Red Clover -
Like peas and beans, red clover belongs to
the family of plants called legumes. Red clover contains phytoestrogens--compounds
similar to the female hormone estrogen. Trifolium pratense (red clover) has
anti-inflammatory, diuretic and antispasmodic properties and is also well known
as a cleansing herb for skin complaints, including eczema and psoriasis. Its
ability to improve lymph functioning and reduce lymphatic swellings helps to
purify and detox the system.
Red clover has been cultivated since ancient times, primarily to provide a
favorite grazing food for animals. But, like many other herbs, red clover was
also a valued medicine. Although it has been used for many purposes worldwide,
the one condition most consistently associated with red clover is cancer.
Chinese physicians and Russian folk healers also used it to treat respiratory
problems. In the nineteenth century, red clover became popular among herbalists
as an "alterative" or "blood purifier." This medical term, long since defunct,
refers to an ancient belief that toxins in the blood are the root cause of many
illnesses. Cancer, eczema, and the eruptions of venereal disease were all seen
as manifestations of toxic buildup. Red clover was considered one of the best
herbs to "purify" the blood. For this reason, it is included in many of the
famous treatments for cancer.
Common Names--red clover, cow clover, meadow clover, wild
clover
Latin Name--Trifolium pratense
- What Red clover Is Used For
- Historically, red clover has been used as an herbal
remedy for cancer and respiratory problems, such as whooping cough, asthma,
and bronchitis.
- Current uses of red clover are for menopausal symptoms,
breast pain associated with menstrual cycles, high cholesterol,
osteoporosis, and symptoms of prostate enlargement. Red Clover is also well
known as a cleansing herb for skin complaints.
- Try our Herbal Remedy and Herbal Medicine:
Skin Dr. - Natural Treatment for Psoriasis and Other Skin Conditions.
- How Red clover Is Used
The flowering tops of the red clover plant are used to prepare extracts
available in tablets and capsules, as well as in teas and liquid forms.
- What the Science Says about Red clover
- Although several small studies of red clover for
menopausal symptoms had mixed results, a large study found that red clover
had no beneficial effects on menopausal symptoms.
- There is not enough scientific evidence to determine
whether red clover is effective for any other health conditions.
- NCCAM is studying red clover to learn more about its
active components and how they might work in the body, including a clinical
trial investigating the safety and effectiveness of red clover for
menopausal symptoms.
- Side Effects and Cautions of Red clover
- Red clover seems to be safe for most adults when used for
short periods of time. No serious adverse effects have been reported.
- Because red clover contains estrogen-like compounds,
there is a possibility that its long-term use would increase the risk of
women developing cancer of
the lining of the uterus. However, studies to date have been too brief (less
than 6 months) to evaluate whether red clover has estrogen-like effects on
the uterus.
- It is unclear whether red clover is safe for women who
are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who have breast cancer or other
hormone-sensitive cancers.
- Tell your health care providers about any herb or dietary
supplement you are using, including red clover.
This helps to ensure safe and coordinated care.
What's an Herb? An herb is a plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential
therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and
roots. Herbal medicine products are dietary supplements that people take
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
Dietary supplement is a
product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for
dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.
To use an herbal product as safely as
possible:
-
Consult your doctor first
-
Do not take a bigger dose than the label
recommends
-
Take it under the guidance of a trained
medical professional
-
Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or
nursing
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
List of Herbs at a glance
Why should I use herbal products?
The decision to use herbs to improve your
health is, as with all health decisions, a personal one. There are, however,
many good reasons to consider herbal products to complement your own
health care methods. One of the best reason, however, may be the fact that
herbs and herbal products, continue to provide real health benefits while
maintaining a remarkable safety profile. Readily available natural
substances were the first medicines used by humans. Primitive and ancient
civilizations as well as contemporary cultures throughout the world have
always relied on herbs to provide the benefits that have been observed with
their use. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80
percent of the world's population continues to use traditional therapies, a
major part of which are derived from plants, as their primary health care
tools. In our own time and culture, most herbs are available in the form of
"herbal supplements." These products are found in the form of teas, tablets,
capsules, liquid extracts, and others. We now have ready access to products
that bring the herbal traditions from all over the world in a variety of
convenient forms. In addition, scientific inquiries continue to develop our
knowledge of the benefits of plants, and often validate the observations
made over the past centuries.
Are herbs safe?
Plants that enjoy broad culinary and
therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can flavor our food with any number
of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of
peppermint leaf or ginger root tea, or benefit from the soothing properties
of marshmallow root or the bark of slippery elm. We can take an herbal
supplement containing dandelion root or saw palmetto berries, or any number
of the other herbs. Although allergies and reactions have been recorded for
a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual
concerns are also seen with many foods, and do not diminish the safety
profile of the many herbs that are generally recognized as safe. On the
other hand, and as everyone knows, there are any number of plants that are
highly toxic, even deadly.
