A Little Talk with Red Clover

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you are knocked to the ground with such force that you can only wonder, “what the hell just happened?”

This literally happened to me a few years back, on a beautiful summer day, playing a friendly game of baseball with my First Nation community. A mix of all ages and skill levels gathered for good fun. I was back catching when a teenage boy on short with a powerful arm threw the ball home. I was in position, glove up, sun in my eyes, with no protective mask on, when I heard a crack and fell to the ground. I ended up with several fractures in my left cheek bone.

Many weeks of healing ensued and I think back to the helpers along the healing journey, especially the plants. Arnica, Solomon’s Seal and especially Red Clover. My friend Penelope teaches an old folk saying about Solomon’s Seal; “for a willful woman stumbling on her hasty husband’s fists!” My injury was a blow to the face, so Solomon’s Seal seemed just the thing – and there was Arnica for the pain. Now, Red Clover does not seem the obvious go-to herb for this issue, but this pretty herb came to my soul’s rescue.

A few days after the accident, I left my bed for a walk to feel the warm summer breeze on my swollen face and hear the birds sing to cheer me. I walked right into a patch of thick Red Clover so beautiful it stopped me. The leaves were speckled with white and the plump pink flowers were buzzing with bee activity. I gathered some blossoms and headed home to fill the kettle. The cup of Red Clover tea soothed my soul and my nerves, and I continued to visit that clover patch through my weeks of healing. Red Clover is an alterative, sedative, deobstruent, and for me… a friend when I needed it most.

Blog “polaroid” photos and art provided by Lauri!