Melilot Health Dictionary

Desr.

Family: Fabaceae.

Habitat: Native to Europe and Asia; grown in North India.

English: White Sweet Clover.

Unani: Ilkil-ul-Malik, Naakhunaa (white-flowered var.).

Action: See Melilotus indica.... melilotus alba

(Linn.) All.

Synonym: M. parviflora Desf.

Family: Paplionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Native to Eurasia; found as winter weed and cultivated for fodder in parts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

English: Sweet Clover, Annual Yellow Sweet Clover, Small-flowered Melilot.

Ayurvedic: Vana-methikaa.

Unani: Ilkil-ul-Malik (yellow- flowered var.).

Folk: Ban-Methi, Senji.

Action: Plant—astringent, dis- cutient, emollient. Used as poultice or plaster for swellings. The plant gave coumarins—fraxidin, herniarin, umbelliferone and scopoletin.

When fed alone as a green fodder, it exhibits narcotic properties; causes lethargy, tympanitis and is reported to taint the milk of dairy cattle. It may cause even paralysis. The plant contains 3-methoxyflavone, meliter- natin which experimentally inhibited cell growth, induced granularity, retraction and then lysis of cells.... melilotus indica

Linn.

Family: Fabaceae.

Habitat: Ladakh, at 3,000-4,000 m, also cultivated.

English: Yellow Sweet Clover, Melilot.

Unani: Iklil-ul-Malik, Asaab-ul- Malik, Naakhunaa.

Action: Plant—astringent, wound healer, styptic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, mild analgesic, anticoagulant, spasmolytic. Flower and leaf—diuretic, analgesic, anti- inflammatory, smooth muscle relaxant, vasodilator. Seed—used in cold.

Key application: In chronic venous insufficiency. For supportive treatment of thrombophlebitis, haemorrhoids and lymphatic congestion. (German Commission E.) As venotonic, vulnerary. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)

The herb contains coumarin derivatives; flavonoid glycosides, including kaempferol and quercetin. Di- coumarol (melitoxin) is produced when fermentation takes place in me- lilot. Seeds gave canavanin and trigo- nelline. Reported poisonous to horses. The flowers contain the flavonoids, quercetin and myricetin besides kaem- pferol.

The herb has shown increase in venous reflux and improvement in lymphatic kinetics. Animal experiments show an increase in healing wounds. Flower and leaf extracts have shown analgesic activity, prolongation in pento-barbital-induced hypnosis time and smooth muscle relaxant activity in mice; also exhibited hypotensive and vasodilatory activity in rabbit. Dicoumarol is a potent anticoagulant.

In Europe and China, the plant extract is used for inflammations, arthritis, rheumatism, phlebitis, venous insufficiency, haemorrhoids, brachialgia and bronchitis.

The Red Clove is equated with Tri- folium pratense.... melilotus officinalis

Melilotus officinalis

FAMILY: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

SYNONYMS: Common melilot, yellow melilot, white melilot, corn melilot, melilot trefoil, sweet clover, plaster clover, sweet lucerne, wild laburnum, king’s clover, melilotin (oleoresin).

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A bushy perennial herb up to 1 metre high with smooth erect stems, trifoliate oval leaves and small sweet-scented white or yellow flowers. The scent of the flowers becomes stronger on drying.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to Europe and Asia Minor. Other similar species are found in Asia, the USA and Africa. The flowers are mainly cultivated in England, France, Germany and the USSR.

OTHER SPECIES: There are several similar species such as M. arvensis, the oil of which is also used in perfumery and flavouring work.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: The leaves and shoots are used on the Continent for conditions which include sleeplessness, thrombosis, nervous tension, varicose veins, intestinal disorders, headache, earache and indigestion. In the form of an ointment or plaster, it is used externally for inflamed or swollen joints, abdominal and rheumatic pain, also bruises, cuts and skin eruptions.

ACTIONS: Anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, astringent, emollient, expectorant, digestive, insecticidal (against moth), sedative.

EXTRACTION: A concrete (usually called a resinoid or oleoresin) by solvent extraction from the dry flowers.

CHARACTERISTICS: A viscous dark green liquid with a rich, sweet-herbaceous ‘new mown hay’ scent.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Mainly coumarins – melilotic acid and orthocoumaric acid. Safety data in 1953 in some countries including the USA, coumarin was banned from use in flavourings due to toxicity levels. Some coumarins are also known to be phototoxic.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE None.

OTHER USES: The oleoresin is used in high-class perfumery work. Extensively used for flavouring tobacco in countries without the coumarin ban.... melilotus