Red Clover (Purple Clover) (2024)

Bumblebees and other bees with long tongues visit the flowers for nectar and pollen. A wide variety of butterflies and moths visit the flowers, too. Plenty of other insects consume the foliage, including butterfly and moth caterpillars (including the orange, clouded, cloudless, and southern dogface sulphurs, the eastern tailed-blue, and the clover looper). Certain types of leaf beetles, weevils, stinkbugs, aphids, treehoppers, and grasshoppers also make a living from red clover.

Plenty of birds and mammals eat the foliage, flowers, or both: voles, rabbits, groundhogs, ground squirrels, deer, bear, and others. Canada geese, greater prairie-chickens, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse also eat red clover foliage and/or flowers and seeds. Some of the smaller birds that eat the seeds are sparrows, horned larks, and mourning doves.

As a cover crop, red clover helps to reduce erosion. Keeping topsoil out of streams is important for conserving the quality of aquatic habitats, which helps fish and other aquatic animals to survive and thrive.

There are about 250 species in genus Trifolium worldwide. There are three subfamilies in the bean family (Fabaceae) (fah-BAY-cee-ee), and the clovers belong in subfamily Faboideae (fah-BOY-dee-ee), which have the pea-shaped flowers the bean family is known for. In the case of clovers, the pea-shaped flowers are small and clustered together into rounded heads. But if you look closely at each individual floret, you’ll see it has the same configuration of petals as in sweet peas, alfalfa, black locusts, peanuts, string beans, loco weeds, vetches, wild indigos, tick trefoils, wisterias, and more. Each flower has a broad banner (or standard) petal at the top, two side petals called wings, and two petals at the bottom that are usually fused into a boatlike keel. The unique form of these flowers makes them especially attractive to bees.

Red Clover (Purple Clover) (2024)

FAQs

What is red clover tincture good for? ›

Modern scientific tests have shown that red clover contains isoflavones, plant-based chemicals that produce estrogen-like effects in the body. Isoflavones have shown potential in the treatment of several conditions associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, cardiovascular health, and osteoporosis.

Does red clover help you lose weight? ›

Many proponents of red clover claim it can help with weight loss, cancer, asthma, whooping cough, arthritis, and other conditions. However, limited evidence shows that red clover helps with any of these illnesses. Red clover may help decrease menopausal hot flashes, though more research is needed.

How long does it take red clover to work? ›

How long does it take for Red Clover to work? This may depend on what you are taking Red Clover for. Some studies have had effective results in as little as 4 weeks, others went on for 12 weeks.

Does red clover stop your period? ›

Red Clover is rich in isoflavones, which act as a plant estrogen (phytoestrogen) and help in managing menstrual regularity. This mechanism can help in decreasing problems such as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and the timing of menstrual bleeding.

Who should not take red clover? ›

Talk with your healthcare provider if you're taking blood thinners such as warfarin (Jantoven® or Coumadin®). Red clover may increase your risk of bleeding. Avoid red clover if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. It may not be safe for you.

Does red clover lower blood pressure? ›

Lowers blood pressure: Red clover has special benefits that include lowering inflammation across the body, especially in the cardiovascular system. According to numerous studies, red clover tea can greatly decrease the tension in the arteries and blood vessels, which helps lower blood pressure.

Does red clover raise estrogen? ›

Large amounts of red clover might have some of the same effects as estrogen. Taking red clover along with estrogen might decrease the effects of estrogen.

Is red clover good for kidneys? ›

Its anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce inflammation in the kidneys which can improve overall kidney function. Additionally, red clover tea's high antioxidant content may also help protect the kidneys from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

Which is better, black cohosh or red clover? ›

According to MedlinePlus, due to the effects of red clover and black cohosh on hormone signaling, these compounds may not be safe during pregnancy and fetal development. Black cohosh can cause liver toxicity, while red clover may decrease the liver's ability to metabolize drugs. More research is necessary.

Is red clover hard on the liver? ›

ConclusionRed clover isoflavones has protective effect on liver function and could reduce inflammatory response of liver in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Does red clover cause hair growth? ›

Red clover extract does appear to support hair growth based on a few preliminary studies. We know that red clover extract contains an important class of molecules called isoflavones (Chen et al., 2021).

Does red clover help you sleep? ›

How can red clover help relieve symptoms of menopause? Isoflavones can have positive effects in reducing symptoms related to estrogen loss — such as hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, weight gain, bone loss, bone fractures or osteoporosis, cardiovascular problems, and inflammation of the joints.

What does red clover do for breast? ›

Red clover is used to treat menopausal symptoms and breast pain. Its active ingredients include phytoestrogens. Also known as: Daidzein, genistein, isoflavone, phytoestrogen, purple clover, trefoil, trifolium, beebread, clovone. Potential uses: Red clover is used to treat menopausal symptoms and breast pain.

Is red clover anti aging? ›

While red clover (aka Trifolium pratense) may not be as well-known an ingredient in skin care as say, green tea or grape seed extracts, this plant has amazing antioxidant benefits to help maintain the youthful and plump appearance of the skin.

When should I drink red clover? ›

Red clover supplements have been promoted for menopause symptoms and osteoporosis. Historically, red clover was used for asthma, whooping cough, cancer, and gout. Today, extracts from red clover are most often promoted for menopause symptoms, high cholesterol levels, or osteoporosis.

What are the health benefits of tincture? ›

Tinctures are prescribed for a wide range of issues, including indigestion, stress, PMS, pain and insomnia. Benefits can be seen the same day but stronger effects usually start within one to two weeks.

Is red clover an anti-inflammatory? ›

There is also evidence of red clover being effective in lowering blood glucose and having beneficial effects on the prevention of cardiovascular disease [7,8]. In an in vitro model, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects were documented in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages [9,10].

Does red clover help with anxiety? ›

Red clover also has potential to help other symptoms of the menopause, like depression, anxiety and vagin*l dryness, but more studies are needed.

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