Red Clover

A small herb, Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, is an often overlooked, underused herb with incredible healing properties. This prolific plant, which lives close to the Earth, is frequently found growing in lawns, in fields and in wild places, mostly in the cooler parts of this country.  I have seen it in abundance in Vermont, New York, Maine and Minnesota. I am presently in Vermont on my writing sabbatical and wild-crafting Red Clover that is growing abundantly in the field behind my B&B.  Unfortunately, it is not an herb that is happy in our hot, Central Texas climate.

However, a few winters ago I bought a 4 inch plant, transplanted it in a shady corner of my garden near my Red Raspberries and waited.  Probably because of all the rain we had that year, my Red Clover thrived and even blossomed.  It does not have the true deep purplish flower head of the finest red clover herb, but it did have many pale pink flowers and those lovely little white hearts on the leaves indicating its benefit for the heart muscle.  This design of Nature is called the Doctrine of Signatures and reveals that the herb looks like what it benefits.  A gift from the green world!

Red Clover makes a delicious infusion and is also good in a formula tea blend.  I make a very popular, Everywoman’s Tea that includes Red Clover. A recently documented use of Red Clover suggests that this herb strengthens the heart muscle of menopausal aged women. Red Clover is also high in phytoestrogens, similar to soy products, so it is also beneficial to women in transition. I use the beautiful Red Clover blossoms in my MenoPEZful Tincture, a great formula which assists in lessening several uncomfortable symptoms of menopause. 

The herb is also used as an Alterative, which means it is helpful in nourishing and favorably altering the condition of the blood.  Alteratives also aid the body in assimilating nutrients and eliminating metabolic waste products.  Red Clover acts as an expectorant and anti-spasmodic which can assist with coughs and colds. I include it as an important ingredient my Respiratory Tea.  Other medicinal uses of this fantastic herb include drinking the tea to enhance the appetite during convalescence, using it to help with skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis and it has been known to treat cysts and tumors. 

So as you can see, Red Clover is not only a sweet, pretty little clover, but also a very useful herbal medicine.  Red Clover does contain coumarins, which have some blood thinning properties.  Therefore if you are taking any blood thinning medication, or have any blood disease, or you are scheduled for any type of surgical procedure, it would be contra-indicated to use Red Clover prior to your treatment.

I like to take Red Clover either as a tea or tincture.  Be informed that it is not the Crimson Clover that grows here in Texas.  They are related but the properties I mentioned are specific to Trifolium pratense.

So next time you see a little clover blooming in a field, think twice about the existence of this plant and honor its many valuable traits.