Alfalfa is used as an herb in alternative herbal treatments to treat ailments and problems such as menopause discomfort, cancer fighting and lowering cholesterol including several other discomforts. Though Alfalfa is hugely used in India, it is basically of western Asian and the eastern Mediterranean nativity.

The common name of the herb Alfalfa is Lucerne of the pea family and is called Medicago sativa by the botanical name. Mainly the sprouts, stems, dried leaves and seeds are used for different purposes. Alfalfa is a slim bushy perennial with blue-green trifoliate leaves and mauve to purple flowers with seeds in sickle-shaped pods.

Alfalfa lives from three to twelve years, depending on variety and climate. It resembles clover with clusters of small purple flowers. The plant grows to a height of up to 1 metre (3 ft), and has a deep root system sometimes stretching to 4.5 metres (15 ft). These characteristics make the herb very resilient, especially to droughts. It has a tetraploid genome. The plant exhibits auto toxicity, which means that it is difficult for alfalfa seed to grow in existing stands of alfalfa. It has also been recommended that alfalfa fields should be rotated with other species like corn or wheat before reseeding. The root nodules of Alfalfa contains bacteria, Sinorhizobium meliloti, as observed in other legumes with the ability to fix nitrogen, producing a high-protein feed regardless of available nitrogen in the soil and is considered as the highest yielding forage plant. This herb is extensively grown in different parts of India including Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, southern India.

Though the primary use of Alfalfa lies in feeding for dairy cattle because of its high protein content, it has been used as an herbal medicine for at least 1500 years. Maintaining the ancient tradition of Ayurveda, Alfalfa is considered to be effective in treating various diseases. Ingestion of alfalfa seeds or sprouts may be associated with a decrease in blood cell production while the leaves and stems provide a good source of protein as well as vitamins and minerals. This herb contains organic acids, free amino acids, non-protein amino acids like canavinine, strachydrine, coumarins, isoflavonoids, saponins and steroids such as b-sitosterol, campesterol, stigamsterol and others. It contains vitamins A, D, E and K as well as chlorophyll and carotene and minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. This herbal plant also contains plenty of fiber with anticholesterolemic properties. The high concentration of vitamin K found in whole alfalfa has beneficial effect on several forms of hemolytic disease. This herb is extensively used in Ayurveda and other parts of alternative treatments like Naturopathy, Homeopathy etc in all over India for its wide usage. The practitioners of alternative treatment use Alfalfa for its cooling, sweet, and astringent properties that cleanse toxins from tissues. Moreover this herb is diuretic, controls bleeding and lowers cholesterol levels and even influences hormones and the circulatory and urinary systems.

The usage of Alfalfa herb varies from its usage in daily consumption as a vegetable to its usage in alternative medicines and forage for cattle. The sprouts of Alfalfa are eaten in salads and sandwiches, tender shoots are eaten in some places as a leaf vegetable and the parts of mature plant are consumed though it is rare. Dehydrated alfalfa leaf is commercially available as a dietary supplement in several forms, such as tablets, powders and tea. Alfalfa is believed by some to be a galactagogue, a substance that induces lactate. It has also been studied that Alfalfa is one of the most nutritious foods known as recommended by the Naturopathy. Its calcium, chlorophyll, carotene, and vitamin K content make alfalfa an important nutritional supplement and the Vitamin K in Alfalfa helps to promote normal blood clotting and vitamin K (as K2) has been found to help prevent bone loss which is coupled to estrogen deficiency and also helps to increase the formation of new bone. Alfalfa root saponins can inhibit increases in blood cholesterol levels by 25%. The experimental evidences prove that fibers and chemicals in alfalfa appear to stick to cholesterol, keeping it from staying in the blood or depositing in blood vessels. On the other hand, where the harmful types of cholesterol leave the body, the good kind of cholesterol i.e. high-density lipoprotein (HDL), appears to be unaffected by the intake of alfalfa. Offsetting this positive effect are findings that the root is hemolytic and may interfere with vitamin E metabolism.

According to the recent studies and researches, Alfalfa may also have some ability to enhance immune system function. The seeds of the herb are also used as a folk remedy for treating asthma or other breathing conditions. Chemicals in alfalfa have mild diuretic properties, which may promote the loss of water from the body. Consequently, alfalfa may relieve swelling caused by excess water accumulation. Other components of alfalfa may act somewhat like the female hormone estrogen. The herb has also been suggested as potentially useful in menopause as well. Alfalfa has antibacterial and antitumoral properties. In folk medicine, the herb has been used as an appetizer and tonic, and as a diuretic to relieve urinary and bowel problems.

In addition to these properties, Alfalfa is used in treating drug and alcohol dependency and since it alkalizes the body, it helps with detoxification. As the herb contains chlorophyll, alfalfa helps to bind carcinogens in the colon to speed elimination and is said to be effective in eliminating bad breath. The studies show that an extract of alfalfa increased the production of white blood cells, including granulocytes, leukocytes and T cells which are the first line of defense against infection. Including these usage of alfalfa plant it is extensively used in the treatment of symptomatic arthritis.

Besides being a source of ample nutrition, Alfalfa plant is broadly used in different medicinal practices. Though it is used in treating different diseases, some precautions should be taken to keep the side effects at bay as over consumption of Alfalfa may lead to disturb the normal balance of the body.