Alfalfa is a health hazard

[PhilC]

Alfalfa is often promoted as a dietary supplement, and I recall reading claims that consuming alfalfa is beneficial for arthritis. However, the reality is different matter– alfalfa contains a toxic amino acid called canavanine. I recommend avoiding alfalfa in all forms, and reading dietary supplement labels carefully to make sure they do not contain alfalfa as an ingredient.

For more information, see:
Alfalfa: a hazardous food?
Effects of L-canavanine on T cells may explain the induction of systemic lupus erythematosus by alfalfa.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Lynne G.SD]

Hi Phil;
This is exactly what my sister’s doctor said.Alfafa is especially bad for people with Lupus and that is why we have to be so careful with green drinks.

[vera]

Phil,

Thanks for posting. I used to take alfalfa, but never felt good on it, so quit it feeling quite guilty. Guess it was a good thing after all! 😮

Lynne,

I used to take green drinks, and never felt well on them either! Wow, you just learn so much on this board.

Best to you!

Lori

[Krys]

@vera wrote:

I used to take green drinks, and never felt well on them either! Lori

Possible explanation is that raw vegetables, including juices, are “cold” in nature, and all rheumatic conditions according to TMC are cold conditions. Abx are cold, too. Cold condition, the way I understand it (greatly oversimplified), means underactive organ function due to not enough heat or “fire” being produced. It affects not only body temperature but digestion, assimilation of nutrients, oxygenation of tissue and cell metabolism. Cooked vegetables are “warm” and easier to digest and assimilate.
I asked my TMC doc why I had bad reactions after eating more than 1 apple (it is “cold”, too!!!) and why I felt bad and good after drinking green juices. The explanation was that they are “cold”. The solution: either to stop taking them or to add warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. I guess Turmeric and Cayenne should do that, too!

I seem incapable of limiting apples to one only. So I eat my apples sliced and topped with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon!
I add warming spices to my green juices, but I have limited the amount I consume (it used to be a quart at a time).
Krys

[spacehoppa]

interestingly, I had a fertility tea a few years back, when I was trying to boost my cycles to get pregnant that had alfalfa in it and it worsened my arthritis considerably. I had a similar concoction of herbs in pill form, that made me feel good and improved my menstrual cycles, (that had no alfalfa in it) so I concluded that I must be intolerant of alfalfa and chucked the tea away. Thanks for confirming my suspicions!

[Krys]

http://www.drlam.com/opinion/auto-immune_protocol.asp
“Avoid alfalfa sprouts that interfere with protein metabolism.”

What a pity. I’ve read so many wonderful things about sprouting….I’ll have to find some other seed that would be easy to digest with no negative side effects.
Krys

[Elijuh]

This makes sense out of why my favorite sandwich at my favorite made me sick. It had alfalfa sprouts in it. My mother used to crave alfalfa and sprouted her own. Hhhmmm.

[jaminhealth]

I took it years ago for OA issues…interesting. Thanks…jam

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