Alfalfa's scientific name is Medicago sativa, but it goes by several other names, including buffalo herb, Lucerne, and purple medic. California is the largest producer in the U.S. The clover-like plants bloom there in the summer, reaching 2 to 3 feet high and producing blue or purple flowers.
Alfalfa has been used extensively as a feed for cattle. Asia is most likely where it was first used. The legume was called "al-fal-fa," which translates to "father of all foods," by the Arabians who gave it to their horses, saying it made the animals robust and fast. Anecdotal accounts that alfalfa leaves generated diuresis and helped treat kidney, bladder, and prostate diseases led to the use of alfalfa in medicine. Leaf preparations have been promoted as having anti-asthmatic, anti-arthritic, and anti-diabetic properties. They have also been used to treat dyspepsia. Alfalfa is a commercial source of carotene and chlorophyll, and Alfalfa extracts are utilized in baked goods, drinks, and prepared dishes.
Alfalfa Powder Nutrients
Alfalfa powder is commonly used to feed horses and rabbits, but it also benefits humans. In addition to being taken as a supplement, alfalfa is consumed by people in the form of sprouted seeds, which are available in the produce department of most supermarkets.
Nutrients Per Serving
Just 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts provides the following nutrients:
- Calories: 7.6
- Protein: 1.3 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0.7 grams
- Fiber: 0.6 grams
- Sugar: 0.1 grams
Alfalfa powder may be low in calories, but it has several significant nutrients that make it a powerhouse food. It contains:
- Copper
- Folate
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Vitamin B1,B2,C, K
Alfalfa powder contains a variety of vitamins and minerals as well as bioactive substances such as flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, and phytoestrogens. These substances might aid in the prevention of diseases including cancer and heart disease.
Then How about Alfalfa Powder Benefits
Alfalfa powder has substantial health benefits due to its robust nutritional profile. In alternative medicine, it is also utilized to treat a wide range of medical conditions.
Lower Risk of Certain Diseases
Your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and other conditions might increase due to free radicals in the body, which can cause oxidative stress and cell damage. Alfalfa powder's antioxidants assist your body fend against ailments caused by free radicals.
Steady Blood Sugar
Due to its high fiber content, alfalfa powder may help lower blood sugar levels by delaying the intestinal absorption of glucose. It might therefore aid in the management of prediabetes and diabetes.
Lower Cholesterol
Saponins are plant chemicals that reduce the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can mitigate your chances of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Healthy Urinary Tract
Alfalfa powder stimulates urine flow, a natural diuretic that can aid in the removal of dangerous microorganisms. Although it's not a tried-and-true cure for an existing UTI, it might help stop one from developing.
Effective Blood Clotting
Alfalfa powder gives you 13 percent of your daily required intake of vitamin K, an essential nutrient for blood clotting, in just one serving. Iron, chlorophyll, and vitamin K all aid in the creation of blood, which is beneficial for those who suffer from anemia. However, because vitamin K might reduce the effectiveness of the blood thinner Coumadin, you may want to limit your intake if you take it.
How about alfalfa Leaf powder uses?
Alfalfa powder may be useful in lowering cholesterol and treating menopausal symptoms. It also may have hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory effects; however, clinical information supporting any of these indications is limited.
Alfalfa Grass Juice Powder Dosage
A general dosing regimen is 5 to 10 g of the dried herb taken 3 times daily. For the treatment of high cholesterol, the seeds may be taken at a dose of 40 g 3 times daily.
Alfalfa sprouts are often contaminated with bacteria, thus the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advise saying that youngsters, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems shouldn't eat them. People who have a personal or family history of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) should not consume alfalfa powder due to the potential effects of canavanine, an ingredient in the plant, on immune-regulatory cells.
Is Alfalfa Powder safe?
When taken by mouth: Alfalfa powder is possibly safe when used short term. But taking alfalfa powder in high doses or long-term is likely unsafe. Long-term use might cause reactions similar to the autoimmune disease called lupus in some people.Special precautions & warnings:Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Using alfalfa powder in amounts larger than what is commonly found in food is possibly unsafe during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Alfalfa powder might act like estrogen in the body.
Who should not take alfalfa Powder?
If you have an auto-immune condition, avoid using alfalfa powder until more is known. Hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Alfalfa might have some of the same effects as estrogen.
Could Undersun Biomedtech Offer Alfalfa Powder?
Yes, absolutely. Undersun could offer the following alfalfa products for your choice:
-Organic alfalfa powder
-Conventional alfalfa powder
-Chlorophyll sourced from Alfalfa
-Alfalfa juice powder
-Alfalfa grass powder
Should you have any demand, please just email us at herbext@undersun.com.cn.
References:
1.Puschner B, Chen X, Read D, Affolter VK. Alfalfa hay induced primary photosensitization in horses. Vet J. 2016 May;211:32-8. View abstract.
2. Mac Lean JA. Unsaponifiable substance from alfalfa for pharmaceutical and cosmetic use. Pharmaceuticals 1974;81:339.
3. Malinow MR, McLaughlin P, Naito HK, and et al. Regression of atherosclerosis during cholesterol feeding in
4. Ponka A, Andersson Y, Siitonen A, and et al. Salmonella in alfalfa sprouts. Lancet 1995;345:462-463.
5. American Journal of Medicine: "Bioactive compounds in foods: their role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer."
6. ESHA Research, Inc., Salem, Oregon.
7. Food & Function: "Lowering of cholesterol bioaccessibility and serum concentrations by saponins: in vitro and in vivo studies."
8. Kaiser Permanente: "Vitamin K."
9. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: "Alfalfa."
10. National Cancer Institute: "Bioactive Compound."
11. Research Opinions in Animal and Veterinary Sciences: "Medicago sativa: A historical ethnopharmacology and etymological study of the alfalfa."
12. University of Rochester Medical Center: "Alfalfa.
