Other Substances From Alfalfa That Can Increase Health.

Chlorophyll is found in abundance in green plants like alfalfa, as it is in virtually all photosynthetic organisms. It is remarkably similar in mammals and other vertebrates.*

Alfalfa Is Thought To Maintain Bone Density In Post-Menopausal Women Through Its Vitamin K

Vitamin K, as found in Alfalfa, is necessary for bone density.  Although we think of bone tissue as solid, it is constantly being built up and broken down, like other body tissues. It is known that postmenopausal women who get bone fractures sometimes have low vitamin K levels, a vitamin found in alfalfa (1). Now, a clinical trial, the first of it kind, has determined that supplementing postmenopausal women with vitamin K from alfalfa improves their bone formation and bone density (2)And in a synergistic effect often observed in whole foods, coumestrol, another compound in alfalfa, has also been found to maintain bone health in an animal model of post-menopausal women (3).*  5

Alfalfa's Chlorophyll May Maintain A Healthy Pancreas and Kidneys

Chlorophyll, the substance found in alfalfa responsible for photosynthesis and alfalfa's green color, has been used to successfully treat persons with pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas (4). And because calcium oxalate, the mineral that forms one type of kidney stone, dissolves in a salt of chlorophyll, as found in alfalfa, it has been proposed that chlorophyll might be useful in keeping the kidneys free of this type of stone (5).*  5

Chlorophyll From Alfalfa Protects Against Carcinogens

Even more exciting, in the laboratory, chlorophyll from alfalfa has been found to protect the cell nucleus from being altered by mutagens. While it will be years before it is known if taking chlorophyll supplements derived from alfalfa will protect us from the effects of environmental mutagens or carcinogens, this preliminary research raises "the possibility of modifying human exposure to carcinogens by use of the porphyrins found in alfalfa (6, 7).*  5

Alfalfa Helps Maintain Normal Cholesterol Levels In Animal Studies

In experiments with animals, it was found that alfalfa fiber lowered cholesterol levels and protected the animals from getting atherosclerosis. People don't normally eat alfalfa because they can't digest its fiber. However, in small amounts, the fiber may be beneficial to such purposes (8, 9, 10). In addition, another component of alfalfa which belongs to the saponin family of compounds reduces cholesterol absorption from the intestines of rats (11). Alfalfa has yet to be formally tested as a method for reducing cholesterol in humans, but results from these studies are encouraging.*  5

Alfalfa Helps Maintain Normal Immune Response Against Fungi

Scientists are studying the saponins in alfalfa for their anti-fungal properties. In the laboratory, they are active against some of the most difficult fungal infections in humans.*  5

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1. Vermeer C Jie KS Knapen MH. Role of vitamin K in Bone Metabolism. Annu Rev Nutr 1995. 15:1-22
2. Weber P Management of Osteoporosis: Is There a Role for Vitamin K? Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1997;67(5):350-6
3. Christine Draper et al. Phytoestrogens Reduce Bone Loss and Bone Resportion in Oophoerectomized Rats. The J of Nutrition Sept 1997 127-9, 1795-99
4. Yoshida A Yokono O Oda T. Therapeutic Effect of Chlorophyll –A in the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis. Gastroenterol Jpn 1980;15(1):49-61
5. Tawashi R Cousineau M Denis G. Crystallisation of Calcium Oxalate Dihyrate in Normal Urine in Presence of Sodium Copper
   Chlorophyllin. Urol Res 1982;10(4):173-6
6. Porphyrins as Potential Inhibitors Against Exposure to Carcinogens and Mutagens. Hayatsu H Negishi T Arminoto S Hayatsu T Mutat Res 1993 Nov;290(1)79-85
7. Amara-Mokrane YA Lehucher-Michel MP Balansard G Dumenil G Botta A Protective Effects of Alph-hederin, Chlorophyllin and Ascorbic Acid Toward the Induction of Micronuclei By Doxorumbicin in Cultured Human Lymphocytes. Mutagenesis 1996 Mar;11(2):161-7
8. Kritchevsky D Diet and Cholesteremia Lipids 1977 Jan;12(1):49-52 Kritchevsky D Fiber, Lipids, and Atherosclerosis Am J Clin Nutr 1978 Oct;31(10 Suppl):S65-S74
9. Kritchevsky D Story JA Fiber, Hypercholesteremia, and Atherosclerosis, Lips 1978 May;13(5):366-9
10. Effect of Alfalfa Saponins on Intestinal Cholesterol Absorption in Rats. Malinow MR McLaughlin P Papworth L Stafford C Am J Clin Nutr 1977 Dec;30(12):2061-7
11. Zehavi U Polacheck I Saponins as Antimycotic Agents; Glycosides of Medicagenic Acid Adv Exp Med Biol 1996;404:535-46

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