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The red clover plant (Trifolium pratense) is one of those weeds that most of us see in our lawns, gardens, and parks. Its purplish flowers stretch up from the ground just begging us to pay attention.
Red clover benefits the body in a number of different ways, making it the perfect wild plant to harvest and use in our homes.
How to Harvest Red Clover
Before harvesting do make 100% sure of your identification! Don’t ingest until you are certain.
Pick the flowers in the spring and summer for a sweeter flavor. The fall blossoms are still edible and useful, just not usually as sweet.
Like most herbs, harvest red clover blossoms early in the day when the dew has dried.
Cut fully open blossoms that are brightly colored, avoid browned flowers.
Leave a small bit of stem for drying purposes.
Drying Red Clover
Wash the blossoms to get rid of any dirt and bugs.
Spread the blossoms out onto dehydration trays or wire racks. I usually just leave the trays sitting in the dehydrator without turning it on. Keep them out of direct sunlight while they dehydrate.
When the flowers are completely dry and crispy, cut the flowers from the stems, place them in an airtight container and label the jar.
How to Make Red Clover Tea
Because it does have a natural sweetness, red clover makes a delicious and medicinal tea.
Simply pour 8 ounces of boiling water over 1 Tablespoon dried red clover blossoms (or 3 Tablespoons Fresh). Let steep for 10 minutes. Sweeten if desired, then strain and enjoy.
Make big batches and refrigerate for refreshing and nourishing iced tea all summer long.
Red Clover Blossom Benefits
Internally and most commonly red clover blossoms are used to treat menopausal systems like hot flashes. This can be done by drinking tea or taking a tincture for a more concentrated dose.
Red clover is high in calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamin C making it good as a bone building tea.
Because it is safe for children, it is also often used to help soothe children’s coughs.
Externally, it has been traditionally used to soothe skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It makes an excellent skin softening salve. Simply make an infused red clover oil to take advantage of these benefits.
It also makes a great balm for soothing chapped lips.
Who Should Avoid Red Clover
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take red clover because of the natural phytoestrogens found in the plant. There are some blood thinning properties to red clover so hemophiliacs and folks on blood thinners should avoid it as well.
As always, talk to your health care practitioner or pharmacist to avoid drug interactions, etc.
Eating Red Clover
The flowers do have a lovely flavor and can easily be incorporated into your spring and summer recipes. Consider tossing some blossoms into your salads or smoothies.
Mix it with couscous for a wild and delicious Tabbouleh.
The blossoms also make for a beautifully colored floral jelly.
Substitute the red clover for the white clover in these cookies and proceed for a delicious, floral dessert.
Hi – I sent you an email to let you know I got my canning prize, but I got an error it didn’t go thru!! Anyhow, thank you for the wonderful prize. I’m making some jam for a bake sale and will use the labels. I’m adding the Pomona’s to my pantry and I’ve been looking at the canning mag and have found some new recipes to try! Thanks again. Diane
OH yay! I’m so glad. I had a few email issues over the weekend but they should be fixed now. Thanks for letting me know!
I picked several cups this spring and made red clover jelly, then dried 2quarts worth for teas. Has a lovely delicate flavor?
Hmm I think I’d like to try some red clover tea! Sounds goos. Thanks!
Would you happen to have a Red Clover Soap recipe?
Thanks!
K.
I don’t have one, but I’m asking some friends. I’ll let you know if I find one from a trusted source.
We have red clover in our hay fields and I love the scent. Does anyone know how to make a room spray using red clover or how to capture the scent to perfume one’s home
I don’t know the answer beyond an essential oil, which isn’t the easiest thing to make at home. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.
I have made sprays out of herbs. I’ve never made a spray from Clover. Try placing blooms in a blender and add isopropyl alcohol and blend. Put in container set in dark place and shake several times a day for a week. Allow to sit for a day and pour off liquid press and strain the solids off and use liquid as spray.
For what purpose would you use the spray?
@Phyllis, use a recipe for rose water, which I’m sure you can Google.
@Ronie, awesome! I will add that using a brown glass bottle might also be beneficial.
@Phyllis, you could put some in witch hazel and use as a body spray or make a tincture with alcohol and make a room spray
Can you make the tea with fresh flowers, and if so how many per pot? Say make be 2 qts?
Use 2 Tablespoons of fresh blossoms for every 8 ounces of water.
Thank you!
If anyone is picking red clover in their yard or around the neighborhood, make sure it hasn’t been chemically sprayed!!! Finding a wild source would be best :)
Hopefully, folks know if their own yard has been sprayed. I’m more a fan of harvesting from our own yards than I am the wild whenever possible.
This year it is growing in my garden. I never realized how large it can get and thought it was another plant. I heard if you touch the blossoms it will make them brown.
Can you still use the fall blossoms for medicinal purposes?
I’ll have to go touch a blossom and pay close attention to see if it turns brown. i have some drying now but I’m not certain that I touched the blossoms only the stems… I, personally, continue to use blooms until we have a frost then I focus on harvesting roots for medicine.
What medicines do you make with the roots?
That was poorly stated by me. I don’t use the red clover roots for medicine. Once we have a frost I focus on roots of other plants (like dandelion and valerian for example) and leave the flowers alone.
