ABSTRACT
The effect on cattle that ate mouldy Melilotus officinalis, melilot, known also as yellow sweet clover, king’s clover and yellow melilot, was the source of the research that led to the production of warfarin. Melilotus’s use in medicine has been documented for centuries and can be traced to the Materia Medica of Dioscorides in 70 CE. Melilotus officinalis, sweet clover, was planted as a fodder crop on the Alberta and Dakota plains at the end of the 19th century as it flourished on poor soil. Treatment with warfarin requires regular monitoring with a blood test to prevent overdosage which could lead to bleeding. Apart from unintended haemorrhage, side effects from warfarin are uncommon. Coumarins are found widely in the plant kingdom, e.g. Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff; Dipteryx odorata, tonka beans; Hierochloe odorata, sweet grass, but only dicoumarol from mouldy sweet clover has been developed into a registered medication.
