A common flowering herb that has traditionally been used to treat coughs and skin problems. The recommended dosage is 1 to 3 cups of tea, twice daily. There are no contraindications.
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) can help with the following
Lyme Disease
Red clover cleanses the bloodstream and is a good tonic.
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Red Clover tincture has long been a treatment for whooping cough and bronchitis.
Female Infertility
Red clover blossom may act as a female fertility enhancer. It contains several estrogen-like compounds which may promote fertility in estrogen-deficient women. [Duke, J. A. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs: 489. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1985]
Menopausal Status / Issues
Red clover extract (80mg per day of isoflavones for a 12 month period) reduced the number of hot flashes in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 30 women who had not had a period for over 12 months and were experiencing more than five hot flashes per day. [Reported at the North American Menopause Society 12th Annual Meeting, Oct 4-6, 2001, New Orleans, LA.]
However, a review of other studies did not support this finding. [Ann Intern Med 2002;137(10): pp.805-13]
Key
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
Glossary
Herbs
Herbs may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, teas should be made with one teaspoon herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots. Tinctures may be used singly or in combination as noted. The high doses of single herbs suggested may be best taken as dried extracts (in capsules), although tinctures (60 drops four times per day) and teas (4 to 6 cups per day) may also be used.