Red Clover – Trifolium pratense

Jul 12, 2025
8 min read

Nature’s Gentle Purifier for Body and Soil

"The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician."

— Paracelsus

When I think of red clover, I reflect on the days of my first Herbal Medicine book, “Back to Eden” by Jethro Klaus, written in 1939 and updated for many years thereafter.

I was 14 years old and grew up in a family that practiced “folk medicine”, not formally trained in Herbal Medicine, but having a long-standing tradition of using various herbs and plants, passed down for generations from mother to daughter to granddaughter. Used for illnesses of every kind, not out of interest, but out of necessity, because we could not afford to go to doctors. Medicine from the earth, used throughout my childhood, and my mother’s knowledge sparked my curiosity about how they worked on the human body.

One of my favorite quotes from Herbalist Jethro Kloss in his book was on red clover. As an herbalist, Kloss highly regarded this herb, believing it was heaven-sent. He wrote

“Red clover is one of God’s greatest blessings to man. ... It is a most powerful remedy for cancerous growths. Used alone, it is excellent for cancer of the stomach, whooping cough, and various spasms. Learn to use this God-given remedy effectively.”

I believe the essence of Kloss's message is clear: red clover is presented as a significant herbal remedy with a wide range of health benefits.

Red clover grows all over the US, including all over my small postage stamp lawn at our inner city row home in Philadelphia.

Children in our area felt like the three-lobed leaves would bring good luck and would often pick them and put them in their pockets or dry them.

For me, red clover causes memories of my childhood summers at my Grandmother’s home on the Elk River at the Chesapeake Bay. I remember sitting with my sister, on the lid of the well outside of the cottage, shucking corn for dinner and watching honey bees on the blossoms of the clover. It was peaceful and comfortable. Red clover is quieting and calming to the nerves, helps ease muscle and bronchial spasms, and makes a wonderful healing salve for ulcers and wounds. For me, it echoes back to a simpler time in childhood when school was out for the summer and our cares seemed to drift away, replaced by thoughts of warmth and play.

~ Karen Bond

NAME OF HERB:

Red Clover – Trifolium pratense

Genus: Trifolium

Species: T. pratense

Family: Leguminosae/Fabaceae – Papilionoideae

Common Name: Red Clover, Purple Clover, Trefoil, Cow Clover, Meadow Clover, Wild Clover

Latin Names: Trifolium pratense

Energetics: Cooling, tonifying, clears excess Fire, reduces excess Water, alterative, antispasmodic, expectorant

Properties: Blood purifying, tonic, nutritive, expectorant, antibiotic, an alterative remedy; diuretic; expectorant; possibly estrogenic

Taste: Sweet-tasting

Degree of Action: 3rd degree

Tissue States: Sweet aromatic, salty metabolic tonic, damp (stagnation)

Constituents: Phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, cyanogenic glycosides, estrogenic

Dosage: 3–6 grams of the dried flower equivalent, three times per day, tea or tincture of dried flowers

Key Uses: Medicinal, fodder for livestock, soil improvement, attracting insects, honey production

History:

Ancients called it Triphyllon, meaning "three leaves". This term also relates to the common name, Clover, which stems from "clava", meaning "three-leaved". The three leaves were said to correspond to the triad or the Trinity in Christianity.

Red Clover grows in West China, Europe, and North America. The plant grows best where soils are rich in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. The flowering tops are used medicinally.

In Europe, Red Clover is widely cultivated and used as a tonic and a salad herb. Red Clover is used by honey makers to add a mild, sweet taste to their honey. The flower heads of a biennial or perennial plant grow up to 60 cm in height, with globular red to purple flower heads subtended by a pair of trifoliate sessile leaves.

Its habitat is widespread in grassy spaces throughout the world. It is widely grown as a fodder crop, valued for its nitrogen fixation, which increases soil fertility. For these reasons, it is used as a green manure crop.

Several cultivar groups have been selected for agricultural use, mostly derived from T. pratense var. sativum. It has become naturalized in many temperate areas, including the Americas and Australasia, as an escape from cultivation.

Clinical Use:

The use of red clover as an herbal remedy goes back centuries. It is used for both topical and internal applications.

As a topical aid, red clover is often an ingredient in liniments and balms, for relieving the pain of both eczema and psoriasis, for sores, burns, and as an aid against skin cancer. The pain-relieving properties of red clover are likely due to the presence of the anti-inflammatory compounds eugenol, myricetin, and salicylic acid in the flowers. Salicylic acid also demonstrates activity against eczema.

Red clover has long been used as a “blood purifier,” specifically for the potential treatment of cancer. The flower is a mainstay ingredient in traditional herbal formulas, including Essiac Tea, Jason Winters Tea, and the Hoxsey Therapy.

In the bestselling herbal classic Back to Eden, author Jethro Kloss declares red clover a life-saving anti-cancer remedy. Proponents of these therapies claim a multitude of successes, while various health agencies, including the FDA, the American Cancer Society, and even WebMD have declared these same formulas to be of no value.

In red clover blossoms, the compounds biochanin-A, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, coumarin, formononetin, genistein, and isorhamnetin all demonstrate some anti-cancer properties, according to various published studies.

Red clover is a blood thinner. This is due to the concentration of coumarin found in the blossoms. For cases of thrombosis and other conditions in which thick blood obstructs vessels, red clover tea may be of benefit.

