ENGLISH NAME: Sainfoin
LATIN NAME: Onobrychis viciifolia
LOCAL NAMES:
Czechia: Vičenec vičencovitý
Turkey: Korunga
Bulgaria: Еспарзета (Esparzeta)
Georgia: ვიკიასფერი ონობრიქისი (Vikiasperi onobrik’isi)
COUNTRY: Bulgaria, Czechia, Turkey, Georgia
WHERE TO FIND IT:
Region: South Moravian region (Czechia), Eastern and Central Anatolia (Turkey), Danubian Plain and Thracian slopes (Bulgaria), Kakheti and Shida Kartli (Georgia)
Elevation: 200–1800 meters
Terrain: Dry meadows, limestone slopes, cultivated pastures, and sunny hillsides
DESCRIPTION:
A perennial legume with erect stems and pinnate leaves bearing many leaflets. It produces attractive, upright spikes of pink to purplish pea-like flowers with darker veins. It grows 30–80 cm tall and is highly valued as a forage and soil-enriching crop, thanks to its nitrogen-fixing roots and drought resistance.
USABLE PARTS: Aerial parts (foliage and flowers); roots and seeds in limited traditional uses
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES:
Primarily used as a nutritive tonic for livestock, but in traditional herbal medicine it has been noted for mild digestive support, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties. Occasionally used in folk medicine for anemia, exhaustion, and diarrhea.
UNDESIRED EFFECTS:
Very safe; no known toxicity. Large quantities in humans are rarely used but generally considered safe when taken as tea or in food-like doses.
COMBINING WITH OTHER MEDICINES:
May be paired with nettle or alfalfa in mineral-rich nutritive blends. Sometimes used with mint or yarrow in traditional digestive teas.
PREPARATION:
Dried aerial parts can be used in infusions or nutritive herbal blends. In some traditions, leaves and flowers are steeped in hot water for mild digestive teas. Mostly used in agricultural and veterinary contexts.
HARVEST TIME:
Late spring to mid-summer (May–July), during full bloom
HARVEST METHOD:
Cut above-ground parts when flower spikes are fully formed and aromatic. Best harvested in dry, sunny weather.
CONSERVATION (STORAGE):
Dry in loose bundles in a well-ventilated, shaded area. Store in paper bags or airtight containers away from humidity. Use within 1 year.
✅ Note: Sainfoin is more widely used as a forage crop than a human remedy, but it holds folk medicinal value in rural areas of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia for its mild tonic and restorative qualities.