Does Scarlet Clover, Crimson Clover, have the same benefits as red clover? Thanks!
I am not sure, none of my most trusted resources mentions scarlet clover or crimson clover like they do red clover. I can’t seem to find any sources to confirm that they can be used interchangeably.
Do you wash red clover before making tinctures or drying for tea? TY :)
I wash everything that’s coming in from outside yes. I usually rinse in cold water then run through a salad spinner to get rid of extra moisture then let wilt or dry completely. Even when picking from unsprayed areas, one never knows what bugs or animals came in contact with the plant and I want it to be clean.
It is ok to tincture with damp clover or do I make sure they are dry first? Ty :)
I would make sure they’re free of surface moisture before putting it into the tincture medium. Water adds for the chance of mold & bacteria.
TY I appreciate your quick reply’s. Have good day :)
@Sandra, I’ve been making tinctures etc for years in a way that was taught to us. We Do not wash plants merely shake to remove insects, when we strain was use paper and cheese cloth to catch anything that might be in the tinctures.
Hope that helps 😊.
E. Lightfeather
This is a great method for removing insects but suppose a cat or some deer used that plant as a toilet. I simply don’t want that in my tinctures or other herbal things or food.
I don’t pretend to know everything but there’s absolutely no harm in giving things a small rinse to remove extra dirt, waste, insects or other things.
Hello! I dried a few pounds of red clover blossoms, then put them in two half gallon jars. A few days later, they all turned brown and I noticed a few green worms on the glass!!! It still smells good, but I’m afraid that it isn’t. It’s lost its beauty, but has it lost its wonderful medicinal properties?
They do get darker as they dry. Are you storing the dried blossoms in such a way that they get exposed to direct sunlight? That can make things brown in a hurry. I’d get rid of the worms. As long as there is no mold, I’d use the blossoms.
Do you have a red clover oxymel recipe?
That should say ” red clover”
I use the same oxymel ratio no matter the herb. Equal parts herb, vinegar, honey. Use this bee balm one just use red clover instead of the bee balm: https://homespunseasonalliving.com/make-bee-balm-oxymel/
What kind of oil do you infuse with the red clover?
Thanks
Zane
I just use olive oil
I made some fresh red clover tea for jelly, but I haven’t made the jelly yet. How long can the fresh strained tea stay in the
refrigerator before you make the jelly. It still looks clear after two full days.
I wouldn’t let go much longer than 3 days. You could freeze the tea and then thaw when you’re ready to make the jelly.
I finally found a Red Clover tea recipe for anyone wanting to use it , I found it on a website that hopefully will be useful http://wanderingendearments.blogspot.com/2016/09/wildcrafting-red-clover-uses-and-recipes.html?m=1
I can’t seem to keep them from turning brown while drying…what am i doing wrong
They definitely lose color. Are you drying away from sunlight? The other thing I’ve heard but not tested is that handling the blossoms to much with your fingers can cause them to turn brown. I try not to handle the petals at all, just the stems.
Hello, I just came across this article on Red Clover on Pinterest. I have some questions, if you don’t mind. First, I thought red clover was, well, red. The photo in this article appears to be lavender. I have clover in my yard with red flowers and some with white flowers. If the lavender colored clover is call “red clover,” then what is the red colored clover called and what about consuming it? Same question for the clover in my yard with white flowers. I’m being sincere with these questions, not trying to be a smartass. Hope to hear back from you. Thanks!
The flowers are more purple than red. There is however a ‘crimson clover’ depending on your location in the world that is more of deep red color. There is also white clover – usually smaller than red clover. The white clover is edible and has some medicinal uses. I don’t know as much about the crimson clover other than a lot of folks use it for a cover crop in gardens but maybe knowing that there is a crimson variety can help you find what you need to know.
I think your question/answers are wonderful. Very informative,straight to the point and insightful You do a great job!
Sincerely
Terry Martin
I made a tincture of red clover because of my menopause. I had used pills from a health shop, it helped but was expencive. So I harvested the clove, dried it and made the tincture with cheap vodka. My period had been messing for almost a year, after one week I got it back. This had much better effect than the expencive pills.
Hi Kathie, thanks for the article. I’ve heard that fungi grow on clover. I rinsed mine in vinegar water. Will drying help prevent any that might be hidden in there? I’m having trouble understanding how to even identify if there is fungus growth. Thanks
Well fungi can grow on anything to my knowledge. Is there something specific you read about red clover that concerns you? I’m not aware of this but I’ve never had problem with just rinsing and drying red clover.
@Kathie Lapcevic, they say it causes a drooling disease in horses. I want to make dried clover tea, but reading that concerned me :)
Horses not humans and according to this article – it’s easily identifiable. Avoid plants with blackened or scorched looking leaves (which you would hopefully avoid no matter the plant you’re foraging): https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/24-2021/blackpatch-forage-legumes-and-slaframine-intoxication
I picked some red clover and brought it home to dry in the oven with the light on. When I took it out of the oven, I noticed what appeared to be a bug trying to get out of the petal. The petals were moving (slithering across the tray), this is how I noticed it.
How can we ensure these bugs are out of the flower?
I always wash / clean herbs like I would any green or bit of produce: https://homespunseasonalliving.com/clean-foraged-plants/