Each month one of our staff members picks an herb that they are drawn to, and shares some experiences, thoughts, medicinal uses and a bit of traditional lore about their selected plant. As each plant is unique, each Herbalist and point of view is unique. We hope you enjoy this tradition.

By Christina Bertelli, certified herbalist

Family: Fabaceae
Parts used: Flowering top

Medicinal Properties
Red Clover has a vibrant purple flower and is prolific from mid-summer to early fall along roadsides and in meadows with rocky soil. This common plant, also called purple clover, cow clover, meadow clover, or bee-bread, is medicinally quite special. Red Clover is a highly nutritive plant with significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, chromium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C. This gives it the potential to act as a deeply nourishing tonic for anyone wanting to build their bones or strengthen their overall nutritional reserves. For centuries, Red Clover has been an herb of choice for women wanting to promote fertility.

Recently, we have been discovering that disease states often have nutritional deficiencies at the root, which makes Red Clover a supportive measure for a variety of conditions. Red Clover has also been found to prevent benign prostate hyperplasia, to calm upper respiratory spasms, promote arterial elasticity, prevent blood clotting, balance cholesterol and to delay bone loss due to osteoporosis.

I like Red Clover's alkalinizing quality and its ability to rebalance the system after I have eaten a disagreeable meal, a food allergen, or too much sugar. Herbalists call it an alterative because it clears away metabolic wastes in between the cells, thus altering and purifying the blood. This property makes it a great skin-brightening herb! I recommend the following tea as a recipe for spring-cleaning your liver and your skin. You can also use Red Clover as a topical herbal compress for psoriasis and eczema, or as recommended by Susan Weed, add the fresh blossoms to your salad! Check out our "Healthy Skin, Inside Out" class for more information on April 20th!

Preparations & Applications:
Infusion: 1-2 Tablespoons per 1cup water. Pour boiling water over the herb and cover, let infuse for 4 hours. Fomentation/Compress: Make an infusion of 1oz herb to 1 quart water. Soak a washcloth in the tea and apply locally to irritated skin.

Recipe
Spring Cleaning Tea
2 T. Red Clover
1 T. Cleavers
1 T. Nettles
2 tsp. Peppermint
2 tsp. Dandelion Root
1/2 tsp. Licorice
Add to bottom of quart size Mason jar, pour boiling water over herbs and let infuse overnight. Strain in morning and drink whole quart each day for 2-6 weeks.

Sources
Herbal Vade Mecum by Gazmend Skenderi
Wise Women Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susan Weed
http://www.herbwisdom.com

We just received our first order of seeds for this upcoming growing season! We have a variety of organic seeds from Seeds of Change. Get your seeds now to start planting your very own medicinal and culinary herb garden!

The month of April we are offering 10% off the Herb of the Month — Red Clover... and also 10% off one of our newest tea blends: Root, Leaf & Flower Tea which is a lovely combination of Red Clover, Nettles & Burdock!

All Peterson ID Field Guides on SALE! Including: Edible Wild Plants, Rocky Mountain Wildflowers and Medicinal Plants and Herbs (Eastern/Central North America as well as Western North America).

Also Peppermint and Spice Spritzers are on sale now!

Growing 101 Herbs that Heal by Tammi Hartung
It's that time of year again- time to start planning your garden! This book is an amazing companion throughout the whole growing season (and beyond!). Tammi Hartung is an herbalist, gardener and "plant warrior". She has complied her years of wisdom in this book. It covers everything from garden design and plant profiles to delicious recipes... and don't forget to check out the Medicinal Herb Garden Class on April 29th!

Beauty by Nature by Brigitte Mars (a Boulder native!)
This book has it all! Mars goes in-depth on a variety of topics ranging from skin and hair to breath and natural fragrance oils. She offers many simple body care recipes in each section and provides a clear picture of appropriate herbal and nutritional treatments. Mars is speaking to all humans with this very holistic book, men and babies included. My favorite part is the first chapter entitled: A Beautiful State of Mind by Nature.

Plants of the Rocky Mountains by Linda Kershaw, Andy MacKinnon & Jim Pojar
This is a must-have field guide if you are interested in identifying plants in this area. It is comprehensive, covering trees, wildflowers, grasses, lichens and more. The pictures are wonderful and the keys are simple and easy to use. A great addition to any botanical library. Come to the shop to check out our whole assortment of field guides, many of which are on sale now!

Plant Spirit Healing by Pam Montgomery
This book is an excellent view into the world of plant spirit intelligence and how anyone can align with their sacred knowledge through sensory and energetic communication. Pam presents solid, understandable, step by step ways to build these relationships as well as the therapeutic aspects of some special plants. For more hand on information on this subject check out our Introduction to Plant Communication Class on April 15th!

Earth Mother Herbal by Shatoiya De La Tour
The Earth Mother Herbal is such an accessible, lovely and easy to read herbal text. Totally comprehensive, it includes facts and folklore, growing and harvesting information, the medicinal uses and great recipes. I like that she focuses on 40 herbs, really going in depth with each. She also has an awesome section on herbal seasonal celebrations, which has menus for seasonal dishes, including teas and even herbal party games. So fun! I love this book.