Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the genus Medicago, belonging to the family Fabaceae, cultivated all over the world as hay for cattle feeding, and used in traditional medicine over thousands of year to treat high cholesterol, asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, enhance the digestive system, bleeding disorder, kidney, and urinary tract infection, etc. North American Aboriginals have used Alfalfa seeds as food, such as making bread and mush.
Alfalfa may be a potential antimicrobial agent used for the treatment of infection or infectious related diseases.
According to the Via Orabona 4, Università, chemical compound saponins found in the alfalfa family exhibited antimicrobial activities in a selection of medically important yeasts, Gram-positive and negative bacteria.
Dr. Avato P, the lead author said, "(The antimicrobial) Activity (of alfalfa)was especially high against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, B. Subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus Faecalis) with M. arabica being the species showing a broader spectrum of action. Discrete antifungal activity was also observed, mainly against Saccharomyces cerevisiae".
Furthermore, in the study of 40 steers fed either a sainfoin (hay or silage) or Alfalfa (hay or silage) diet over a 9-week period, in vitro, the alfalfa fed group showed a decline in fecal E. coli numbers marginally.
The study also suggested the result of the decline of anti-E. Coli number is due to the presence of phytochemical phenolics in alfalfa.
In fact, The Karunya University in the investigation of Antimicrobial Alfalfa(Medicago sativa) in various bacterial strains showed a positive effect of alfalfa seed extract in the inhibition of five bacterial strains namely Bacillus Licheniformis, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Lactococcus lactis, Klebsiella pneumonia. The efficacy also depends on the concentration of extract with the maximum inhibition was seen in 300µg/ml concentration of extract.
There is no doubt that intake of alfalfa regularly may be beneficial in reducing the risk and treatment of microbial infection and diseases. But further human trials are necessary.
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Sources
(1) Antimicrobial activity of saponins from Medicago sp.: structure-activity relationship by Avato P1, Bucci R, Tava A, Vitali C, Rosato A, Bialy Z, Jurzysta M.(PubMed)
(2) Potential to reduce Escherichia coli shedding in cattle feces by using sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) forage, tested in vitro and in vivo by Berard NC1, Holley RA, McAllister TA, Ominski KH, Wittenberg KM, Bouchard KS, Bouchard JJ, Krause DO. (PubMed)
(3) Antimicrobial screening of Alfalfa(Medicago sativa) in various bacterial strains by G.SHEELA JOY1, and Dr.PHILOMENA GEORGE2 *. *Professor, 1B.Tech. student Department Biotechnology, Karunya University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 641114(IJPDA)
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