RED CLOVER
Trifolium pratense

Location
South of Research Building wall and on the west side across the driveway.

Description
Red clover is a perennial, 6-24 inches high, with a dense, stalkless head of magenta or purple flowers. The oval leaflets are usually marked with a white “V.” Red clovers can be seen from spring to fall (Newcomb 1977).

History
Red clover was primarily grown for pasturage and hay. It has been grown as a feed for livestock and poultry (Duke 2001).

Red clover has also been used by Native Americans to treat whooping cough, gout, or cancer. Red clover was also used for constipation, for rheumatism, as a diuretic, to treat liver and gall bladder problems. Additionally, the herb was used as a tonic (Duke 2001).

A tea made from the flowers has been used as an antispasmodic, expectorant, mild sedative, and “blood purifier”. It has also been used for asthma and other lung conditions (Foster 1990).

Red clover is an ingredient in the Hoxsey treatment, an alternative cancer therapy (Foster 1990). Topical preparations have also been used as a folk treatment for cancer (Duke 2001, Foster 1990, Grieve 1998). Topically, red clover has also been used to treat athlete’s foot, ulcers (Duke 2001, Foster 1990), sores, and burns (Duke 2001, Foster 1990).  The flowers were once smoked in cigarettes as an anti-asthma treatment (Foster 1990).

In Europe, red clover has been consumed in salads and sandwiches, and tea has been made from the flowers (Kiple 2000).

Current Medicinal Uses
Red clover is heavily promoted to treat hot flashes. Red clover does contain phytoestrogens, but the majority of reliable studies found no benefit of red clover on hot flashes (Fugh-Berman 2002).

References
Duke JA. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001.

Foster S, Duke JA. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1990.

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Tiger Books International, London, 1998 (first published in 1931 by Jonathan Cape Ltd).

Kronenberg F, Fugh-Berman A. Complementary and alternative medicine for menopausal symptoms: a review of randomized controlled trials. Ann Int Med 2002;137:805-813.

Kiple KF, Ornelas KC, ed. The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000.

Newcomb L. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1977.