The use of Red Clover

Red clover is a dark-pink herbaceous plant belonging to the same family as peas and beans. It originates from Europe, Asia and North Africa. It is now popular throughout South America as a fodder crop to improve soil quality.

It is widely used as a traditional medicine to treat osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, skin and hair disorders, cancer, respiratory problems like asthma, whooping cough and women’s health issues, such as menstrual and menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Some research has found that taking 40–80 mg of red clover daily may help reduce severe menopausal hot flashes.

Bone health

Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones exhibit low bone mineral density (BMD) and have become weak.

As a woman reaches menopause, a decline in reproductive hormones — namely estrogen — can lead to increased bone turnover and a decrease in BMD.

Red clover contains isoflavones, which are a type of phytoestrogen — a plant compound that can weakly mimic estrogen in the body. Some research has shown a connection between isoflavone intake and a decrease in osteoporosis risk.

Menopausal symptoms

Red clover’s high isoflavone content is believed to help lower menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Skin and hair health

Red clover extract has been used in traditional medicine to promote skin and hair health.

Heart health

Some preliminary research has shown red clover may improve heart health in postmenopausal women.

Other claims

It can help with weight loss, cancer, asthma, whooping cough and arthritis.

However, due to the large number of conflicting studies, more research is needed for its uses.

Though it has a good safety profile, some side effects include nausea, vomiting, headache, and vaginal spotting, prolonged menstruation, skin irritation and headache.

Furthermore, due to its minor estrogenic properties, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as people with hormone-sensitive conditions (such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or endometriosis) and among children should avoid its use.

Finally, red clover may slow blood clotting and should be avoided by those with bleeding disorders. In particular, red clover may interact with oral contraceptives, methotrexate, hormone replacement therapy medications, tamoxifen, blood thinners like aspirin or Plavix, among others.