Red clover is one of the heard herbs that are said to help menopause age women in addressing their concerns. The herb bears beautiful flowers that are not only superficially lovely but also help with the alleviation of sicknesses. One of its wonders is its help in improving menopause symptoms.
What is Red Clover?
Red clover, or Trifolium pratense is a herbaceous species of the bean family, Fabaceae. It is native to Northwest Africa, Europe and Western Asia but can bloom in other regions. It produces significant effects on health and has been used in India as traditional medicine for coughs, as a sedative, anti-inflammatory and more. Because of its beauty, it has been picked to be the national flower of Denmark and the state flower of Vermont.
Red Clover for Menopause
A study from ScienceNordic indicates that red clover can help reduce menopause symptoms like hot flashes, sleep problems, palpitations, and bone loss.
Women in the study proclaimed that they have experienced lesser, or no major side effects during the treatment with red clover compared to human estrogens. And within 3 months of trial, their bone loss slowed down compared with those in placebo.
How it Works
Red clover contains isoflavones, which are responsible for its medicinal effects. These isoflavones are transformed in the body to phytoestrogens that work similarly to estrogens. The symptoms felt by menopausal women are due to a drastic drop of female sex hormones in the body (i.e. estrogen). Red clover creates more estrogens in the form of phytoestrogens to suffice the needed amount of hormones that cause the symptoms.
Other Uses of the herb
It is also used for whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, indigestion, high cholesterol and sexually transmitted infections.
Some women also use it for mastalgia or breast pain and tenderness during premenstrual syndrome or PMS.
Red clover is used topically for burns, skin cancer, skin sores, and skin diseases such as psoriasis.
Precautions and Warnings
Red clover is likely safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women when taken by mouth as a common source of food. However, it may affect the body if taken as a medicinal drug because it contains phytoestrogens that might disrupt the level of hormones in the body.
It is not advised to individuals with bleeding disorders, and upcoming surgery, as it may affect blood clotting in the body and increase the bleeding. It should be avoided in large amounts or use with caution.
Individuals with hormone-sensitive conditions such as endometriosis, breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, or uterine fibroids should not use red clover. Cases of people with these conditions could get worse with exposure to estrogen or estrogen-like substances that red clover contains.
Self-Heal with Red Clover
When used as a tea, take 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried flowers and let it seep in 8 ounces of hot water. After 30 minutes, you can take the tea as you like.
This herb can be a home-grown item. You can easily plant a bunch in your garden and use dried flowers or flowering tops.
This herb can also be taken as a supplement in pill or syrup forms. These are often available over the counter so it would be easy for you to buy them without a doctor’s prescription.
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Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.