Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves  Root  Seedpod  Shoots
Edible Uses: Condiment

Yellow sweetclover is an abundant and easily recognised legume with considerable agricultural and ecological importance. Its ability to fix nitrogen, provide livestock forage, and produce nectar for honeybees makes it useful in some farming systems. However, its value as a wild food is limited. Although the young leaves and flowers can be eaten in modest quantities, their flavour is frequently bitter or acrid. The seeds contain potentially harmful compounds and are not recommended for consumption. The risk of dicoumarol formation in spoiled plant material is an additional concern, particularly when sweetclover is dried or stored. Its aggressive growth and potential to displace native vegetation also make it an environmental weed in many regions. With an edibility rating of 2 out of 5, yellow sweetclover is best regarded as an occasional flavoring or supplementary wild vegetable rather than a dependable food source [2-3]. The young leaves and flowers are edible, fresh or cooked, but their strong flavor and potential health concerns limit their usefulness as food. Young leaves can be eaten raw in small quantities, but they are generally more palatable when cooked as a leafy vegetable. Boiling softens the leaves and reduces some of their bitter and acrid flavors. The small yellow flowers are also edible in modest quantities and generally have a slightly more pleasant flavor than the leaves. Their nectar contributes a mild sweetness, although the overall taste remains strongly herbal. The stems become tough and fibrous as they mature and are unsuitable for eating. Some wild-food references describe the seeds as edible, but they contain canavanine, a potentially harmful non-protein amino acid. Their safety as a human food has not been adequately established, and consumption is not recommended. Only fresh, healthy plant material should be considered for culinary use. Moldy, fermented, or improperly stored sweetclover may contain dangerous anticoagulant compounds [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 2 out of 5 – Limited edible value. Yellow sweetclover is abundant and produces edible young leaves and flowers, but its frequently unpleasant flavor and significant safety concerns make it a poor choice as a regular wild food. The seeds are not recommended for consumption [2-3]. Taste and Preparation: Yellow sweetclover has a distinctive sweet, hay-like aroma, but its flavor is considerably less appealing than its fragrance suggests. The name sweetclover refers mainly to the plant's smell rather than its taste. Fresh leaves have a grassy, slightly bitter flavor with pronounced acrid overtones. Some plants produce reasonably palatable leaves, while others are distinctly unpleasant. The flowers generally taste somewhat better than the leaves because of their nectar content. Use them sparingly as a flavoring or add them to mixed salads. Cooking improves the texture and may reduce some of the harsh flavors. Young leaves and flowers can be boiled as potherbs, although the resulting cooking liquid may retain an unpleasant bitterness. The stems remain tough after cooking, so remove them beforehand. You can strip leaves from the stems by pulling them downward [2-3]. Seeds and Their Preparation: Yellow sweetclover produces numerous small, hard seeds that are relatively easy to gather from mature plants. Our experimental preparation methods involved boiling the seeds for approximately 45 minutes or briefly toasting them. Boiling reportedly softened the seeds and reduced their bitterness, producing a flavor resembling ordinary beans mixed with alfalfa. Toasting produced a firmer, crunchy texture but emphasized some unpleasant flavors. Roasting the seeds before boiling also produced a beverage with coffee-like characteristics [2-3]. However, these observations do not prove that sweetclover seeds are safe to eat. The seeds contain canavanine, which can interfere with normal amino acid metabolism. Although cooking may reduce the concentration of some undesirable compounds, it does not reliably establish their safety. Therefore, yellow sweetclover seeds are not recommended as a food source, even when cooked [2-3]. Seasonality: Yellow sweetclover generally begins producing new growth in spring and continues growing throughout summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering commonly occurs from May to October, depending on climate, rainfall, and elevation. Young leaves are most suitable for gathering during active growth, before the stems become tough and fibrous. Yellow flowers develop in summer, followed by small seedpods that mature later in the growing season. In its typical biennial growth cycle, yellow sweetclover produces a leafy rosette in its first year and tall flowering stems in its second. In southern Australia, growth is often strongest during the cooler, wetter months, with flowering occurring in spring and summer [2-3]. Traditional Uses: Yellow sweetclover originated in Europe and Asia and was not a significant traditional food plant for Native American communities. It has a long history of agricultural use as livestock forage, green manure, and a nectar plant for honey production. People have also used the plant in traditional European herbal medicine, particularly in preparations associated with circulation, swelling, and minor inflammatory conditions. Its characteristic fragrance made it useful in scented mixtures and other aromatic applications. Modern herbal preparations sometimes contain extracts of yellow sweetclover, although medicinal use requires greater caution than occasional culinary use because concentrated preparations may contain substantial quantities of biologically active compounds. Yellow sweetclover has also been widely cultivated to improve soil fertility because its roots form associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. It is an important honey plant. Its numerous nectar-rich flowers attract honeybees and can contribute significantly to honey production where large populations occur [2-3]. Safety: Yellow sweetclover requires particular caution because of the risk of dicoumarol poisoning. The plant naturally contains coumarin, an aromatic compound responsible for its characteristic sweet, hay-like smell. When sweetclover is improperly dried or stored under moist conditions, certain fungi can convert coumarin-related compounds into dicoumarol, a powerful anticoagulant. Dicoumarol interferes with vitamin K-dependent blood clotting and can cause serious internal bleeding. Historically, moldy sweetclover hay has caused fatal hemorrhaging in livestock. Fresh, healthy sweetclover does not ordinarily contain the same dangerous concentrations of dicoumarol found in spoiled hay. Nevertheless, this does not mean that consuming large quantities of fresh sweetclover is risk-free. Never consume moldy, fermented, or improperly stored sweetclover. Avoid wilted material that has begun to spoil. Sweetclover seeds contain canavanine, a non-protein amino acid that can interfere with normal amino acid metabolism. Their regular consumption is not recommended. People taking anticoagulant medications, those with bleeding disorders, pregnant individuals, and people with autoimmune conditions should avoid medicinal or concentrated preparations unless advised otherwise by a qualified healthcare professional. The plant should not be used as a regular dietary staple [2-3]. Root[46, 105, 172]. Consumed as a food by the Kalmuks[183]. Young shoots are cooked. Used like asparagus[183]. Young leaves are eaten in salads[13]. The leaves and seedpods are cooked as a vegetable[8, 55, 172]. They are used as a flavoring [46]. Only fresh leaves should be used; see the notes above on toxicity[62]. The crushed dried leaves can be used as a vanilla flavoring in puddings, pastries, etc[177, 183, 238]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Flowers - raw or cooked[172]. The flowers and seeds are used as a flavoring [2]. The flowers also give an aromatic quality to some tisanes[7].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antispasmodic  Aromatic  Carminative  Diuretic  Emollient  Expectorant  Ophthalmic  Vulnerary


