{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"alfalfa","kind":"supplement","name":"alfalfa","aliases":["Medicago sativa"],"brands_sg":["Micro Ingredients","NOW Foods","Nature's Way","Frontier Co-op","Amazing Grass"],"class":"botanical","tags":["general"],"use_for":"a greens supplement; two small cholesterol trials only","use_after":null,"use_duration":null,"take_with":null,"pros":["two small trials lowered cholesterol in adults"],"cons":["larger controlled trials are still needed","seeds carry L-canavanine, a toxic amino acid","sprouts linked to E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks"],"dose_note":null,"dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":null,"fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["lupus, or a history of it — relapses are reported after alfalfa tablets","gout — alfalfa is high in purines","HSA does not list it, and that list is not exhaustive"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"mskcc_alfalfa","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/alfalfa","label":"Memorial Sloan Kettering — About Herbs: Alfalfa (L-canavanine and lupus)","quote":"Alfalfa seeds also contain a toxic amino acid, L-canavanine … this amino acid may be responsible for alfalfa's ability to cause a relapse of lupus symptoms in patients who are in remission","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"mskcc_alfalfa_chol","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/alfalfa","label":"Memorial Sloan Kettering — About Herbs: Alfalfa (cholesterol evidence)","quote":"Two small trials have shown that alfalfa supplements lower cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol, but larger, controlled trials are necessary to confirm these results.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"mskcc_alfalfa_safety","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/alfalfa","label":"Memorial Sloan Kettering — About Herbs: Alfalfa (contamination and gout)","quote":"Alfalfa sprouts have been linked to a number of food poisoning (E. coli and Salmonella infection) outbreaks … Due to the high content of purines, alfalfa should be avoided in patients with gout","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_pr","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on prohibited and restricted ingredients in health supplements and traditional medicines (Oct 2025), Annex A/B","quote":"This list is not exhaustive. Dealers should continue to: Conduct thorough safety assessments of their products","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/alfalfa","label":"iHerb Singapore — category listing, default order","quote":"Micro Ingredients · NOW Foods · Nature's Way · Frontier Co-op · Amazing Grass","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:10.48466+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}