Do not use Red Clover for those who are taking blood-thinning medications or prior to surgery, as it may exacerbate surgical bleeding.

As a gentle cleansing tea drunk on occasion for overall salutary purposes, red clover appears to offer many benefits to health. High in natural protective antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, pleasant in flavor, red clover is good for general health and is a tasty beverage. Rather than buying red clover tea in a store, just harvest a little from your lawn. It can be dried on some newspaper for a few days, and you have red clover herbal tea.

Red clover is a source of many nutrients: calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C.

Red clover is a rich source of isoflavones (chemicals that act like estrogens and are found in many plants), which are changed in the body to “phytoestrogens” that are similar to the hormone estrogen.

Like peas and beans, red clover belongs to the family of plants called legumes. Red clover contains phytoestrogens—compounds similar to the female hormone estrogen. Historically, red clover has been used for cancer and respiratory problems, such as whooping cough, asthma, and bronchitis.

Currently, red clover is used as a traditional or folk remedy for menopausal symptoms, breast pain associated with menstrual cycles, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and symptoms of prostate enlargement. Used for toxic conditions, such as skin disease has been the herbal treatment for cancer, especially of the breast and ovaries.

The flowering tops of the red clover plant are used to prepare extracts available in tablets and capsules, as well as in teas and liquid forms.

Studies and Recent Research:

Several small studies of red clover for menopausal symptoms had mixed results; however, most of these studies had design flaws. A large clinical trial and several reviews of the research literature concluded that red clover had no significant beneficial effects on menopausal symptoms.

There is not enough scientific evidence to determine whether red clover is effective for any other health conditions.

NCCIH is studying red clover to learn more about its active components and how they might work in the body, including how red clover isoflavones may affect human prostate cells and the safety and effectiveness of red clover for menopausal symptoms.

Because of it's concentration of the phytoestrogens daidzein and genistein, which mimic the activity of estrogen, red clover has been studied for its use in alleviating the discomfort of menopause.

In one study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the red clover-based product Promensil showed slightly better activity than a placebo for the relief of hot flashes – but overall, the results were underwhelming.

In general, red clover has not proven especially effective for menopausal discomfort.

The same presence of phytoestrogens – plant compounds that mimic estrogen – has led many doctors to warn against using red clover preparations if women have had reproductive health disorders including endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or breast and uterine cancers. The concern is that the phytoestrogens may increase rather than alleviate these conditions.

Warnings:

Red clover is LIKELY SAFE for most people when used in the amounts found in food. It is POSSIBLY SAFE when used in medicinal amounts by mouth or applied to the skin.

Red clover can cause rash-like reactions, muscle ache, headache, nausea, and vaginal bleeding (spotting) in some women.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Red clover is LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth in amounts commonly found in food. However, it is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth in medicinal amounts. Red clover acts like estrogen and might disturb important hormone balances during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Don’t use it. Not enough is known about the safety of red clover when applied to the skin during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Stay on the safe side and don’t use it.

Bleeding disorders: Red clover might increase the chance of bleeding. Avoid large amounts and use with caution.

Hormone-sensitive conditions, such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids, red clover might act like estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don’t use red clover.

Protein S deficiency: People with protein S deficiency have an increased risk of forming blood clots. There is some concern that red clover might increase the risk of clot formation in these people because it has some of the effects of estrogen. Don’t use red clover if you have protein S deficiency.

Surgery: Red clover might slow blood clotting. It might increase the chance of extra bleeding during and after surgery. Stop taking red clover at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

There isn’t enough information to rate the safety of red clover when applied to the skin.

Potential or Reported Drug-Herb Interactions from WebMD:

Moderate Interaction – Be cautious with this combination: Birth control pills (contraceptive drugs). Red clover might have some of the same effects as estrogen. Taking red clover along with birth control pills might decrease their effectiveness. Use an additional form of birth control.

Some birth control pills include:

Ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel (Triphasil)
Ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone (Ortho-Novum 1/35, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7)

Estrogens: Red clover might decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some medications.

Medications changed by the liver (Cytochrome P450 1A2 substrates):

Amitriptyline (Elavil)
Haloperidol (Haldol)
Ondansetron (Zofran)
Propranolol (Inderal)
Theophylline (Theo-Dur)
Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin)
Omeprazole (Prilosec)
Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
Pantoprazole (Protonix)
Diazepam (Valium)
Carisoprodol (Soma)
Nelfinavir (Viracept)

Others:

Diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren)
Ibuprofen (Motrin)
Meloxicam (Mobic)
Piroxicam (Feldene)
Celecoxib (Celebrex)
Warfarin (Coumadin)
Glipizide (Glucotrol)
Losartan (Cozaar)
Lovastatin (Mevacor)
Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
Itraconazole (Sporanox)
Fexofenadine (Allegra)
Triazolam (Halcion)

Talk to your healthcare provider if you take any medications that are changed by the liver.

Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs):

Aspirin
Clopidogrel (Plavix)
Dalteparin (Fragmin)
Enoxaparin (Lovenox)
Heparin
Warfarin (Coumadin)

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex): Red clover might decrease the effectiveness of tamoxifen. Do not take red clover if you are taking tamoxifen.

Resources:

Books:

Wood, M. The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism
Wood, M. The Earthwise Herbal pp. 193–198
Mills, S.Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism
Pitman, V. Herbal Medicine, The Use of Herbs for Health and Healing

Websites: