Clover!!

Tonight I would like to talk a little about clover. I'm pretty sure everyone has seen clover at some point. There are 2 different kinds of clover that I want to go over, white and red. Red clover is actually a pinkish color and I don't know why they call it red when it really isn't red at all. Probably for the same reason they call red onions red when they are actually purple.

White clover forms dense patches in lawns and can root at nodes on the creeping stems, the leaves are oval shaped with white crescent marks near where the leave attaches to the stem. sometimes the crescent marks are not seen, especially in the young leaves. the leaves can be almost an inch long, are dark green, have no stalks and come in sets of 3. The flowers are white and ball shaped, occasionally you'll find a light pink. They stand up just above the leaves. They grow from May to September.

Red clover can grow to be as high as 16 inches, it has little hairs on the stems. It has 3 leaves which are oval shaped and have white "V" shaped markings in the center. In some varieties the leaves also have hairs on the underside and in others, the entire leaf has the hairs. The flowers are purple to pink and are egg shaped.

Both white and red clovers are yummy, I especially like the red, if you pull the red pieces off the flower head and eat them, you find they have a sweet nectar inside.  The white clover blossoms are sweet but not quite as sweet as the red. The blossoms of both can be dried and used to make teas, fresh blossoms of both can be eaten as is, fried like fritters, put in salads and stews. An old old cookbook I have in my collection has several recipes for clover honey and a few for clover jelly, red or white flowers are okay in either case so there are many things you can use clovers for in the kitchen. The leaves are also edible, raw or cooked, salads, stews, the usual haha. Some people have digestive issues with clover so just watch for that if you do eat them. You can also grind the dried flowers up to make a flour for muffins, cakes etc.  but it would take an awful lot of them hahaha. If you decide to harvest the leaves for culinary use, it's best to get them before the plant flowers.  If you dry the leaves you can mix them into cakes etc for a slight vanilla flavor.

Both white and red clovers have medicinal values, but they do very different things.

White clover helps fight rheumatism, purifies the blood, works well for coughs, colds, fevers, gout and even as an eyewash.

Red clover helps with some of the symptoms of menopause like night sweats and hot flashes because it contains isoflavones which is a compound similar to estrogen.  Some research has been done on the red clover isoflavones and it's ability to protect against heart disease, it increases HDL cholesterol in pre and postmenopausal women, one study found that red clover made arteries stronger and more flexible which can help prevent heart disease. Red clover also has blood thinning abilities that keep blood clots from forming.

The estrogen like compounds in red clover also help reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis. Slows bones loss and boosts bone mineral density in pre and perimenopausal women.  There are also many studies and researchers everywhere showing that red clover can stop cancer cells from growing or even kills cancer cells (in test tubes, no human studies have been conclusive on the killing part)

The research shows that it can help prevent some forms of cancer like prostate and endometrial but having said that, the estrogen like effects may make some cancers grow just like estrogen does. Breast cancer patients should not take red clover because of that fact.

Red clover is also know for treating skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, rashes and other inflammatory skin conditions.

It is also used as a cough suppressant for children short term.