Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus Officinalis), along with other herbs such as Cornflower and Plantain, was known as a ‘glass-breaker’ in times gone by, due to its ability to heal eye problems. Its native to USA, Asia and Africa, and its name derives from the Greek word for honey (Meli) and the generic Greek word for ’clover’(lotos). The word ’Officinalis’, as with any “official” herb, means that it was once widely used and prescribed by pharmacies at some point in the past. In some European countries, yellow sweet clover is still being prescribed by pharmacies today. It has a host of medicinal and other uses, but one of the most common ways the native american tribes and early settlers used it was to keep their sleeping area freshly scented and to repel insects and pests while they slept. The dried flowers can also be used to flavour smoking mixtures, giving the smoke a sweeter taste and more pleasant smell. Left to do it’s own thing in the right location, a sweet clover plant can get quite big, up to somewhere in the region of 8 ft tall, and can produce anything up to 350 - 400,000 seeds !! It’s a great plant for the soil, bees and as fodder for livestock, nevermind its medicinal value, but of course, there is that too….

- Used to relieve digestion issues such as indigestion, colic, flatulence and gastro-intestinal ulcers.

- Increases blood flow to the heart and is used to treat thrombosis, varicose veins, blood clots and phlebitis.

- Facilitates lymphatic drainage and its diuretic properties relieve fluid retention.

- Great for reducing inflammation in external wounds.

- Eases the pain of earache, headache, swollen joints, promotes sleep and calms anxiety.

- Sweet clover is edible. The young shoots can be treated like asparagus, the young, fresh leaves can be used in salads or it can be cooked like a vegetable. The dried powdered leaves give a vanilla flavour to pastries, cakes and puddings. (See *Please Note section below). A lovely scented tisane can be made with the dried flowers and the dried seeds can be ground and used as a spiced condiment.

- Animals love it and will happily eat it by the bucket-load. Its strong taproot breaks-up and aerates areas of compacted soil and can be used as a nitrogen fixing companion for other plants.

- Its flowers are a major food source for bees and other pollinators.

Like Comfrey and Borage, Sweet Clover is a great crop for making green manure for other plants.

- Keeps moths away when packed with clothes.

*Please Note:

Sweet Clover is a very safe plant to use fresh. Precautions must be taken, however, if you wish to dry its leaves. Every care must be taken to dry them completely and they must be stored where there’s no possibility of any dampness getting back into them. If Sweet Clover leaves are not dried properly, stored incorrectly, or both, they can become toxic and unusable. My tuppence worth…? Stick to fresh leaves And use vanilla pods/essence for your cakes!!

As always, please be careful if foraging in the wild and do your research thoroughly, especially if you’re already on prescription medication. We do not attempt to diagnose or treat anyone’s condition. We are not responsible for anyone else’s health decisions, only our own, and we accept no liability for any harm, loss or injury which may occur as a result of choosing to follow this information, which is freely available in the public domain.