Natural Menopause Relief Using Red Clover
Many women are interested in using natural and herbal products to help get them through the symptoms of menopause. Some of these have a very long history of helping women at this time in their life. One such product is red clover, which has been used for natural menopause relief by Chinese women for centuries.
Red clover is originally from Europe and central Asia but is now also grown around the world commercially. The flower head is the part used to make the herbal supplement. The product contains isoflavones, which have mild estrogenic properties. It is thought that this is the active compound in the plant.
The results from scientific trials have been mixed. In one very promising trial of menopausal women in Amsterdam, a red clover supplement was given containing 80mg of red clover per day. A 44% reduction in hot flashes was reported by this group compared to no improvement in a comparative control group.
Red clover also contains coumarins. These have the effect of thinning the blood so if you are on anticoagulant medication it would be wise to speak to your doctor first before using red clover.
Although some women may find red clover to be beneficial to them in controlling their menopausal symptoms, the effect is unlikely to be as strong as using the synthetic estrogen as used in hormone replacement therapy. Having said that some people are happy with this if there are not the risks of any serious side effects. They just want to be able to 'take the edge off' of their symptoms.
In summary, Red clover has provided natural menopause relief for many years and some scientific research has supported a limited effect in reducing symptoms such as hot flashes. More research about this promising herb is necessary to find out exactly how it works and its value in helping women.