[The Truth About Alfalfa: Is it Poisonous or Nutritious?]

　　Alfalfa, commonly known as Medicago sativa, is a wild herbaceous plant with high nutritional value. It contains abundant proteins and vitamins. Alfalfa can be consumed as food and used in medicine. But is alfalfa poisonous?
 

　　[Is Alfalfa Poisonous?]

　　Alfalfa is a spring vegetable. Its tender stems and leaves can be eaten. It has high nutritional value, containing proteins, various vitamins, niacin, and minerals. It can be stir-fried and used as a base for meat dishes such as braised pork. It can also be pickled and made into sauce.

　　Alfalfa is not poisonous. It is mainly used as forage and is known as the "king of forage". Therefore, it is not toxic.

　　Alfalfa has a bitter taste and neutral nature. It has the effects of invigorating the spleen and stomach, promoting urination and defecation, relieving bladder stones, and relaxing muscles and tendons. It also has the functions of lowering blood lipids, anti-atherosclerosis, enhancing immune function, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and estrogenic effects.

　　Therefore, it is beneficial to eat more alfalfa in spring. The treatment of urinary stones generally requires alkalization of urine, restriction of purine-rich diet, and inhibition of uric acid synthesis.

　　However, it is not recommended to eat too much because this plant often grows by the roadside and is easily contaminated. Improper use can be harmful to health.
 

　　[The Nutritional Value of Alfalfa]

　　Alfalfa is a high-quality forage that is favored by various livestock and poultry. It has high nutritional value. Whether it is green forage, grazing, or making hay and silage, it is palatable and is therefore known as the "king of forage".

　　Alfalfa has a high crude protein content, and its digestibility can reach 70-80%. The types and content of amino acids in the proteins are complete and abundant. The content of lysine is 5.7 times that of corn kernels, and tryptophan and methionine are also significantly higher than corn.

　　In addition, alfalfa is rich in various vitamins and trace elements. It also contains some unknown growth-promoting factors, which have good effects on the growth and development of livestock and poultry.

　　The nutritional value of alfalfa varies with its growth stages. When it is young and tender, it has a high crude protein content and a low crude fiber content.

　　However, as the growth stage prolongs, the crude protein content decreases, the crude fiber content significantly increases, and the stem-to-leaf ratio increases.
 

　　[Precautions for Alfalfa]

　　Alfalfa has a long history of cultivation. Its value is relatively high. It can be used as a vegetable on the dining table, as forage for livestock, and can also be used as medicine. However, many people are not very familiar with alfalfa now.

　　The edible part of alfalfa is the tender stems and leaves. In spring, pick the tender stems and leaves, remove impurities, blanch them in boiling water, and then soak and rinse them in cold water and squeeze out the water. They can be served cold, stir-fried, stewed, boiled, used as filling, or steamed.

　　Because alfalfa is a coarse grain, it has a good detoxifying effect on our body.

　　However, wild alfalfa is not recommended for consumption in general, so it is mostly used by farmers to feed livestock in daily life.

　　If it is cultivated alfalfa, it has a good effect on helping our body digestion. When feeling weak and fatigued, it can be consumed in moderation. However, remember not to consume too much, otherwise it may have a counterproductive effect.