Red Clover
Parts Usually Used
Flowers
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Wild or red clover is a perennial plant; its short rootstock produces several reddish stems, 1-2 feet high, with close-pressed whitish hairs. The palmate leaves, some basal and come along the stems, have 3 oval to oblong-oval or obovate leaflets which are minutely toothed and sometimes blotched with white. The rose-purple or magenta (to nearly white in some varieties) flowers grow in a dense, ovoid head subtended by a leaf.
May to September.
Where Found
Common in meadows, fields, on lawn edges, and roadsides all over North America and Europe.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic, expectorant, antispasmodic, alterative, anti-tumor, mild stimulant
Biochemical Information
Biotin, choline, copper, coumarins, glycosides, inositol, magnesium, manganese, selenium, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, and P, and zinc.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Clover, one of the first plants cultivated by man, has been highly regarded since ancient times. The three-leaf clover was associated with the Christian Trinity, and in pre-Christian eras with the triad goddesses of the Celts. The Middle Ages considered clover a charm against witches. Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is considered by some authorities to be the true shamrock planted by St.
Patrick in Ireland, instead of clover. The rare four-leaf clover, also a Christian symbol representing the cross, was said to enable its wearer to ward off evil and witches, to see fairies and various spirits, to heal illnesses, to have good fortune, and to escape military service. One leaf stood for fame; the second, wealth; the third for a faithful lover; the fourth for good health.
The five-leaf clover was said to be unlucky and the two-leaf clover was to enable a maid to see her future lover.
Uses
Historically, herbalists regarded this sweet herb as a blood purifier, relaxant, and appetite suppressant. Traditional practitioners administered it for respiratory complaints, including coughs, colds, influenza, whooping cough, and inflamed lungs, and the flowers were once smoked in anti-asthma cigarettes. Old herbals also recommended it for fevers, headaches, neuralgia, gastric troubles, glandular ailments, and inflammatory conditions associated with gout and arthritis.
Externally, a syrupy extract of the flowers was historically applied to persistent sores, burns, abscesses, and ulcers, while poultices made from the plant were traditionally utilized for skin disorders and athlete’s foot.
Warning
Fall or late-cut hay in large quantities can cause frothing, diarrhea, dermatitis, and decreased milk production in cattle. Diseased clover, externally showing no symptoms, may contain the indolizidine alkaloid slaframine, which is much more poisonous than castanospermine, now being studied for anti-AIDS and antidiabetic activity.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A.
, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Indian Uses of Native Plants , by Edith Van Allen Murphey, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1958, print 1990 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988). , Special Sale Catalog, 1996 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974