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Medicago sativa - Ashvabala

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Ashvabala,Alfalfa

Ashvabala, Alfalfa, Medicago sativa(bitanical name), Safed Musli or Rajko (Hindi), Kudirai masal or Kollu (Tamil) also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world.In ancient India, Ayurvedic texts prescribe the use of Alfalfa seeds and sprouts for improving blood cell production and it's leaves and stem as a good source of protein and minerals.Alfalfa is widely grown throughout the world as forage for cattle, and is most often harvested as hay, but can also be made into silage, grazed, or fed as greenchop.


Uses

Parts Used

Chemical Composition

Tender shoots of alfalfa are reported to contain per 100 g 52 calories, 82.7% moisture, 6 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 9.5 g total carbohydrate, 3.1 g fiber, 1.4 g ash, 12 mg Ca, 51 mg P, 5.4 mg Fe, 3410 IU Vit A, 0.13 mg thiamine, 0.14 mg riboflavin, 0.5 mg niacin, and 162 mg ascorbic acid[1]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada lusarne soppu, vilaayiti hullu
Hindi lusan ghas
Malayalam
Tamil kutirai macal
Telugu
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit ashvabala
English Alfalfa, bastard medic


Habit

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
simple dentate The leaflets are 5-20 mm long and dentate (toothed) at the apex and sometimes at the base

.[2]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
pale lavender 2-4cm long violet 6-12 mm long The flowers are papilionaceous, typical of species

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
loose spiral A curved or loose spiral seed pod is present seeds are yellow to brow.n in colour 10 to 20 seed {{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

How to plant/cultivate

For cultivation of alfalfa, land should be well-plowed. Farm manure could be applied six weeks before planting, with additional manurings as top dressing after every third cutting. Crop is propagated by seed. As seeds have hard coat, they should be scarified or soaked in water before sowing.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Photo Gallery

References

External Links