(Trifolium pratense); yarrow, red clover, goat’s eye; the Legume family (Fabaceae); meadow clover
Globular inflorescences (heads) of clover are pleasing to the eye both in the field and in the meadow. The plant is not only beautiful, but also has many useful properties. The advantages of this typical meadow plant are many and varied: it is both a wonderful honey plant and a medicinal plant. Clover is also grown for livestock feed, besides it enriches the soil by retaining nitrogen in it.
A distant relative of cultivated leguminous plants (peas, beans, lentils) – clover is a herbaceous perennial. It reaches a height of 40 cm. Its root is rod-shaped, the leaves (as in all plants of this genus) are trifoliate, the flowers are lilac-red, rarely dark purple or white, collected in spherical inflorescences. The plant blooms from May to September. Clover creates a stable meadow cover. It is widespread in the European part of Russia, Siberia, the Caucasus, the Far East (as an introduced plant), in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine (throughout the territory), in meadows, meadows and forest edges, in thickets of shrubs.
For medicinal purposes, inflorescence-heads are collected together with the upper leaves during the flowering period. First, they are dried in the sun, then dried in a well-ventilated room.
Inflorescences contain glycosides, tannins, essential and fatty oils, vitamins C, E, B1, B2 , carotene (provitamin A), organic acids and other biologically active compounds.
The experience of traditional medicine shows the effective use of infusions and decoctions of the upper part of the plant as a diuretic and diaphoretic agent. They help with cough, cold, fever, rheumatism and gout, reduce swelling in heart and kidney diseases. Poultices with a decoction of leaves are applied to burns, and the fresh juice of the plant is used to treat allergic diseases. Clover is absolutely safe for medicinal use and does not cause side effects.
Usually, bees harvest no more than 25-30 kg of honey from 1 hectare of plant thickets. However, if you use Caucasian bees with long proboscis and their hybrids with ordinary bees, then thanks to the more proboscis penetration of the proboscis, the honey productivity of the thickets increases to 240 kg per 1 hectare, in addition, clover pollination improves.
Infusion of flowers. A teaspoon of raw materials per 200 ml of boiling water. Insist for 1 hour, filter. Take 1/4 cup 4 times a day for 20 minutes. before eating
Tincture of flowers. 40 g of raw materials per 0.5 l of 40% alcohol (vodka). Insist for 10 weeks, filter. Take 20 ml before lunch or at night with atherosclerosis (a course of 3 months with a break of 10 days). If necessary, the treatment is repeated after six months.