Red Clover - A Gentle Introduction to Herbal Medicine
After finally accepting that my crazy symptoms were the result of perimenopause, I reluctantly accepted the prescription for hormone replacement therapy. I was desperate. After 6 weeks of HRT, I knew it was not for me. My anxiety had actually increased instead of improving, the GI symptoms were not any better and I had called my doctor twice thinking I had a blood clot because of the leg cramps and shortness of breath. One Friday night I took my socks off and saw tiny bruises around my ankles. My socks were bruising me. That was the last straw. I decided then that HRT was not helping me and the side effects were too scary for someone already dealing with anxiety. I had only been on it for 6 weeks and I was on the lowest dose. I decided there would be no weaning off it. I would stop taking it immediately. I had been studying herbalism for almost a year at that point but had yet to really practice what I had been learning. It was time to dive in.
I had read about red clover as an herbal support for women in perimenopause by helping to balance hormones and help support the digestive system. I had struggled with GI issues for about 6 months at that point. Doctors wanted me to take IBS medication even though they couldn’t find a cause. I refused to just take a pill and accept that this was my life now. In Susun Weed’s book, Menopause, she said to take red clover as an herbal infusion rather than as a supplement. That seemed easy enough. An herbal infusion is just a super concentrated tea. I bought some dried red clover from my local health food store. I put about 1/4 cup in a quart jar and added boiling water. I let it steep on the counter for 8 hours and then put it in the refrigerator. Then I warmed up about 1 cup of it and drank it like tea. I did this twice a day at first. I knew that it could take about 6 weeks to really see the effects of the red clover on my digestion. What surprised me was that within about 24 hours I noticed a difference in my anxiety. I still wasn’t back to normal completely. My nervous system was a mess from months of being on a hormone rollercoaster. I decided that even if red clover never helped my digestion, it would be worth it for a little relief from the anxiety.
After taking the red clover twice a day for about 2 months, I realized my GI symptoms had improved. I continued taking it and after a few months I was able to eat peppers and tomatoes again, which made me very happy. I now drink the red clover once a day and I mix it with a chamomile tea bag because I like the flavor. I also mix in a stinging nettle infusion a couple times a week for hot flashes, but I’ll cover that in my next blog.
Red Clover was a great introduction to herbal medicine because it was very gentle on my system and I experienced no side effects. I highly recommend it for anyone experiencing GI symptoms and/or anxiety related to perimenopause/menopause. As always, do your research before starting a new herbal remedy, especially if you are taking pharmaceuticals or have any chronic health conditions.
