Alfalfa (Medicago L.) is a genus of annual and perennial herbs or sub shrubs of the legume family (Fabaceae L.).
Now in Ukraine alfalfa sown on an area of about 142 000 hectares distributed over 15 areas. Alfalfa is used in agriculture as a feed for livestock; it is harvested for hay and flour made of it.
In folk medicine this plant is used in diseases of the intestines, stomach, thyroid, to improve metabolism, normalization of the blood system, lowering cholesterol levels, increasing the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
Alfalfa is a component of dietary supplements; phytoconcentrate of it are means of skin care.
Some species are used as ornamental and medicinal plants.
This plant is known, widespread, but there is no comprehensive scientific studies on the true content of the group of compounds coumarin and 4-oxy derivative, the presence of which characteristic of this tribe.
Herbal material (grass) harvested during the period active flowering and dried under a shed in the well ventilated place.
Specimens to study the anatomical structure of freshly prepared and fixed materials. Studied the anatomical structure on the preparations from the surface, the transverse and longitudinal radial cuts that made by the conventional method.
For use of the light microscope “Biola LOMO” (Russia).
After preliminary acid hydrolysis an investigation of raw material was performed using apparatus for chromatography Agilent Technologies with spectrometric detector. To identify components was used library mass spectra together with programs to identify NIST.
For quantitative calculations was used the method of internal standard.
Petiole at the cross-section has the form of a kidney. Petiole fuzzy of trichomes as simple unicellular hairs with warty cuticle; at the base of the hair cells arranged in a round; the sclerenchyma is well expressed near the phloem, which expressed less by the xylem.
In conducting HL-chromatography were found 52 compounds; 41 components were identified of these compounds. Noteworthy the presence of components undetermined without hydrolysis. There is presented a wide range of alcohols; aldehydes, ketones etc.
In harvested aerial parts of alfalfa after hydrolysis there were identified 3 compounds from a class of true coumarines, they are: coumarin, dihydrocoumarin and 6 methylcoumarin.