Guide
Alfalfa tea: how to make it, and what the research actually covers
Alfalfa tea is made by steeping dried alfalfa leaf in hot water for a few minutes. It has no caffeine, and no trial has tested the tea itself — the two small human studies that exist used whole seeds and seed powder, not brewed leaf.
Alfalfa tea is made by steeping dried, cut alfalfa leaf in hot water for a few minutes. It has no caffeine, and no trial has tested the tea itself — the two small human studies that exist for alfalfa used whole seeds added to a diet and seed powder in capsules, not leaf brewed as tea.
How to make it
Use about 1-2 teaspoons of dried, cut alfalfa leaf per cup of hot water, and steep for 5-10 minutes before straining — ordinary practice for a dried-leaf herbal tea, not a research-tested time. Alfalfa leaf has a mild, grassy, slightly hay-like flavor; some people add lemon or honey to soften it. No study has compared steep times or temperatures for alfalfa specifically, so this is standard herbal-tea practice, not a finding about alfalfa.
One quick disambiguation
"Alfalfa tea" also refers to a garden fertilizer made by soaking alfalfa pellets or hay in water for a day or two, then using the liquid on roses and other plants. That's a different product made for feeding plants, not people — this guide covers the beverage made for drinking dried alfalfa leaf.
What the research actually covers
Alfalfa's human research record is thin, and none of it tested tea brewed from leaf. A 1980 study had three people add whole alfalfa seeds to their diet for three weeks and found their plasma cholesterol fell over that period. A 2024 randomized trial gave 60 men with a fertility diagnosis 6 grams a day of alfalfa seed powder in capsules, alongside vitamin E, for 12 weeks, and found improvements in several sperm-quality measures compared to vitamin E alone. Both studies used seed, not leaf, and neither used a beverage — so "alfalfa tea" isn't the form either trial actually tested. See alfalfa benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for the full picture, including what wasn't measured at all.
Caffeine and safety
Alfalfa contains no caffeine — it's a legume, unrelated to tea, coffee or other caffeine-containing plants. Separately, a National Institutes of Health reference monograph on alfalfa notes it's "generally recognized as safe" as a food, but specifically advises against combining alfalfa with warfarin because of its vitamin K content — a consideration that applies to tea just as much as it does to tablets, since it's the plant's own vitamin K content at issue, regardless of form. See alfalfa and medications: what to check and alfalfa side effects for the fuller safety picture before making it a regular habit.
Questions people ask
How do you make alfalfa tea?
Steep 1-2 teaspoons of dried, cut alfalfa leaf in a cup of hot water for 5-10 minutes, then strain. That's standard herbal-tea practice, not a research-tested method.
Does alfalfa tea have caffeine?
No. Alfalfa is a legume and contains no caffeine.
What does alfalfa tea do?
No trial has tested alfalfa tea specifically. The closest human research used whole seeds and seed powder, not brewed leaf — see the research section above for exactly what those two small studies found.
Is alfalfa tea the same as the alfalfa tea gardeners use on roses?
No — that's a fertilizer made by soaking alfalfa pellets or hay in water, a different product made for plants rather than drinking.
If you're pregnant, nursing, or considering alfalfa tea for a child, ask a doctor first — see who should not take alfalfa.
Sources
- Alfalfa seeds: effects on cholesterol metabolism In 1980, three people who ate alfalfa seeds for three weeks had lower plasma cholesterol afterward, with no toxicity detected on blood tests during that short period — the entire human record on alfalfa and cholesterol.
- Effect of Medicago sativa seed powder (Plus vitamin E vs. vitamin E alone) on semen analysis in men with idiopathic infertility: A double blind randomized clinical trial In a 2024 trial, 60 men with a fertility diagnosis who took 6 g/day of alfalfa seed powder alongside vitamin E for 12 weeks had bigger improvements in sperm count, motility and shape than men taking vitamin E alone; one person dropped out with bloating and one with an allergic reaction.
- Alfalfa A National Institutes of Health reference monograph describes alfalfa's composition (saponins, isoflavones, vitamin K, L-canavanine), notes it's generally recognized as safe as a food, and flags two specific concerns: possible lupus worsening and a vitamin K interaction with warfarin.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.