Red Clover Herb - History and Information

The red clover herb is a perennial plant that is native to central Asia, Africa and most of Europe. As a member of the bean family, red clover has a long history of being nutritious cattle fodder, as well as a medicine. Due to its many beneficial uses, it has been naturalized in Australia and North America.

Historically, red clover was highly lauded for its magical powers. During the pagan era, red clover was said to be able to protect against witchcraft and evil spirits. Four leave clovers - rare variants arising from mutation - were and still are used as lucky charms.

Red clover plant is an herb which when fully mature is about 16 inches tall, with straight, hairy stems, and leaves with three leaflets that are marked with a crescent shape.

Hence, it has the botanical name Trifolium, which in Latin translates loosely as "tri", meaning "three", with "folium" meaning "leaf". Besides the botanical name Trifolium pratense, the red clover herb also goes by the common names of beebread, cow clover, cow grass, meadow clover, purple clover and trefoil.

The leaves are smooth and the stems bear purple/pink, tubular flowers that are fragrant and bloom towards the end of spring.

Traditionally, red clover has been used to improve lymph flow as well as to support the immune system. Native American Indians used it for sore eyes and as a salve for burns.

The red clover herb has also been used by herbal medicine practitioners for a long time to treat various cancers and other medical conditions. In the 19th century, an American newspaper reported on the usefulness of red clover extract in curing a case of cancer.

The flower heads and upper leaves of the medicinal herb are harvested in summer when it is newly open. This is used as a healing herb in medicinal preparations.

The red clover herb grows best in moist and well-drained soil which is neutral and needs a lot of sun. It is found growing wild on roadsides, ditches, etc, and grows well in freshly cultivated lands as well. The red clover flowers, also called red clover blossoms, typically appear from May to September.

Red clover is a perennial plant and is mainly fodder for grazing cattle. However, because of the health benefits of red clover, it has also been used as a medicine to treat a wide variety of conditions in humans, like mastitis, cancer, respiratory diseases, joint pains, and skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema.

Other interesting facts about the red clover herb

As evident from one of its common names, "bee-bread", from the fact that red clover produces a kind of honey, bumblebees and honeybees are attracted to the honey scent and nectar of red clover. Clover honey is a very popular treat and an epicurean delight.

The red clover plant with four leaves instead of three is known to be a harbinger of good luck and is prized for the same.

Red clover is grown to increase the fertility of soil and control soil erosion.

The roots of red clover have special nodules that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These bacteria can grab nitrogen from the air and make it available to the plant.

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