Red Clover: the main traditional use is as a remedy for skin complaints in children, especially eczema ...

Common Names: Red Clover, Honeysuckle trefoil, Bee-bread

Botanical Name: Trifolium pratense

Family: Leguminosae

Plant Type: Hardy perennial

Parts Used: Leaves, flower heads

Flowering: May to September

Red clover is native to the eastern Mediterranean and Asia and naturalized to Britain, the US, and many parts of the world.

Description: One of the largest clovers, this short-lived perennial sometimes acts as biennial. Red clover grows hairy stems one to three feet high from which the leaves grow in threes, each with its distinctive, whitish "v". Red clover's found flowers blossom light pink to reddish-purple and occasionally white.

Cultivation: Clovers, some of them going wild from introduced species, prosper in all sorts of conditions and soils throughout much of Canada and the United States. This is especially true of disturbed areas, as clovers can fix and use nitrogen from the air to make protein.

Harvesting: Harvest flowers as they open; dry to store.

Red Clover Magick

Exorcism. Fidelity. Love. Money. Protection.

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

White clover is used against hexes; red can aid with finances.

A 5-leaf clover is a very powerful charm for attracting money.

For the ancient Celtic priesthood of Druids, clovers were symbols of Earth, sea and heaven.

A 4-leaf clover protects against madness, strengthens psychic powers, and is thought to lead to gold or treasures.

Herbal Healing with Red Clover

Medicinal Actions: Alterative, anti-spasmodic, expectorant, nervine, sedative, tonic.

Medicinal Uses: Clover can be used safely to treat skin disorders in children. It is also an expectorant and anti-spasmodic which can be used to treat whooping cough and bronchitis. Since the 1930's, red clover flowers have become a popular treatment for breast and ovarian cancers - they contain biochanin A, which fights cancer cells. It is also increasingly taken for the effects these isoflavones have for the regulation of sex hormones, maintenance of bone density and calcium storage, and for cardiovascular health. Red clover has grown as an alternative therapy for postmenopausal women, especially now in light of the risks of side effects of hormone replacement therapy.

Body Care with Red Clover

• To relieve eczema or psoriasis, take 3 or 4 size 00 capsules filled with powdered red clover flowers three times daily, for as long as needed.
• To reduce menopausal hot flashes and night sweats, take 2 or 3 size 00 capsules filled with powdered red clover flowers up to three times daily, as needed.

Healing Combinations with Red Clover

• For a gentle skin cleanser, combine with yellow dock (Rumex), violet (Viola tricolor), and nettle (Urtica)
• For childhood chest infections, whooping cough and asthma, combine with thyme, hyssop, licorice or echinacea.

Healing Clover Blend

To purify the lymph and blood, and fortify the system if you suffer from cancer, drink 3 cups healing clover blend daily, for up to three months.

Chop and mix the following herbs (fresh or dried):

• 90g (3 oz) red clover flowers
• 90g (3 oz) wood sorrel flowers
• 90g (3 oz) burdock root
• 30 g (1 oz) kelp
• 30 g (1 oz) slippery elm bark
• 30 g (1 oz) blessed thistle head

Put 1 teaspoon of the blended herbs in a pan, cover with 1 cup water and boil for 5 minutes. Strain, then drink.

*Source: The Essential Herbs Handbook by Leslie Bremness

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