Melilot, used either externally or internally, can help treat varicose veins and haemorrhoids though it requires a long-term treatment for the effect to be realised[254]. Use of the plant also helps to reduce the risk of phlebitis and thrombosis[254]. Melilot contains coumarins and, as the plant dries or spoils, these become converted to dicoumarol, a powerful anticoagulant[254]. Thus the plant should be used with some caution, it should not be prescribed to patients with a history of poor blood clotting or who are taking warfarin medication[238]. See also the notes above on toxicity[21]. The flowering plant is antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diuretic, emollient, mildly expectorant, mildly sedative and vulnerary[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 238, 240]. An infusion is used in the treatment of sleeplessness, nervous tension, neuralgia, palpitations, varicose veins, painful congestive menstruation, in the prevention of thrombosis, flatulence and intestinal disorders[7, 238]. Externally, it is used to treat eye inflammations, rheumatic pains, swollen joints, severe bruising, boils and erysipelas, whilst a decoction is added to the bath-water[9, 238]. The flowering plant is harvested in the summer and can be dried for later use[7]. A distilled water obtained from the flowering tops is an effective treatment for conjunctivitis[7].

Green manure  Repellent

Yellow sweetclover is an abundant and easily recognised legume with considerable agricultural and ecological importance. Its ability to fix nitrogen, provide livestock forage, and produce nectar for honeybees makes it useful in some farming systems. Yellow sweetclover has historically been cultivated as a forage crop, green manure, and honey plant. Its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen makes it useful for improving soil fertility. The plant can also produce substantial biomass, which may be incorporated into the soil as organic matter. It grows successfully in relatively poor soils and generally requires little fertiliser. Yellow sweetclover is particularly useful in some dryland agricultural systems because its deep roots allow it to access moisture unavailable to shallower-rooted plants. The leaves contain coumarin and they release the pleasant smell of newly mown hay when they are drying[238]. The leaves are dried and used as an insect repellent[169, 172], especially in order to repel moths from clothing[13, 100, 238]. They can be put in pillows, mattresses etc[178]. Poorly dried or fermented leaves produce a substance called dicoumarol. This is a potent anti-coagulant which is extremely poisonous in excess, it prevents the blood from coagulating and so it is possible to bleed to death from very small wounds. Dicoumarol is used in rat poisons[238]. The plant can be used as a green manure, enriching the soil with nitrogen as well a providing organic matter[238]. Wildlife Value: Yellow sweetclover is an important nectar source for honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. Its numerous flowers can provide substantial nectar during the summer flowering period. The foliage is also eaten by livestock and some wild herbivores, although forage quality and safety depend on the condition of the plant material. Yellow sweetclover can contribute nitrogen to the soil through its association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. However, dense populations may displace native vegetation and alter plant communities, particularly in grasslands and other open habitats.

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer  Scented Plants