Clover meadow - medicinal plant and excellent seasoning

A woodpecker, a red gnat, honey color, a red-head, a trinity - these are the folk names of the meadow clover. In appearance - this is a small herbaceous plant, in rare cases reaching a height of up to half a meter. Its distinctive feature is small flowers of a gently pink, reddish, lily or white hue, collected in neat spherical inflorescences. Leaves are triple, each of them has an oblong oval shape. The meadow clover grows on forest glades, along roadsides, on dry and floodplain meadows.

For a long time this plant was used as fodder and honey. But most of all it is common in folk medicine and homeopathy. Inflorescences and apical leaves are used for treatment. Collect them all summer long. For better preservation of raw materials, plants break down in the afternoon, when there is already no dew. Inflorescences are dried under a canopy in a ventilated dark room or in a dryer at a temperature of about 70 ° C. After that, raw materials can retain their healing properties throughout the year. It is recommended to store herbs in a glass container or linen bag.

Clover: useful properties

This plant contains enough vitamins (C, E, P, B2, B, etc.) necessary for the body and minerals (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, lead, sodium, zinc, etc.). Clover is especially popular, due to the contained in it coumarin - a component that reduces blood clotting. Thanks to this property, herbal medicine is able to replace aspirin. Moreover, a natural analog is much safer than a chemical preparation.

Clover meadow has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, diaphoretic, astringent and desensitizing effects. It is used in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems, atherosclerosis, diabetes, rheumatism, hemorrhoids. Extremely useful is this plant for the female body: it can cure inflammation of the appendages and stabilize the menstrual cycle.

In addition to all of the above, the clover increases the human immunity and physical activity. It is recommended to use it in the period after strong stresses, heavy loads, and also in the winter when the body is weakened due to lack of vitamins and sunlight.

Methods of application

Like most of all herbs, clover meadow has several medicinal forms. The most popular broth. For its preparation, the dry raw material is poured with hot water in a ratio of approximately 1:10. The product is then boiled in a water bath in glass or enameled pots for half an hour. After this, the broth is filtered and the volume is adjusted with warm, purified water to the original one. Use this product 4 times a day for a tablespoon before eating.

Another dosage form - infusion, is made a little easier: dry inflorescences are poured with boiling water (the ratio is the same as in the preparation of the broth) and infused for about an hour. They are taken three times a day for approximately 70 ml.

Also used for medicinal purposes is clover juice. It is squeezed out of a fresh plant and consumed on a teaspoon 4 times a day.

Among other things, clover meadow is often used as an additive to food. For example, fresh plants are added to salads from vegetables, soups, meat dishes, and dry ones to bread flour and cheese sauces. In the East, young inflorescences are used in the souring of cabbage, harvesting of winter canned salads.

Clover: contraindications

You should not use clover in pregnancy, individual intolerance, low blood coagulability. In addition, treatment with this plant is contraindicated in thrombophlebitis and at a risk of stroke.