Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves  Oil  Seed  Seedpod  Shoots
Edible Uses: Condiment  Oil

White sweetclover is an abundant and easily recognized 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 flavor 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 [2-3]. With an edibility rating of 2 out of 5, white sweetclover is best regarded as an occasional flavoring or supplementary wild vegetable rather than a dependable food source. The young leaves and flowers are edible fresh or cooked, but their strong flavor and potentially harmful compounds limit their usefulness as food. Young leaves can be added sparingly to salads, 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 white 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 human food is not well established, and consumption is not recommended. Only fresh, healthy plant material should be considered for culinary use. Wilted, moldy, fermented, or improperly stored sweetclover may contain dangerous anticoagulant compounds [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 2 out of 5 – Limited edible value. White 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: White 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 texture and may reduce some 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 and should be removed before preparation. You can strip leaves from the stems by pulling them downward. Seeds and Their Preparation: White sweetclover produces numerous small, hard seeds that are relatively easy to gather from mature plants. Documentation on experimental preparation methods includes boiling the seeds for about 45 minutes or briefly toasting them. Boiling reportedly softened the seeds and reduced their bitterness, producing a flavor resembling beans mixed with alfalfa. Toasting produced a firmer, crunchy texture but emphasized some unpleasant flavors. 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. Sweetclover seeds are therefore not recommended as a food source, even when cooked [2-3]. Seasonality: White 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. White flowers develop in summer, followed by small seedpods that mature later in the growing season. In its typical biennial growth cycle, white sweetclover produces a leafy rosette in its first year and tall flowering stems in its second [2-3]. Traditional Uses: White 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. Traditional European herbal preparations also used sweetclover, particularly as an aromatic herb. Its characteristic fragrance made it useful in scented mixtures and other non-food applications. The plant's greatest historical importance has been agricultural rather than culinary. People have widely cultivated white sweetclover to improve soil fertility because it forms associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots. It is also 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: White 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 wilted, moldy, fermented, or improperly stored sweetclover. Sweetclover seeds also 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]. Leaves and seedpods - cooked as a 'bean soup'[8, 105, 172]. The pea-like seeds are used as a seasoning for bean and split-pea soups[183]. Young shoots - raw or cooked[8, 172]. Added to salads or used as a potherb[183]. Only fresh shoots should be used[62], the dried leaves contain coumarin[207]. Flowers - raw or cooked[172]. Used as a vanilla-like flavouring[177, 183]. The dried leaves are said to be used as a vanilla flavouring[172] but this is probably unwise, see notes at top of the page.

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.
Anticoagulant  Aromatic  Carminative  Emollient  Poultice

The whole herb, harvested when in flower, is aromatic, carminative and emollient[4]. It was at one time widely esteemed as a medicinal herb, though it has fallen from favour in recent times[4]. The dried leaves contain coumarin, this can be used as an anticlotting agent for the blood[207]. The dried flowering plant has been used in ointments for external ulcers[222].

Green manure  Oil  Repellent

White 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. White sweetclover is an abundant and easily recognized 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. An oil obtained from the seed is used in paints, varnishes, etc. [114]. The dried leaves smell of new-mown hay and are used as an insect repellent[172]. The dried leaves contain a substance called coumarin; this is an anti-clotting agent and has been used as the basis of the rat killer 'warfarin'[207]. The plant is a good green manure crop[20, 87, 172]. It can be sown in the autumn and overwintered or sown from spring to mid-summer. It can be cut several times for compost material before being finally incorporated into the soil[87]. Fast-growing, it produces a high bulk of organic material and also fixes a large quantity of atmospheric nitrogen[87]. It can also be grown under soft and top fruit, when it will expel mice[82]. White 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. White 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

Attracts Wildlife  Nitrogen Fixer  Scented Plants