Red clover has been cultivated for thousands of years both as a traditional medicine and a food source by Asian, European, and Indigenous North American cultures.[1] Medicinally, red clover has been used for a wide variety of ailments, including skin problems, illnesses affecting the lungs (e.g., pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma), disorders of the nervous and reproductive systems, heart disease, sore throat, burns, fever, and as a general analgesic and antiseptic.[1][2][3]
Interestingly, scientific research on clover species was sparked in the 1940s when it was observed that sheep grazing in pastures with a particular type of clover (subterranean clover, Trifolium subterraneum) became infertile.[1] This led to the initial observations of the estrogenic properties of clover species.[4]