Melilotus officinalis

Melilotus officinalis

Melilotus officinalis, known as yellow sweet clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot and common melilot, is a species of legume native to Eurasia and introduced in North America, Africa, and Australia.

Uses

Poor blood circulation, Leg pain and heaviness, Night cramps, Itchiness, Fluid retention.

Parts Used

Sweet clover

Chemical Composition

Twelve compounds were obtained from the 70% ethanol extract of M officinalis and their structures were identified as β-sitosterol, coumarin, methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate, kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside, rutin, apigenin-7-O-β-D-lutinoside, dibutyl phthalate, robinin, clovin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, isoquerecitrin, and medicarpin 3-O-β-glucopyranoside.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada
Hindi
Malayalam
Tamil
Telugu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	yellow sweet clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot, common melilot,

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Habit

Herbs

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	alternate	Trifoliate with petioles up to 1 in. (2.5 cm) long. Leaflets are greyish green, 1 in. (2.5 cm) long and 0.3 in. (0.85 cm) wide, dentate, and oblong to ovate.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
	2-6 in. (5.1-15.2 cm) long	Yellow	5	Flowers are small, floppy, tubular at base becoming broader toward outer edges, 0.3 in. (0.85 cm) long with 5 petals. Blooming occurs from summer through fall.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Simple Fruit		Seed pods are smooth or slightly reticulated, 0.3 in. (0.85 cm) long, terminates in a beak, and contains 1 or 2 seeds		{{{5}}}	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds.

How to plant/cultivate

Melilotus alba is an annual to biennial herb that can grow from 3-8 ft. (0.9-2.4 m) tall.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Lowland forest.

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• Melilotus officinalis