John Myers
Due to its high phytoestrogen content, red clover is particularly popular with women because it alleviates menstrual problems as well as menopausal symptoms. But did you know that red clover has a variety of other benefits that women AND men benefit from? Red clover has a cell-protecting, anti-inflammatory, and blood-cleansing effect. It improves blood flow, lowers cholesterol, prevents bone loss in old age, and also protects against prostate diseases.
Red clover improves soil quality
Red clover, also known as meadow clover, is a legume and belongs to the legume family. Red clover prefers loamy and mineral-rich soils, but it also thrives well on sandy and peat soils. On the other hand, it avoids acidic or poorly draining soil.
Red clover has the ability to fix nitrogen from the air and thus enrich the soil with this important plant nutrient. As a result, red clover increases the quality of the soil in general and its fertility in particular.
Red clover is very popular as a fodder plant
Red clover is a very popular, protein-rich forage plant for grazing cattle, but it is also loved by bumblebees and butterflies.
The red clover flowers with their long, narrow flower tubes are primarily pollinated by bumblebee species, which can reach the low-lying nectar due to their probosci’s length.
The bees’ snout is too short, so they can only collect pollen.
But now we come to the benefits of red clover in relation to human health.
Red clover naturally provides the vital substances and minerals typical of green leafy vegetables, namely magnesium, calcium, potassium, niacin (vitamin B3), thiamine (vitamin B1), and vitamin C.
In addition, red clover contains various phytochemicals (flavonoids) whose antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects relieve the immune system and thus contribute greatly to keeping the body healthy.
The coumarins also contained in red clover improve blood flow, salicylates have an anti-inflammatory effect, glycosides support heart activity and essential oils have antibacterial and antifungal effects.
Particularly noteworthy is the unique combination of four different isoflavones contained in red clover (genistein, daidzein, formononetin, and biochanin A). These isoflavones are among the so-called phytoestrogens, which are responsible for some of the red clover’s most serious health effects.
Red clover has the highest phytoestrogen content
Red clover is considered to be THE supplier of phytoestrogens par excellence, especially in the Central European regions. The term phytoestrogen is a neologism that describes herbal active ingredients that are amazingly similar to human estrogen in terms of chemical structure.
The phytoestrogens can therefore also intervene to regulate the hormone balance, but they are by no means as effective as the body’s own hormones. Therefore, red clover is equally valuable for women AND men.
The effect of red clover phytoestrogens
The effect of phytoestrogens now depends on how much estrogen is present in the body.
When estrogen levels are too high, as is the case in some premenopausal women, they exhibit an anti-estrogenic effect. This means that the phytoestrogens attach themselves to the estrogen receptors and thus prevent the much more powerful endogenous estrogen from being able to dock onto them.
If the estrogen level is too low, as can be found in women going through menopause, the phytoestrogens have an estrogen-like effect, so that the existing estrogen deficiency can be reduced or even compensated.
The phytoestrogens in red clover can therefore contribute to a balanced hormone level in the body.
Estrogen levels regulate many bodily functions
The effects of estrogen are not limited to the woman’s menstrual cycle. Since they are also involved in many other bodily processes, estrogens play an important role in the health of everyone – whether male or female.
Adequate levels of estrogen in the body
- promote blood circulation in all body tissues (organs, nervous system, bone tissue, skin, etc.).
- favors the widening of the veins.
- regulates cholesterol levels and thus protects against diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- controls calcium storage in the bones.
- increases the ability to concentrate.
- supports healthy sleep.
- promotes a positive, happy mood.
- promotes fat storage under the skin to keep it soft and supple.
- retains water in the connective tissue – for smooth, wrinkle-free skin.
These examples clearly show what health consequences both a lack of estrogen and an excess of estrogen can have. Of course, this applies equally to women AND men.
A lack of estrogen leads to a midlife crisis in men
A study led by Dr. Joel Finkelstein, Professor of Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School, studied the effects of estrogen deficiency in men and came to the following conclusions:
If the testosterone value in men falls below a concentration of 300 to 350 nanograms (at a young age it is around 550 nanograms), the estrogen also automatically decreases, and at the same time the body fat percentage increases.
The scientists described the drop in estrogen as the main cause of the male mid-life crisis because it leads – similar to women – to the typical symptoms such as depression, lack of drive, weight gain, sleep disorders, etc.
Both testosterone and estrogen are required in sufficient concentration for the male libido. If these hormone levels decrease with age, the libido also decreases.
“Both sexes also needed the opposite sex’s hormone to have an adequate libido,”
according to Dr. Finkelstein.
Red clover extract reduces PSA levels
A 2008 study examined the effects of red clover extract on prostate and liver health and sexual function in men with elevated PSA but negative prostate biopsy results.
PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen. This is an enzyme produced by prostate tissue. This enzyme liquefies the semen, allowing for increased sperm motility in the ejaculate. Normally, very little PSA gets into the blood. Diseased prostate tissue, however, produces so much PSA that much more of it enters the blood and the PSA levels rise as a result. An elevated PSA value can therefore indicate prostate disease.
The subjects from the above study were now on average 65 years old and received 60 mg of isoflavone extract from red clover daily for a period of one year. Their respective values were measured every 3 months. At the end of the year, the following result was presented:
“The extract was well tolerated by all study participants and did not cause any side effects. At the same time, the total PSA value in the subjects was reduced by more than 30 percent.”
Red clover affects menopausal symptoms
In 2007 Dr. Martin Imhof from the University Clinic for Gynecology in Vienna presented a randomized placebo-controlled study with red clover extract, in which 180 patients took part. In addition to the menopausal symptoms, the influence on mood, concentration, and sleep patterns was also observed.
The subjects received 80 mg of standardized red clover extract daily for a period of 25 weeks. The result was noteworthy:
“The extract had a significantly positive effect on all symptoms of the subjects. While hot flashes and sweating decreased, concentration, mood, and sleep patterns improved at the same time”.
A cross-over study from 2010, like several other studies, came to similarly positive results.
Red clover can protect against tumor diseases
Furthermore, Dr. Imhof presented the results of basic research on the influence of red clover extract on tumor growth. Cultivated MCF-7 breast tumor cells were treated with phytoestrogens. The sensational result:
“Instead of the assumed tumor-promoting properties of these estrogens, the exact opposite turned out to be the case. The red clover extract even activated more DNA repair genes, so Dr. Imhof came to the conclusion that red clover could protect against the development of tumors”.
Red clover protects against arteriosclerosis
Another 2007 study looked at the effect of red clover on the development of atherosclerosis (“hardening” of the blood vessels) in male rabbits with high blood lipid levels.
The result: By administering red clover extract, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol were significantly reduced, while HDL cholesterol levels increased significantly. The formation of fat streaks in the aorta was reduced just as significantly as that in the coronary arteries.
The result suggests that red clover may markedly reduce cardiovascular risk factors that ultimately cause stroke or heart attack.
The effect of red clover on bone density
In addition to the studies already presented, further studies provide evidence of the successful use of red clover to maintain bone density and its preventive effectiveness against osteoporosis (bone loss) in postmenopausal women (women after menopause).
A 2006 study aimed to assess the preventive effect of red clover isoflavones on the progression of bone loss due to estrogen deficiency. The results:
The mineral content of the bones, the bone density of the thighs, and the strength of the tibia (the second longest bone in the skeleton) increased with the help of the red clover extract.
At the same time, the level of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase in the blood decreased (an increased level indicates a bone problem) and the number of osteoclasts (bone-breaking cells) in the thighs decreased.
Red clover extract for skin problems
The effect of red clover extract on the skin should not be underestimated.
The contained antioxidants protect the skin from cell-damaging free radicals so that it can be protected from light-induced aging caused by UV rays.
In addition, red clover increases the density and elasticity of the skin, which means that the red clover extract is also said to have an anti-aging effect.
Regular use of red clover extract has already led to significant improvements in the complexion of many people with impure skin or acne-prone skin.
Skin diseases such as eczema or psoriasis also respond very well to treatment with this extract. Therefore, red clover is used by naturopathic therapists with great success for many skin diseases.
Now that we have presented the many health effects of red clover extract on the human body, the question now surely arises as to how you can consume the valuable ingredients of red clover in sufficient quantities.
Consuming red clover blossoms or red clover sprouts in salads, soups or vegetables is certainly a healthy, tasty, and recommendable measure.
However, the amounts of isoflavones and all the other valuable substances ingested in this way are not always sufficient to achieve a positive health effect.
So if you have a specific goal in mind that can be reached via isoflavones, then red clover can also be taken in the form of red clover extract or drunk in the form of red clover tea – the former being much more concentrated than tea.
Red clover tea
To prepare a red clover tea you need 4 teaspoons of fresh red clover blossoms or a heaped teaspoon of dried blossoms. Pour boiling water over them and leave them covered for 10 minutes.
After that, strain the tea. You can enjoy up to 4 cups of red clover tea daily.
In addition to taking it internally, you can also use the plant decoction for sitz baths for vaginal itching, white discharge, or diseases of the vaginal mucosa.
Applied as a compress, the tea can also alleviate rheumatic complaints. A concentrated flower extract that has been boiled down to the thickness of syrup has proven its worth for skin diseases.
Liquid Red Clover Extract
Liquid red clover extracts are also an excellent dietary supplement. Compared to the conventionally offered capsules, liquid preparations are particularly easy to digest and have a high level of bioavailability.
