Red clover

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a wild flowering plant belonging to the same family as peas and beans.

It is widely used in traditional medicine as a remedy for menopausal symptoms, asthma, whooping cough, arthritis and even cancer.

What is red clover?

Red clover is a dark pink herbaceous plant native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. In addition, it is now popular throughout South America as a forage crop to improve soil quality.

The flowering part of red clover is used for decorative purposes as a garnish or edible extract and can be extracted into essential oils.

Finally, it is widely used as a traditional medicine to treat osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, skin disorders, cancer, respiratory problems such as asthma, and women's health problems such as menstrual and menopausal symptoms.

Potential benefits of red clover

Despite limited scientific evidence, red clover is used to treat a variety of conditions.

Bone health

Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones show low bone mineral density (BMD) and have become weak.

When a woman reaches menopause, a drop in reproductive hormones, namely estrogen, can lead to an increase in bone turnover and a decrease in BMD.

Red clover contains isoflavones, which are a type of phytoestrogens, a plant compound that can weakly mimic estrogen in the body. Some research has shown a connection between isoflavone intake and a decreased risk of osteoporosis.

A 2015 study of 60 premenopausal women found that taking 5 ounces (150 ml) of red clover extract containing 37 mg of isoflavones daily for 12 weeks led to less BMD loss in the lumbar spine and neck, compared to the placebo group.

Previous studies have also shown improvements in BMD after taking red clover extract.

However, a 2015 study of 147 postmenopausal women found that daily intake of 50 mg of red clover for 1 year did not result in improvements in BMD, compared to the placebo group.

Similarly, other studies have failed to find that red clover can help treat BMD.

Due to the large number of conflicting studies, more research is needed.

Symptoms of menopause

The high isoflavone content of red clover is believed to help reduce menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Two review studies found that 40-80 mg of red clover (Promensil) per day can help relieve hot flashes in women with severe symptoms (5 or more per day) by 30-50%. However, many studies have been funded by supplement companies, which can lead to bias.

Another study observed a 73% decrease in hot flashes within 3 months of taking a supplement containing several herbs, including red clover. However, due to the large number of ingredients, it is not known if red clover played a role in these improvements.

Red clover has also shown slight improvements in other menopausal symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and vaginal dryness.

However, several studies have shown no improvement in menopausal symptoms after taking red clover, compared to a placebo (19 Trusted Source, 20 Trusted Source, 21 Trusted Source, 22 Trusted Source, 23 Trusted Source).

Currently, there is no clear evidence that supplementation with red clover improves menopausal symptoms. Superior third-party research is needed.

Skin and Hair Health

Red clover extract has been used in traditional medicine to promote skin and hair health.

In a randomized study of 109 postmenopausal women, participants reported significant improvements in the texture, appearance, and overall quality of their hair and skin after taking 80 mg of red clover extract for 90 days.

Another study of 30 men showed a 13 el increase in the hair growth (anagen) cycle and a 29 el decrease in the hair loss (telogen) cycle when 5% red clover extract was applied to the scalp for 4 months, compared to the placebo group.

Although promising, further research is needed.

Heart Health

Some preliminary research has shown that red clover may improve heart health in postmenopausal women.

A 2015 study of 147 postmenopausal women indicated a 12 el decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol after taking 50 mg of red clover (Rimostil) daily for 1 year.

A review of studies of postmenopausal women taking red clover for 4-12 months showed a significant increase in HDL (good) cholesterol and a decrease in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

However, a 2020 review found that red clover neither reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol nor increased HDL (good) cholesterol.

Despite some promising results, the authors argued that many studies were small sample sizes and lacked adequate blinding. Therefore, higher quality research is needed.

In addition, these studies were conducted in older postmenopausal women. Therefore, it is not known if these effects apply to the general population.

Other properties

Many proponents of red clover claim that it can help with weight loss, cancer, asthma, whooping cough, arthritis, and other conditions.

However, limited evidence shows that red clover helps with any of these diseases.