Sainfoin

Useful properties and the cultivation of sainfoin

---

Botanical characteristics of sainfoin seed

Sainfoin is a perennial herbaceous plant, which reaches a height of 30-70 cm it Belongs to the legume family. Root sainfoin stem, stem erect, upper part branched. Leaves pinnate, compound, formed of 15-25 small leaves. Sainfoin has bright, beautiful flowers are pink-purple color, they are collected in the brush, the length of which can reach 20 cm.

The fruit of the plant – bean, rich in protein. Flowering starts from the second year of the life of the plant, sainfoin blooms from early summer until the beginning of July. Every blossoming flower lives very long –10 to 12 hours. Plant honey: from one hectare, on which there are up to 500 million flowers, bee colonies can collect up to 6 kg of honey in one day. Pollen and nectar collecting with sainfoin contribute to the strengthening of bee colonies.

The honey gathered from this plant, transparent, fragrant and delicious, light-amber, long time no candy. Sainfoin is highly regarded in the world of beekeeping, its quality included in the apiaries in the Voronezh and Rostov regions, the Northern Caucasus and in Transcaucasia. Sainfoin grows on edges of woods, meadows, among shrubs.

Useful properties of sainfoin

Sainfoin is cultivated as a fodder plant. In its composition contains a large amount of protein and fats, carbohydrates and amino acids. This culture has a high value in animal husbandry, it is sown with the aim of obtaining grass meal and hay to feed cattle. Most nutritionists prefer sainfoin to alfalfa before, because food is cooked on its basis, has a positive effect on the condition of the animals.

Part of plant flavones, nitrogen-free compounds, ascorbic acid and rutin provide an opportunity to talk about the sainfoin as a medicinal plant. Nitrogen-free compounds help to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol in blood, normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, stimulate peristalsis and improve the absorption of nutrients that come with food.

Ascorbic acid significantly enhances the immunity, strengthens the CNS (Central nervous system), and normalizes metabolism. Amino acids being the "building blocks" of the body, help people to recover after illness, to regain strength after heavy physical exertion, useful for the athletes who in a period of trainingthere is a large consumption of energy.

Flavones constituent plants possess anti-inflammatory action, they have positive effects in cardiovascular and oncological diseases, strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Seeds of sainfoin contain sucrose, raffinose, fatty oils, solid fatty acids. In addition, the composition of sainfoin is a vitamin P (rutin).

Vitamin P by the body is unable to produce on their own, so it must be consumed with food or with decoctions of plants.

The use of sainfoin

Drugs, prepared on the basis of sainfoin, promote the development of the men hormones that improve sexual activity of testosterone and androgens. For the treatment not only used infusions and decoctions of this plant, but and medicines produced by certain pharmaceutical companies. These drugs significantly improve the quality of erection.

In folk medicine, the sainfoin is recommended as immunoliposomes agents that increase the body's resistance to various infectious diseases, it is also used for treating disorders of the functioning of the sex glands (menstrual cycle in women, impotence in men), prescribed for the treatment of diabetes. Infusions and decoctions of sainfoin contribute to the reduction of cholesterol in the blood, increase hemoglobin level.

Infusions and decoctions are used as an effective tonic and also an effective medication for uterine bleeding. Sainfoin is an important component of a number of drugs developed for the treatment of ovarian dysfunction in women, algodismenorea (pain during menses), juvenile bleeding, premenopausal.

Seeds of sainfoin

Seeds of sainfoin have the shape of a bean, they feel relief, grayish-yellow-green color. On the territory of Russia for the cultivation choose the following types of sainfoin: sandy sainfoin, sainfoin seed, the Transcaucasian sainfoin. The ideal depth for sowing sainfoin is 2-3 cm If the depth to do more – for example, 5-6 cm, the seeds will likely not germinate. Sowing rate is 1.2 kg of seeds per 1 sq. m of land. Sown plant, usually under cover of early grain crops.

The cultivation of sainfoin

On the territory of the CIS countries, especially Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, grow three main types of sainfoin: sainfoin seed (vitality), sandy sainfoin, sainfoinTranscaucasian. They are used as useful forage plants, in addition, sainfoin is a valuable honey plant.

Sainfoin is good to grow in the aft megaupolad. Recommended for plants predecessors is corn, potatoes, beets, and culture, with the cultivation of introduced organic fertilizers. Soil, where cultivated sunflower, for the cultivation of sainfoin are not suitable, because this plant dries the soil.

For the proper cultivation of sainfoin is especially important tillage. It consists in the alignment of the top layer of soil, seedbed, and poslevoennom her rolling. Before you start seeding, you need to ensure that the site is free from weeds, carefully aligned and there are no large lumps of earth.

If necessary, obtain high yield, it is important to fertilize the soil prior to the (poor) organic fertilizers. Dosage ranges from 60 to 80 kg/ha For nitrogen fertilizers other numbers: for annual grasses is 30-45 kg/ha, barley – 40-50 kg/ha. Forbidden the use of liquid nitrogen fertilizers as their use may damage the seedlings. Useful phosphate and potash fertilizers.

