten raw in salads, and with the flowers have been used in traditional medicine to get rid of the symptoms of colds and flu and as a diaphoretic to promote sweating in fevers. They are also thought to have properties which will prevent the hardening of arteries and lower high blood pressure.

  There have been very few clinical trials on this plant and its virtues, but it appears that parts of the tree may have antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic and sedative properties - the last making it good for hysteria of course.

  

COMMON CLUB MOSS - A MEMBER OF THE FERN FAMILY: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF COMMON CLUB MOSS

COMMON CLUB MOSS, LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM 

Like Irish Moss, which is a sea weed, Common Club Moss is not really a moss but is related to the ferns such as maidenhair and horsetail which it resembles a little. It bears no visual resemblance to the larger common fern, bracken. This common moss grows all over the world and is a common sight in damp woodlands in Britain.

  Prior to the 17^th century the whole plant was used in medicinal preparations, despite its being poisonous. It was used in decoctions to aid digestion and soothe the stomach to get rid of flatulence and was called Muscus terrestris or Muscus clavatum, meaning musk of the earth or musk claw. Lycopodium means wolf’s foot and clavatum, claw. The plant was harvested and dried for medicinal purposes, but it contains lycopodine which is poisonous and paralyses the motor nerves while the substance clavatine also present in the plant is toxic to many mammals; deer, for example do not eat club moss. The decoctions of the plant have been used to help get rid of calculus which builds up around the joints causing inflammation, so it was used for arthritis and rheumatism, as well as gout. It had a reputation for being good for the kidneys.

  In the 17^th century it was harvested and used only for its spores which are not poisonous, and these have been used as talcum powder, to stop things sticking together, as a dusting powder, to dress moulds in iron foundries and the stems of the plant when dried have been woven into matting. The spores are also used in fireworks and to produce the effect of artificial lightning.

  The spores are shaken from the kidney-shaped capsules (sporangia) which are found on the inner sides of the bracts which cover the fruit spike of club moss, and are a yellow powder. They have been used on injuries as they absorb fluids which exude from wounded tissue. They have diuretic qualities and can help in cases of chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. They would also appear to have some antispasmodic actions.

  A decoction of the spores has been used to give relief from the pain of gout, rheumatism and arthritis, and for urinary tract disorders and kidney problems. Used externally a decoction can help with skin problems and can stop itching. It is said that if the spores are snuffed up the nose they will stem a nosebleed.

  This plant is a very common one, but tricky to harvest so best left to grow in the wild, unless you absolutely know what you are doing.

GOLDENSEAL - NATIVE AMERICANS USED IT FOR SKIN PROBLEMS, HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF GOLDENSEAL

GOLDENSEAL, HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS 

When the early settlers reached the North American continent they found that the Native American tribes used goldenseal for skin diseases and for cancerous growths. They adopted the use of the goldenseal root, which they could harvest in autumn after the plant had died back and could dry it for later use. Goldenseal is a member of the buttercup or crowfoot family, Ranunculaceae, so it is a relative of the lesser celandine and black cohosh. It has been used for liver problems, and when applied in a poultice or you can simply mash the root, it has been effective in acting as an antiseptic for cuts as it has antimicrobial and anti-bacterial properties. The Cherokees used it as a cancer treatment and for an eye wash. The name Hydrastis comes from the Greek meaning to accomplish and water, so this could be because of this use,

  By the early twentieth century the little plant was considered a cure-all and used against colds and flu, as it is now, especially when combined with Echinacea. It is actually now one of the most popular herbs in the US, although this may have something to do with the unfounded rumour that it can mask a positive result on a drug test for illegal drugs. Studies have found that it actually has no effect on the results.

  There is actually no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of this herb, although it does contain berberine, it is not absorbed as well in the body as that found in other herbs. Berberine has been shown to kill bacteria in vitro (in test tubes not in animals) and to be effective against some yeast infections in the urinary tract such as candida. It may stimulate the action of white blood cells to combat infection and so may strengthen the immune system.

  In the traditional Chinese medicine system it has been used for malaria and heart failure, but tests have not substantiated this use.

  An infusion of the root may help to eliminate toxins and salt from the kidneys and liver, but the downside is that it could raise blood pressure so is not recommended for use if you already have high blood pressure or heart problems. Also avoid giving goldenseal to children and if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, don’t use it.

  When its popularity grew in the late 1990s the little plant became at risk of being endangered and is on the list of the Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) as an endangered species due to its over-harvesting.

  Goldenseal was introduced to the UK in 1760 where it became used for catarrh, the root being dried and ground to a powder for snuff to clear the nasal passages and also for its decongestant properties for bronchial catarrh. It was also used as a digestive aid and to regulate a woman’s periods.

  The Native Americans primarily used it for skin problems and it has a reputation for being good as a skin wash being credited with stopping pitting after chicken pox and smallpox. They also used the yellow juice from the root as a dye for clothes, body paint and to colour weapons.

  As it is considered an endangered species, don’t rush off and try to harvest the root!