An annual herbaceous plant of the legume family. The stem is thin, erect, sometimes ascending, single, branched, 10-20 cm high. The leaves are trifoliate, stem-like, the lower ones die off early; leaves are linear-oblong, finely toothed, sometimes notched, up to 20 mm long and up to 4 mm wide. The flowers are small, irregular, sessile, pale pink, in capitate inflorescences; the heads are soft-haired, dense, elongated cylindrical, on legs emerging from the axils of the leaves. Blooms in May – September. The fruit is a bean.
Distribution . Field clover occurs in meadows, forest edges, mainly on sandy soils throughout the territory of Ukraine.
Procurement and storage . For the manufacture of medicines, grass is used, which is harvested during the flowering of the plant. After preliminary drying in the sun, the raw materials are dried under a cover or in a well-ventilated room.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . Clover grass contains tripholin glycoside, tannins (up to 5%), essential oil, quercetin, vitamins C and E, resinous substances, a small amount of alkaloids and other substances.
Pharmacological properties and use . The plant exhibits anti-inflammatory, enveloping, pain-relieving, antiseptic, diuretic and hypoglycemic properties. An infusion of the herb is drunk for cough, bronchitis, tracheitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, hyperacid gastritis, dysentery, kidney and bladder diseases, diabetes, migraine and nervous disorders. Externally, in the form of poultices, field clover grass is used as a pain reliever for rheumatism and for wound healing.
Medicinal forms and applications . Internally – infusion of the herb (3 teaspoons of raw material per 200 ml of boiling water, infuse for 30 minutes) a quarter of a glass 4 times a day for 20 minutes. before eating
Externally – three tablespoons of the herb are wrapped in gauze, dipped in boiling water, taken out and applied to the affected part of the body.