For sainfoin unwanted acidic soil, as they have poorly developed root nodule bacteria, resulting in the absorption by plants of nitrogen from the air is greatly reduced. Therefore, acidic soils is recommended to be liming. Seedlings of sainfoin do not respond well to shade, in addition, they need cover crops (winter crops, spring crops, green fodder, annual grasses), previously cleaned food.

Seeding sainfoin

Seeding sainfoin begins with the preparation of the soil, its scaling and cleaning from weeds. Poor soil are encouraged to prepare using potash and phosphate fertilizers. The sowing begins in the spring, in contrast to the preparation of the soil, which is until the end of October. Sainfoin and grass mixture (barley and oats) are sown under cover.

The best method of sowing – line. It is important to observe the accuracy of the depth of sowing: on heavy soils is 2 W cm, on light and medium – 3-4 cm If the depth to do more prescribed, germs can not grow. After the sowing is finished, the soil is tightly compacted. It is necessary to collect cover crop, to withdraw from the field straw. To protect from pests, allowed to spray the crops with insecticides ("Actellic", "Walton").

Sainfoin as a honey plant

Sainfoin is deservedly considered one of the best honey plants. Of particular value is the Transcaucasian sainfoin – its honeyproductivity can be (under favorable conditions) of 400 kg per hectare. A strong colony of bees in one day with sainfoin harvested about 4 kg of honey. For honey collected from the flowers of the sainfoin, the distinctive light amber color, transparency, full-bodied taste and delicate aroma. med long kristallizuetsya.

Honey has proteins, carbohydrates, ascorbic acid, carotene, enzymes and other substances beneficial for the human body. The flowers of sainfoin begin to secrete nectar when the air temperature is 22 to 25 °C. it Should be noted that the largest quantity of nectar secreted in in wide crops. With the aim of increasing the number of honey from sainfoin is important to prepare the apiary for the beginning of flowering. Flowering sainfoin, as a rule, coincides with the period of brood bees and a large portion of honey is spent on feeding.

Varieties of sainfoin

Sainfoin belongs to the legume family. There are about 80 species of plants growing in the wild in Central and southern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The most popular in modern culture are just a few varieties: Transcaucasian, seeding (vitality), sandy, and their hybrids.

The Transcaucasian sainfoin, compared with other types, brings the greatest yield. It is resistant to drought and to frost, it grows quickly after mowing, for one season, you can achieve two and sometimes three harvests. This variety is planted primarily in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia.

Sandy sainfoin got its name because of the possibility to grow in any soil, including sandy. It is resistant to drought and to frost. The disadvantages of sainfoin sand are coarse stalk, and a small amount of leaves. In modern culture are popular hybrid varieties of this plant.

Seed (vitality) sainfoin is one of the most common varieties, maturing earlier all cultivated cultivated species 1.5–2 weeks. Sowing sainfoin, unlike its relatives, does not tolerate cold and drought and gives one harvest per season.

Sainfoin seed. Due to its composition, the plant is used by traditional healers for the treatment of disorders of the sex glands (impotence in men or menstrual irregularities in women), uterine bleeding. Infusions and decoctions on the basis recommended with the aim of improving immunity, for the treatment of diabetes and as a tonic. Sainfoin reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood, increases the hemoglobin level.

Sainfoin sandy. Sainfoin sandy(other names – "rabbit peas", "Voronet", "red burkun", "white cornflowers", "the red broom", etc.) is a perennial plant, reaching a height of 80 cm. Its root system is powerful enough, the root grows deeper, reaching 2.7 meters. The stems are thick, erect, there are cases when the base stem is highly ogrubevaet. Leaves pinnate, compound, they consist of 6-10 pairs of oblong-lanceolate leaflets. The inflorescence is many-flowered raceme, the length of which can reach 20 cm.

The flowers are large, pea-like type, soft pink, sometimes white colour, clustered in dense brush. The fruit of the plant – Bob ovate. Its length is from 5 to 7 mm, a thickness of about 4 mm, colour reddish brown. Seeds brown, kidney-shaped. Blooms of this variety of sainfoin in may-July.

In the composition of the aerial parts of the plant revealed proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, a number of enzymes, tannins, coumarins. The seeds contain up to 8% of fatty oils. Sainfoin used in folk medicine as infusions and decoctions. It has a positive effect in restoring the sexual activity of men, so in combination with other plants this kind is used for the treatment of impotence.

Recipe of infusion of roots of sainfoin. Required to take 1 tablespoon of prepared raw material (crushed roots of sainfoin) and pour boiling water in the amount of 300 ml, put on low heat and keep boiling for 0.5 hours, then 8 hours to infuse, and then strain. Regimen – 3 times a day: morning and afternoon 60 ml, before dinner – the remainder of the infusion.

Sainfoin as a green manure

Sainfoin is not only a good forage plant, one of the best honey plants and "folk healer", it is also an excellent green manure (applied to soil and crop rotation). It is grown for the purpose of incorporation into the soil as organic fertilizer. Sainfoin is one of the best predecessors. It is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, metastectomy compounds, vitamin C, rutin, flavonoids and amino acids.

Sainfoin interesting as the enricher of the soil nitrogen, phosphorus, organic substances.

Contraindications to the use of sainfoin

To date, contraindications to the use of sainfoin is not revealed. To terminate the application should be hypersensitive to.