Red Clover in Treatment for Menopause

Many women are opting for natural remedies when it comes to dealing with menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and joint pain. Since hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which used to be the gold standard when it came to dealing with menopausal symptoms, has been linked to health risks, women are seeking out alternatives methods and red clover is one of them. Other names for red clover include cow grass, beebread, meadow clover, purple clover and trifolium pretense.

• Red Clover

Identification

• The flowers on the end of the red clover plants are the part that is used for therapeutic persons, according to All4naturalhealth.com. Red clover grows wild and is eaten by grazing cattle and other animals. It is considered something of a diuretic because it helps the body get rid of excess fluids. This may prove beneficial to menopausal women, who tend to experience water weight gain.

Isoflavones

• Red clover contains isoflavones, which are plant-based chemicals that imitate the effects that naturally produced estrogen has on the body. When a woman is fully menopausal, she is no longer producing adequate amounts of estrogen. There is anecdotal evidence the red clover helps remediate hormones that are fluctuating and getting too high or too low, and this helps diminish menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes.

Effects

• Red clover contains niacin, potassium, vitamin C, thiamine, chromium, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium, which are important nutrients. In addition to easing menopause symptoms, red clover has been used to treat cholesterol problems, cardiovascular concerns and osteoporosis. Ointments made out of red clover are known to be an effective treatment for skin ailments, such as psoriasis.

Benefits

• The University of Maryland reports that red clover may slow down bone loss and may even promote bone density in pre- and peri-menopausal women, which reduces the chance of getting osteoporosis after menopause.

Types

• Red clover is available in liquid extract, tablets, tinctures, teas, capsules and ointment form.

Warning

• Before using red clover, discuss this with your health care provider. It is possible that red clover may increase the effects of estrogen. Too much estrogen isn't good and has been linked with breast cancer. Because of the herb's estrogenic effects, it may prompt the growth of cancer, just as too much estrogen is capable of doing, so take this into consideration. Red clover might interfere with the drug tamoxifen, which is given to breast cancer patients. It may also interfere with the body's ability to break down liver enzymes when certain drugs are taken. Red clover can increase bleeding, so don't take it if you are taking blood thinners.