Melilot is a highly nutritious fodder plant containing beneficial protein substances. The plant is cultivated mainly in two forms: yellow and white. In our country, white clover has become very widespread, which will be discussed in this article.
White clover is a two-year-old plant that belongs to the legume family. It forms powerful bushes, the height of which can be up to one and a half to two meters. A plant with flexible branches and triple leaves contains small flowers collected in narrow brushes. White clover has a root root, which can penetrate to a depth of two meters. Since the medicinal plant is a high-protein crop, it can be used in the preparation of hay, grass meal, haylage and silage. Being a valuable plant, the clover is able to play an important role in creating a food base and providing bee colonies with nectar and pollen.
Melilot is a drought-tolerant and frost-resistant culture. Since the root system of white clover has the ability to absorb various substances from the soil of not very soluble compounds from the soil, the plant can grow on any type of soil, including light sandy and sandy soils, on which the cultivation of other legumes of the legume family is impossible. The plant’s distribution area includes the European part of Russia, Siberian meadows, and the Caucasus. Dry wastelands, embankments of railway lines, roadsides and field edges are also a place for the growth of white clover.
Reproduction of white clover occurs using seeds. Mass flowering of plants occurs in the period before the onset of frost. White clover begins to bloom when acacia and gardens bloom. White clover plays a large role in the life of bee families. The moment of the main honey collection contributes to the best use of the plant. Melilot honey has a high palatability. It is considered a reference honey, which has a light color, delicate pleasant taste and aroma reminiscent of vanilla. In addition, honey from clover, containing up to 60 medicinal elements, increases the hemoglobin content in the blood and improves the digestive system.
Melilot, whose photos and properties prove the value of this plant, plays an important role in the treatment of numerous diseases and is actively used in traditional medicine. However, the plant is poisonous, which requires special attention to its use and application. Medicines, such as decoctions and ointments, created from white clover based on its medicinal properties, have analgesic, expectorant and wound healing qualities. Plant extracts are used in medicine in various countries. So, in Poland, white clover grass is used for heartaches, insomnia, hemorrhoids and headaches. In India, a valuable plant is used as an aromatic, hemostatic, emollient and carminative. And in folk medicine in Bulgaria, white clover is used as a sedative, used for nerve attacks.
