Meet the plants: Clover
“If we're gonna heal, let it be glorious.”
–Warsan Shire
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Often affectionately called “clovary” for its deep connection to women’s health, red clover is rich in isoflavones—plant-based compounds that mimic estrogen in the body. Known for its hormone-balancing effects, red clover is frequently used to alleviate menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. Historically, it was a trusted remedy for ailments such as asthma, whooping cough, cancer, and gout. Today, red clover extracts are primarily valued for supporting menopause, promoting bone health, managing high cholesterol, and enhancing fertility.
As a member of the bean family (Fabaceae), red clover shares its phytoestrogenic benefits with other legumes, like soy. These plant-based estrogens help regulate hormonal fluctuations, offering support through life’s major transitions. Traditionally, Trifolium has been celebrated as a nutritive and fertility tonic, reputed to strengthen bones, enhance reproductive health, and even help prevent miscarriage. Much of its folkloric power can be attributed to its rich isoflavone content, providing natural, hormone-modulating effects.Isoflavones are similar to estrogen and can help with hormonal changes that occur during menopause and premenstrual syndrome. Some say that red clover can be beneficial for vaginal health and is ideal for postpartum use.
Red clover’s brightly colored flowers contain many nutrients including calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C. It’s widely used in traditional medicine as a remedy for menopause symptoms, asthma, whooping cough, and arthritis.
Drying clovers in the Abolitionist’s Apothecary
We offer these contemplative questions for your personal reflection, and as talking points to have transformative conversations. As you nuture your plant, nurture these ideas. Let’s grow together!
Clovers remind us to balance our socialized understanding of masculine and feminine qualities and avoid succumbing to the pressures of toxic masculinity or fears of femininity (misogyny). American society is built on limiting myths that create oppressive hierarchies (insert race, gender, age etc…).
How do you define masculine and feminine? In what ways do your definitions uphold oppressive binaries? Have you been socialized to assign certain qualities to certain genders? How does this inhibit the fullest expression of your being?
Is toxic masculinity something that only hurts women? Is misogyny only detrimental to men? How does borage tell us the notions of man/women be redefined?