Red clover

Red Clover is a plant belonging to the Fabaceae (pea family). The plant is an herbaceous perennial with a number of leafy stems rising from a crown. Red clover grows up to 16 inches, with a hairy upright stem. Leaves and stems are pubescent. Leaves are trifoliate with leaflets near round to oblong and a half ineb or more across. The leaves are made up of three oval leaflets with a prominent white "V" mark in the center, called a chevron. Leaves are usually hairy on both surfaces or sometimes without hairs above and hairy beneath. Stems reach 2 to 3 feet under favorable conditions and bear at the terminals the rose to magentia flower heads comprised of 100 or more individual flowers. Flowers occur in round to oval heads usually on flower stalks (peduncles) less than 5 mm long. The flowers are purple to pink and are egg-shaped. The edible blossoms are sweet-tasting with a honey-like fragrance. The flowers are considered to be the source of its medicinal properties and are usually dried for therapeutic use.

Red clover is used to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Red clover contains chemicals called isoflavones, which belong to a larger class of plant chemicals known as phyto Cestrogens. Red cover contains isoflavone compounds that theoretically could help prevent certain types of cancer, including breast and prostate cancer. Genistein found in red clover has been found to contribute to the shrinking of cancerous tumors in vitro by preventing growth of the new blood vessels that feed the tumors. Red clover is used as a nutrition supplement for all forms of degenerative disease and as an antibiotic helping fight bacterium, the most significant of which is the pathogen that causes tuberculosis. Red clover has also been used effectively as a blood purifier, a relaxant, and an appetite suppressant. Red clover has often been used to treat such skin inflammations as psoriasis and eczema. Red clover may stimulate the liver and gall bladder and has been used for constipation and sluggish appetite.