Red Clover Extract

Red clover extract (Trifolium pratense) is a perennial herb with triple leaflets and rose-purple flowers, native to the meadowlands of Europe and naturalized in North America. The extract is made from the dried flowers, stems and leaves, which provide isoflavones (a class of phytoestrogens) such as biochanin and formononetin.1 The extract is filtered, concentrated, and spray dried to a powdered form. Red clover extract is an important herbal ingredient for many hormonal remedies.

Health Benefits

Red clover extract may relive symptoms of menopause such as hot flushes, night sweat, depression, and anxiety.2–5 Red clover extract may improve blood lipid profile by reducing total cholesterol and bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) levels while increasing good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) in postmenopausal women.6

References

  1. Qiu L, Ye H, Chen L, Hong Y, Zhong F, Zhang T. Red clover extract ameliorates dyslipidemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL/6 mice by activating hepatic PPARα. Phytother Res. 2012 Jun;26(6):860-4. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3641. Epub 2011 Nov 14. PubMed PMID: 22084061.
  2. Gartoulla P, Han MM. Red clover extract for alleviating hot flushes in postmenopausal women: a meta-analysis. Maturitas. 2014 Sep;79(1):58-64. doi:1016/j.maturitas.2014.06.018. Epub 2014 Jul 10. PubMed PMID: 25074017.
  3. Shakeri F, Taavoni S, Goushegir A, Haghani H. Effectiveness of red clover in alleviating menopausal symptoms: a 12-week randomized, controlled trial. Climacteric. 2015 Aug;18(4):568-73. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2014.999660. Epub 2015  Feb 24. PubMed PMID: 25581426.
  4. Lipovac M, Chedraui P, Gruenhut C, Gocan A, Kurz C, Neuber B, Imhof M. The effect of red clover isoflavone supplementation over vasomotor and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2012 Mar;28(3):203-7. doi: 3109/09513590.2011.593671. Epub 2011 Aug 26. PubMed PMID: 21870906.
  5. Lipovac M, Chedraui P, Gruenhut C, Gocan A, Stammler M, Imhof M. Improvement of postmenopausal depressive and anxiety symptoms after treatment with isoflavones derived from red clover extracts. Maturitas. 2010 Mar;65(3):258-61. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.10.014. Epub 2009 Nov 30. PubMed PMID: 19948385.
  6. Terzic MM, Dotlic J, Maricic S, Mihailovic T, Tosic-Race B. Influence of red clover-derived isoflavones on serum lipid profile in postmenopausal women. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2009 Dec;35(6):1091-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2009.001059.x. PubMed PMID: 20144173.