I was dry. I was not able to enjoy normal marital pleasures. My fourth child had just recently been born. So, at first I thought my body simply needed more time and would return to its natural hormonal balance on its own. However, several months later, I was still having the same problem.
I went through a checklist to see if I could figure out some reason for my predicament.
* I was still fairly young
* I was healthy
* I was in love (no problem there)
* I was not depressed
What was wrong? I finally decided to consult my doctor. I went through the checklist with my doctor. He suggested I try birth control pills for the estrogen content. So I did. The pills gave me terrible headaches. The doctor said they would go away. But the headaches were persistent, and I could not shake them. So once again I trudged back to my doctor. He nodded wisely and this time suggested the estrogen patch. I had heard these were great and so I enthusiastically agreed. To my dismay I still had the headaches, but I decided to continue to use them. I did have some success with my dryness problem, but only limited.
So, I started to read. One day, I came across an article explaining the value of red clover and how this incredible herb could help restore natural hormonal balance. I figured, I had nothing to lose, and decided to try it. To my delight, I also discovered it was inexpensive. I quit using the patch and heaved a great sigh of relief when the headaches vanished. Then I began taking the red clover. Soon after (about a month) I noticed dramatic results! I used the herb daily for about a year and have not had a problem since.
I began to wonder about this fantastic herb and embarked on a learning journey.
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a common purple flower that grows all over North America. It is the state flower of Vermont. Red clover is a perennial plant that grows up to two feet tall. It has interesting white arrow shaped patterns on its leaves. The plant has fragrant, edible, red or purple ball shaped flowers composed of many florets. Red clover is considered a legume, and many gardeners use it as a cover crop because when it is plowed under it adds nitrogen to the soil. The plant thrives in sunny conditions and well-drained soils, but does not like sand or gravel. Harvesting is done when the tops are in full bloom.
Red clover contains a lot of nutrients such as silica, copper, calcium, zinc, selenium, chromium, iron, magnesium, biotin, inositol, pantothenic acid, choline, lecithin, tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) bioflavonoids, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B-complex. Also red clover contains significant phytoestrogens, which are plant estrogens.
Plant estrogens are very important to humans. As women age and reach the age of 35 their estrogen levels may begin to slow. Estrogens are essential to women because they influence the function of sexual organs, bone strength and skin quality. In addition, they also help protect the health of arteries, normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Estrogens affect normal brain function and emotion. Loss of estrogen can even influence incontinence. All in all, estrogens can affect about 300 different areas of a woman’s body.
When women age they experience a loss of estrogen, which the body normally produces. That’s where plant estrogens can be very beneficial. These plant estrogens can help balance a woman’s natural estrogen levels. Phytoestrogens are much weaker than the estrogen hormone. If estrogen levels are low, the phytoestrogens will boost the body’s estrogen level. And vise versa, if too high they can help lower the body’s estrogen. This is possible because plant estrogens have the ability to bind to human estrogen receptors.
Other tantalizing possibilities include using red clover to help fight cancer. According to Michael Castleman, author of the herbal book “The Healing Herbs,” an Appalachian coalminer named Harry Hoxsey turned herbalist started prescribing an anticancer formula in the 1930s. Red clover was part of the formula. Remarkably, by the 1950s he had the largest privately owned cancer clinic in the world. Medical authorities were fuming. Controversy over his formula abounded. Hundreds of people defended Hoxsey and claimed that his herbal formula cured their cancers. The FDA eventually shut him down for violating drug-labeling rules, saying that the herbs were not approved as a cancer treatment. Amazingly, recent studies have affirmed that nine of the ten herbal ingredients in Hoxsey’s herbal formula have anticancer ability, including red clover. The National Cancer Institute has discovered that red clover does indeed have anti-tumor action. As a matter of fact the NCI revealed that the herb has four anti-tumor compounds! More research still needs to be done.
Here are several ways to take red clover. To make a tea use one to three teaspoons of the dried flower tops per cup of boiling water and enjoy! Tinctures or capsules are also available at health-food stores. Follow the manufactures directions on the bottle for dosage. One of my personal favorite suppliers of herb products is Nature’s Way.
So are we women starting to get washed up at age 35? Of course not! Walk along the seashore, hold hands, enjoy a cozy fire, race along the wind on horseback, sing to each other, go bird watching, sleep under the moon or just go out to dinner. Enjoy life and have fun!
Tags: bone strength, health of arteries, hormonal balance, plant estrogens, skin quality
