Alfalfa Notes -- Holmes

With the medieval Islamic expansion, Arabic physicians and pharmacists brought this"father of all foods" to Spain, from where it spread to the rest of Europe. Since then, Alfalfa herb has been more important as cattle fodder than as a remedy because of the neglect of treatment methods such as nourishing, altering and promoting nutrient absorption (i.e., strengthening the Spleen).

As an anastative nutrient,Alfalfa herb increases Kapha, promoting solidity, weight gain and strength. These are all typical of an increase of Spleen Qi and liver Yin. It is not an oily remedy and therefore cannot possibly produce Qi stagnation like some Chinese Blood and Yin tonics. The content in large and trace minerals, enzymes, amino acids and vitamins adequately ensures this. On the contrary, Alfalfa is an important digestive remedy in several ways, including the regulation of gastric acidity. Metabolic and nutritional disorders in general benefit from its wide range of actions.

By causing systemic altering and regulating changes, Alfalfa herb is also recognized today as a remedy for chronic and degenerative disorders. Alfalfa's wide gamut of components ensures a resolvent, detoxicant and dissolvent action that goes hand in hand with its primary nutritive function. In this sense it is the inverse of Celery seed. The saponins and phytoestrogens lower blood lipid levels (an antilipemic action) and one of its proteins is considered antitumoral. The remedy has also shown liver antilipemic and small intestine protectiveactivity, especially when caused by chemical damage. Milk thistle seed take note. These are just some examples of the mechanisms of its systemic detoxicant effect.

In recent years a bivalent regulating effect has also been noted (empirically and scientifically) with regards to estrogen. The remedy's content in plant estrogens have shown the ability to either increase estrogen production (an estrogenic action) or to decrease it (an anti-estrogenicaction). As is speculated of several traditional uterine restoratives,including Dong quai root, the very action of phytoestrogens binding with estradiol receptors will increase or decrease a woman's endogenous estrogen production in the latter case by simply reducing the availability of receptor sites.

Greek medicine in its later European phase unfortunately favored elimination by whatever means as a treatment method. This is evident in the progressively stronger purgatives and emetics that were used from the sixteenth century onwards. Even when it aspired to regulate the fluids in the presence of blatant fluid dyskrasia (metabolic toxicosis), Galenic doctors sought to do so in terms of eliminant techniques and the resultant amount of toxins evoked. The possibility of regulating a fluid dyskrasia by purely qualitative means, by altering pathogenic processes, never entered their minds. With its slow, undramatic effects, Alfalfa herb would therefore not have been used as an evacuant remedy. Because of the current health needs, this multifaceted regulating remedy is certainly indicated today.