Trifolium pratense
Red Clover
Red clover is a humble plant that is productive without praise; it paints the landscape in a gradient of pale pink to deeper purple-pink coloring, bringing nutrients back to the earth in places where it has been disturbed.
Like red blood cells carrying vital oxygen throughout the body, this plant replenishes and enriches nitrogen in the lifeblood of the plant kingdom: the soil.
Red clover is a nutritive herb rich in protein and all of the standard amino acids that form proteins. It contains vitamin C, several B vitamins, and beta-carotene (which the body converts into vitamin A), as well as minerals including calcium, chromium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, tin, copper, selenium, zinc, and manganese.
“This little wildflower truly can be considered one of nature’s best vitamin and mineral supplements.”
- Rosemary Gladstar, Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide
The ability to move fluids and discourage stagnation in the body categorizes red clover as an alterative and lymphatic herb. As a lymphatic, red clover keeps fluids moving through the lymphatic system and is commonly used for issues related to lymphatic congestion, such as swollen lymph glands and cystic lumps in the breasts.
Red clover aids in liver detoxification and is indicated for conditions that result from buildup of toxins in the body such as swollen glands, infections, and skin eruptions. The Eclectics most often used red clover as an alterative (sometimes referred to as a blood purifier), meaning it improves chronic conditions throughout the body over time by helping the body to assimilate nutrients and remove metabolic waste products.
Not only does red clover improve the quality of blood, but it enhances circulation as well. It has been found particularly useful when there is poor circulation in the feet or weakness in the lower extremities.