Red Clover is another stunning yet gentle plant with an affinity for the blood, women’s reproductive health, the lymphatic system, and eczema. To me Red Clover is the wise woman plant that restores your flow on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. “Balance” is never my favorite word because people work too hard to find a sense of balance like our lives and health can be split in half and we are only OK when we achieve some unachievable and unknowable balance point. Rather when we understand what our own rhythms are and we flow with it we are able to meet life like we are stepping into the river and learn to relax into it, we sense well-being. Red Clover is associated with Venus, the Divine Feminine principle of equanimity (my preferred word over balance although the plant does have balancing qualities), and the Element of Water that also promotes flow in our bodies and our lives.
On the subtle level, Red Clover vibrates right along the heart‑center meridian—opening circulation, soothing heat, and restoring the emotional “flow state” we lose when life feels like dial‑up internet. I also believe because of its physical actions on the throat that it also works on the Throat chakra and may help us to release and let go of anything we have wanted to speak but held onto for too long. It helps us find the language we need to speak our truth in a gentle and loving way. We recommend brewing a cup of the flower and drinking as a tea before having a courageous conversation and setting the intention that your words will be received with love and truth.
If you can picture a hot‑pink pom‑pom wobbling on a stalk, you already know Red Clover. In Western energetics it’s cooling and moistening, with a sweet‑salty taste. That combo makes it a gentle alterative—an herb that nudges blood, lymph, and liver to take out the metabolic trash. The term alterative is an herbal term that is somewhat nebulous and means it alters the system in some way. Its actions mean to gently remove the metabolic waste that are a natural part of our body’s functioning or in the case of Red Clover it really helps to remove the remaining waste after being sick with a cold, flu, strep and anything where the lymph fluid becomes stagnant. Red Clover helps to open the channels of elimination and through its associations with Water helps to alchemize and flush out fluids that may have become stagnant. In particular the lungs, the lymph and the metabolic waste in the blood. It goes to work in the throat and the lymph nodes in the neck. It is especially useful when you have a dry, spasmodic cough and tension in the lungs, because it is bringing some moisture to the tissues and is also considered a relaxant.
I have always used this plant in women’s reproductive health formulas or as a single. It is contraindicated during pregnancy but can help with nourishment and exhaustion post-partum. It is also used as a poultice or infused in a massage oil and massaged into the breast to help relieve mastitis. Red Clover is a Phyto-estrogen, and its actions work on our estrogen receptor sites and can assist in either elevating estrogen when it is too low or lowering it when it is too high.
For perimenopause and menopause, the isoflavones present in Red Clover can assist with relief of hot flashes, lifts the mood, and there is some clinical data that it can assist with maintaining healthy LDL/HDL levels. Red Clover is loaded with calcium and magnesium so it can assist with bone density as we age. I will say being a breast cancer survivor with an estrogen positive form of it that the use of this plant is something I have discussed with my oncologist, and I would encourage you to do the same if you are a survivor. Nothing is a one-sized fits all approach and it will be dependent on your individual protocol.
Here are a few ways to work with Red Clover on an energetic and heart opening level.
- Heart‑Opening Tea Meditation: Sip slowly, breathe into the sternum, and picture magenta light radiating 360°.
- Red Clover Flower Essence: A few drops under the tongue stabilizes group anxiety—great for family holidays or PTA meetings gone feral.
- Lymphatic Self‑Massage Oil: Infuse blossoms in jojoba 6 weeks; massage from ankles toward groin, wrists toward armpits. Add rose geranium EO for extra heart vibes.
Here at Anna’s, we are having a little fun with Red Clover and are making Red Clover wine that we plan to serve at our Herbal Holiday Gifts class in November.
YES! WE ARE ADDING IN-STORE CLASSES! More to come this week with a class schedule and registration details for September through November.
