Alfalfa: A Real Green "Superfood"

By Debra Mills

Sources: Shaklee Canada

You have probably seen a movie or show where a character is being teased for eating alfalfa. Did you know that person was doing something amazing for their health?

Alfalfa may be small, but it burrows its roots deep to get to nutrients many other plants can’t reach, and its leaves load up on chlorophyll from photosynthesis.

For such a tiny plant, it is considered a superfood for a variety health concerns. You may be wondering, “But what are its “superpowers”?

Allergies

Acting like an antihistamine and stimulate for the immune system which makes it a great option to treat allergies. It can be helpful to ease symptoms such as sneezing, sinus congestion, runny nose and difficulty breathing.

Cholesterol

Alfalfa can help with cholesterol levels due its content of plant compounds known as saponins. It’s achieved by decreasing absorption of cholesterol and increasing the excretion of compounds used in creation of new cholesterol.

Metabolic health

A traditional use of alfalfa is as an antidiabetic, or blood sugar-lowering, agent. Alfalfa could improve cardiometabolic health by decreasing blood fat and blood sugar.

Menopause symptom relief

Alfalfa is high in plant compounds called phytoestrogens, which are chemically similar to the hormone estrogen. Because of this similarity, it can ease some of the symptoms of menopause.

Antioxidant effects

Alfalfa has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine to treat conditions caused by inflammation and oxidative damage.

Its powerful antioxidant properties have been seen to prevent oxidative stress damage caused by free radicals. It also has the ability to reduce cell death and DNA damage caused by those same free radicals. If this wasn’t enough to convince you, alfalfa is also a good source of vitamin K and the nutrients vitamin C, copper, manganese, and folate.

We told you it as a superfood!

How To Add Alfalfa to Your Diet

Shaklee has Alfalfa Complex, sourced from premium alfalfa that has been ripened in nutrient-rich soil and cultivated without fungicides, synthetic hormones, growth regulators, or chemicals. It contains high-quality alfalfa leaf powder and such other nutrients as calcium and phosphorus, as well as trace minerals and vitamins.

You can take it as tablets, and you can also dissolve the tablets into hot water for an herbal tea. It has a slightly minty, herby flavour that works well in tea.

Are you still not convinced? Talk to us to see if this is right for you and how it can be added to your health routine.