Red clover plants can be seen growing in fields and on roadsides while riding along the
roads of Eastern North Carolina. Red clover (Latin: Trifolium pratense), belonging to the
legume family of plants, is used as a winter cover crop in the southeastern United States to
suppress weeds in fields and make heavy soil more fertile (Sustainable Agriculture Research &
Education [SARE], 2012). Cow clover, meadow clover, and wild clover are other names for red
clover (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health [NCCIH], 2016).
Historically, red clover was used to treat asthma, whooping cough, cancer, and gout (NCCIH,
2016). Currently, extracts from the flowering tops of the plant are utilized to manufacture
tablets, capsules, liquids and teas for use as a complementary or alternative medication to treat
high cholesterol, osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms (NCCIH, 2016).
Significant to the treatment of menopause, the red clover flower contains isoflavones,
