Trifolium pratense (Iowa)

RED CLOVER, COW GRASS, COW CLOVER, MEADOW CLOVER, PEAVINE CLOVER, PURPLE CLOVER

August 30, 2022

We had only one night in Des Moines and spent it touring the ponds and geodesic-domed conservatory at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Herbaceous, perennial, flowering plant in the bean family, Fabaceae. Originally native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but now planted and naturalized in many other areas of the world.

Red clover stems are round and hairy. Its leaves are also hairy, alternate, and trifoliate with a characteristic paler green crescent in the outer half of the leaf.

From the tip of the stem, the honey-scented flowers bloom in a dense spherical inflorescence from a 5-lobed calyx. Each individual flower is small, tubular-shaped, and a dark pink that becomes paler towards the base.

RECIPE

I used Permacrafter’s Wild Tabbouleh recipe as the foundation and made minimal changes, primarily cooking the couscous in Om’s mushroom infused chicken bone broth and adding Ras el hanout seasoning.

RED CLOVER TABBOULEH

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup couscous
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 heaping handful of red clover leaves, rinsed and finely chopped
• 5 red clover inflorescences, flowers pulled from the flower head
• ¼ red pepper, chopped
• ¼ red onion, chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp Ras el hanout
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Bring the broth to a boil and add couscous. Stir, cover and remove from heat.

Mix the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices together in a glass to make the dressing.

In a bowl, mix the red clover, couscous, red pepper, and onion. Add dressing and stir. 

Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors before serving. Delicious!

TRADITIONAL USES AND HERBAL BENEFITS

The flowers and foliage are edible, both raw or cooked. They can be used in salads, soups or cooked similar to spinach. The inflorescences and the seed pods can be dried, ground, and used as a flour substitute. 

The flowers are also used in herbal tea blends, to make jelly, and essential oil.

Traditional medicinal applications of red clover include using it to treat:

• Respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis
• Skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis and wounds
• Gynecological problems such as menopause and menstrual symptoms
• Diabetes
• Fever
• Heart disease

Once again, traditional plant medicine is supported by pharmacological research. It turns out that red clover contains at least four estrogenic isoflavones and coumestrol, all chemicals that mimic the biological activity of estrogen in the body. These compounds are responsible for the estrogenic effect of the plant. In addition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumoric, hepatoprotective and cardioprotective effects are being studied.

PRECAUTIONS

• Contraindicated for individuals with estrogen-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, endometriosis, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, and uterine fibroids.
• Due to coumestrol, a coumarin derivative, red clover may increase bleeding and should be used with caution by those with coagulation disorders or taking anticoagulants.
• Red clover is metabolised by CYP3A4 and has a potential for a herb-drug interaction for individuals taking other drugs that also use this metabolic pathway.

References

Kolodziejczyk-Czepas, J. (2016), Trifolium species – the latest findings on chemical profile, ethnomedicinal use and pharmacological properties. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 68(7), 845-861. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphp.12568

North Carolina State Extension. (n.d.). Trifolium pratense. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/trifolium-pratense/

Plants for a Future. (n.d.). Trifolium pratense – L. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Trifolium+pratense

Trifolium pratense. (2022, July 31). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_pratense

Sabudak, T. and Guler, N. (2009), Trifolium L. – A review on its phytochemical and pharmacological profile. Phytotherapy Research, 23(3), 439-446. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.2709