Can i eat clovers

Packed with Vitamins A and C , Clovers especially Red have a generous amount of fibre, carotene, and protein. Eaten raw, baked, fried, juiced or powdered the traditional methods of consuming Clover have remained simple. These methods that are well known in the survival communities are now gaining a wider appreciation amongst casual campers.

The Latin term for the Clover, Trifolium Repens translates to the leafy creeper is the perfect description of this perennial plant. The Clover has over recorded species that share traits. These include the inability to grow taller than 30 centimeters due to a truncated stem system.

Many Clover species showcase a flowering head that is roughly 1 inch in diameter along with the signature heart-shaped clover leaves. Clovers are known for showing resiliency to extreme climates, weather, and flourishing at sea level to high altitude. By the s the Clover was a national symbol of luck in Ireland and in Denmark it became a symbol of nationality. Today the White and Red Clover is labeled as an alternative medicine.

Although there has been no major scientific research or evidence to support these claims by traditional healers. During the 19th Century, the Clover seed pods emerged as a staple ingredient in fodder food for livestock.

This was due to its high nutrient content and palatable taste that sheep and horses favored. With its ability to grow anywhere the Clover became somewhat of a commercial success. This saw it pollinate most of North and South America by commandeering livestock food and manure.

A question that gets asked often is if Clover is poisonous? Clovers are not classed as poisonous but there have been rare cases of Cyanide occurrences found within White Clover Trifolium Repens. Cyanogenesis is a process that creates trace amounts of cyanide in a select few plants and fruits.

A rare event, the plant or fruit requires specific conditions such as humidity to produce cyanide. Another rare feat that occurs in the Sweet Clover seed pods Melilotus officinalis is the production of Coumarin.

Coumarin is a known anticoagulant which can reduce inflammation. When it comes to choosing a patch of Clover, try to avoid batches that look abnormal.

Skip Clovers that are discoloured, dirty or covered with insects and fungi. Avoid collecting Clovers in suburban areas. In addition to these vitamins and minerals that are body needs, red clover is an incredible source of protein, fat, and dietary fiber.

These benefits can have huge positive effects on the body, including:. Red clover is an amazing source of isoflavones. These isoflavones are rich in phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are water-soluble chemicals that act like estrogen in the body. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information , red clover helps prevent the growth of certain cancer cells.

This is because red clover contains four phytoestrogens: biochanin-A, formononetin, daidzein, and genistein. All of these help to prevent the growth of cancerous tumors. Because red clover contains tocopherol, which is a form of vitamin E, there have been some studies that show red clover is linked to a reduction in heart attacks. Not to mention they have strong antioxidant properties that help to reduce bad levels of cholesterol and reduce plaque that causes heart disease.

The great thing about red clover is that you can find them just about anywhere. However, there are a few tips you need to keep in mind when picking them. The best time to pick the flower is in the spring and summer. This gives you a much sweeter flavor.

If you want to harvest in the fall, keep in mind that the blossoms will not be as sweet. In addition to picking in the right season, you want to pick your clover at the right time of the day. Just like herbs, red clover blossoms early in the day when the dew has dried.

Be sure to pick them bright and early right after the dew has dried. You want to avoid picking brown flowers. You want the blossoms to be fully open and brightly colored. Most people use clovers to make tea. However, they are also used in salads. If you want to cook them, you will use them as an added ingredient to things like soups, stews, and meats.

If you want to enjoy the amazing health benefits of red clover, here are some fabulous recipes that use red clover:. Just like you would with produce, eating them fresh is best. However, there is a pretty simple way you can store red clover leaves and flowers throughout the winter months. Dry them and store them in sealed mason jars.

Enjoy them throughout the winter months. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is not advisable to eat or take red clover. This is because of the natural phytoestrogens that are found in the plant. In addition to pregnant and breastfeeding women, hemophiliacs and people on blood thinners should avoid eating them as well. This is because red clover does have blood-thinning properties.

