Red Clover

Botanical name: Trifolium pratense (Fabaceae)

Parts used: flowers

Energetics: cooling, moistening

Taste: sweet, salty

Actions: alterative, antispasmodic, expectorant

Constituents: Phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, coumarins, cyanogenic glycosides, isoflavones, salicylates, polysaccharides

 

 

Medicinal Preparations:

Tincture:  1tsp 3 times a day

Tea: Infusion

 

Description:

Red clover was traditionally used in folklore medicine to treat breast cancer. Today research has  shown therapeutic use during menopause, helping to reduce the impact of falling estrogen levels, but also to exert a protective effect on the heart and circulation in menopausal women with low estrogen levels.

Research:

Isoflavones: early-stage research points to them countering bone loss in menopausal women. And may be helpful in both preventing and treating breast cancer. 

 

*Chevallier, Andrew, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, New York City, Penguin Random House, 1996.