Red Clover

Other Names:

Purple Clover, Wild Clover

What is Red Clover?

Red clover is a herb that, like chickpeas and beans, belongs to the legume family. It is used in herbal medicine to treat many ailments, including respiratory issues such as asthma, whooping cough and bronchitis, skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis, inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, and women’s health problems – menopause and menstrual symptoms, for example.

There are many nutrients in red clover, such as calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine and vitamin C. The herb is also a rich source of compounds that act as phytoestrogens – called isoflavones which are plant chemicals similar to oestrogen, making it a great dietary supplement for menopausal symptoms as well as high cholesterol and osetoporosis.

Health Benefits:

Menopause

As red clover contains isoflavones that have a similar chemical make up to the female hormone, oestrogen – which naturally declines with menopause – it is believed to have some benefit for menopausal symptoms. These symptoms include bone density loss, hot flashes, night sweats or high cholesterol.

There have been a number of studies into the effectiveness of red clover on menopause. One study concluded that women who took red clover supplements lost significantly less bone density in comparison to women who took the placebo. Another found that the supplementation of red clover decreased menopausal symptoms and reduced triglyceride levels.