Along with red clover, there are a variety of other weeds that are actually edible. Check them out, below! Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, purslane can be found in moist garden beds, lawns, and shady areas. But it is a long ways from some cooked red clover now and then to daily consumption to affect sexuality.

As a guy I do avoid flax because studies show a connection between flax seed oil and prostate cancer. I would think a fellow eating red cover, flax and soybeans regularly could indeed have issues, even if eating the latter two regularly.

That of course is my opinion and nothing more. Red clover is known among the herbalist crowd to help with menopause. So it has phytoestrodial and should not be used in pregnancy. It is also the stabilizing hormone for pregnancy. Estrogen among other things, raises quickly when it is time to deliver the baby.

It is the delivering hormone among others. So if a lady increases her estrogen at the wrong time, unhappy things can happen. I live in TN. Would my area be considered a warm climate?

Also, climate is the factor and not temperature, right? If I was foraging for whatever clover I could find around late Fall or Winter, would it still be the same risk as foraging in Spring? What about the yellow flowered ones? There are 2 kinds that grow around my place, FL panhandle.

I grew up eating the bushier one with lucky charm looking clover leaf and single yellow pea or peanut type flower. The other has a more seperated leaf and long stem habit with many small flowers making a blossom. Are these actually clover or just close cousins? If small I would leave it alone, if tall it could a variation of Sweet Clover. That would be my guess. Diana, wood sorrel looks similar to clover, but the leaves are heart-shaped and the flower is more of a pea-blossom shape, not ball-like flower of a clover.

I think what she has is birdsfoot trefoil which does have pea like blossoms in a clover like head. That sounds more like birdsfoot trefoil, which is also a legume. It has blood thinning qualities that can make breeds prone to bleeding i. Only fermented red clover has a coumarin derivative, ie rat poison but also like pharmaceutical Coumadin. I have used white clover in green smoothies and have found it delicious! Ah well, being that the case, I think the risk can be managed.

There are plenty of wild plants that we eat that have small amounts of coumarins, but it would require really large amounts of them and sustained consumption in order for them to pose a real threat to humans. Not to mention, other wild plants like lettuces contain vitamin K, which is the antidote. Mold growths in such processes are undesirable and a sign that things have gone wrong, usually. In lactofermentation specifically, doing it completrly anaerobically makes this risk be essentially zero.

Could you please email me dandelion wine. Thanks in advance. Blessings from Bisa. It is my opinion that non-toxic less digestible greens are a great way to promote healthy intestinal flora not to mention the native microbes on the leaf ready to start decomposing the leaf in your gut or not. It is also my belief that by eating these foods you increase your ability to eat these foods and utilize their nutrients.

I have a lot of clover in my yard and I would love to know when it is safe to eat. Thanks for the quick response!

My old friend says it was picked so heavily during the depression that it is now quite rare. I live in Ohio and the weather is rather sporadic. When is a safe time to eat clover or is it safe to eat here at all? The idiots who think we need to get rid of all bugs are the same idiots killing off the honeybees that have been doing a lot of the pollinating for American farmers.

Couple of questions for you. Most recipes that I see using clover flour mix with wheat flour. Clover flour, water, boil noodles? What about mixing clover flour with bean flour, maple seed flour, daisy and aster flour, dandelion and chicory root flour, etc.?

I would like to extend the use of clover flour as extensive as possible, and with only other foraged items. Your thoughts? It depends on what your cooking goal is. Clover flour is not flour. It is ground up blossoms. It has no gluten and will not thicken or bind, common uses of regular flour and necessary for many things one might cook, such as plain bread or thick gravy.

Just wondering if you can tell me where you found the nutritional info on white clover? I can find all kinds of data relevant to cattle but I need more info on human edibility. Any leads appreciated! I live in northern Illinois. Are the white clovers I find in my front yard during the summer edible? If so when is the best time to consume them?