Fermented red clover – good properties and side-effects
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By
Herrens Mark
Most people can imagine a picture of large herds of cows munching their way through the beautiful clover fields of high summer. Cows, with their four stomachs, are able to break down the plants and thus absorb the nutrients. We humans, however, need a little more help if we are to benefit from the active agents and good properties found in red clover.
The fermentation process
Fermentation is one way of achieving this. Red clover is actually fermented with lactic acid bacteria. The actual fermentation process for the red clover occurs when the fresh red clover is harvested and the red clover juice is pressed out and poured into large tanks. Here, the red clover is mixed with a culture that contains lactic acid bacteria. This sets off the fermentation process, which helps to make it easier for humans to absorb the active agents found in red clover.
The fermentation that occurs during the process opens the cell walls of the plants to allow the active agents to flow from the plant walls. Fermentation also ensures that the lactic acid bacteria, in combination with the lactic acid bacteria in our own bodies, can transport the agents into the bloodstream across the intestinal walls. You can find out much more about the actual fermentation process and how it impacts the plant agents, vitamins and minerals, in our article titled “What is fermentation?”, which you can find here.
Benefits of fermentation
The advantage of the fermented red clover is not only that the red clover’s active agents appear to be more easily absorbed by the body. It also helps the body to better absorb the nutrients from the other foods that you eat, like vitamins, minerals, fats and other plant agents. It can thus help you to see more benefits from the nutrients you consume and contribute to a healthier body because in addition to the fact that fermentation preserves all the many good qualities of the food itself, it provides further impetus to the plants’ ability to be particularly beneficial when they enter the long intestine.
Different types of fermentation
There are many different types of fermentation processes. Many of the foods we eat every single day are in fact the result of a fermentation process. This is true of wine, cheese, yoghurt, bread, beer and even chocolate. But did you know that you can ferment your own food at home in your own kitchen? This is nowhere near as complicated as it sounds. For inspiration, we have created a delicious fermented carrots recipe, which you can find here.
The good properties of fermented red clover extract
So how exactly can fermented red clover extract benefit your health? It has been known for many years that red clover can help with the discomfort that many women experience during the menopause. The most well-known symptoms of the menopause are probably hot flushes and sweats. Many women experience these both during the night and during the day, which can be very disruptive to quality of life. A number of other symptoms are also associated with the menopause. Some women experience fatigue, worse sleep, mood swings, bleeding disorders and sluggish digestion.
Why do you experience symptoms during the menopause?
Fermented red clover extract with herbs
Red clover cannot take all the credit for helping to alleviate all the symptoms that many women experience as they go through the menopause. This is why our fermented red clover extract also contains a number of other herbs that can help to ease the menopause. Red clover is best known for its ability to reduce hot flushes and increased perspiration. It can also help to reduce the experience of feeling restless.
Lemon balm and a positive mood
As already mentioned, we have added other herbs to ensure that our fermented red clover extract has the greatest possible benefits for menopausal women. The herbs are familiar to most kitchen gardens and are also cultivated on the land around our farm. First of all, we have added the herb lemon balm, which helps to maintain a positive mood, normal sleep and mental and physical well-being.
Peppermint and digestion
It may not cross most people’s minds, but digestion can also be affected during the menopause, so we have also added peppermint to our fermented red clover extract. Peppermint is good for digestion and can thus contribute to remedying this particular nuisance.
Sage and its numerous good properties
We have added sage as a final touch. Sage is a herb that contributes to normal perspiration in menopausal women. The added herbs are subjected to the same transformation process to become a fermented extract as the red clover itself.
Does fermented red clover have side-effects?
Talking so much about red clover and all its good properties, it is also natural to ask whether fermented red clover has any side-effects? As a general rule, it is fair to say that (provided there is nothing wrong with you and your health is good) there are no registered or known side-effects when taking red clover or fermented red clover extract. The reason why we even mention potential side-effects from consuming red clover and fermented red clover extract is because the red clover plant contains phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are not “added” oestrogens, but are instead part of the plant’s natural composition
A very major safety assessment of red clover and phytoestrogens was carried out in 2015 by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It stated that women in good health faced no increased risk associated with consuming daily doses of up to 150 mg of phytoestrogens. By way of comparison, Herrens Mark REGOMEO contains 67 mg per 120 ml.
If you would like to find out more about red clover’s side-effects, you can find out more in our other article.
”Does red clover have side-effects?” Find out more here.
Phytoestrogens in red clover
Plant oestrogens (phytoestrogens) are also known as isoflavones. In addition to being present in red clover, you can also find phytoestrogens in plants like soy and beans. Phytoestrogens like these are the reason why red clover can help to ease some of the symptoms that women may experience in connection with the menopause. Women’s oestrogen levels decrease as they enter the menopause. The imbalance that these decreasing oestrogen levels can cause can be balanced by the phytoestrogens that come from the red clover extract. This is because this imbalance can result in the sweats, reduced energy, sluggish digestion and poorer quality of sleep that many women suffer. In other words, red clover and the phytoestrogens it contains can contribute to an easier and more pleasant menopause.
Is fermented red clover available in tablet form?
The short answer to this question is “no”. As a general rule, it is not possible to supply fermented red clover as pills or tablets. This is because the lactic acid bacteria, which ensure that the fermentation works as intended, are unable to survive in sufficient quantities during the freeze-drying process that is used to produce supplements in tablet form. Even if we could, it would require taking a very large number of pills on a daily basis for the same intake of active agents from the fermented red clover as you get from a daily dose of extract.
The lactic acid bacterium is a living organism and helps to ensure the durability of the red clover extract. That is why Herrens Mark red clover extract products are patented and unique. Our extracts are unpasteurised and contain no additives. This is possible because they have a pH value of approx. 4. The acidic environment means that only the lactic acid bacteria can thrive.
Is fermented red clover available in capsule form?
Fermented red clover from Herrens Mark
What makes Herrens Mark REGOMEO and REGOBONE fermented red clover extracts unique is that, unlike many other red clover products, they are fermented. The fermentation process itself is patented. We patented this process because fermentation breaks the phytoestrogens down into smaller units that are more absorbable.
Fermentation in brief
In short, the fermentation process splits the sugar molecule of the phytoestrogen. When the sugar molecule is split, the active plant agents are more easily absorbed into the body because it allows them to pass through the intestinal wall of the small intestine. The lactic acid bacteria consume a very large proportion of the sugar molecules, which means that the phytoestrogens, through the fermentation process, assume a form that is ready for absorption into the body.
Decalcification
Among other things, the osteoblasts that build our bones are stimulated by oestrogen production. Herrens Mark REGOBONE contains calcium, and magnesium, which are good for the bones, as well as phytoestrogens from red clover. REGOBONE is therefore attractive for women with low bone mineral density and post-menopausal women who are experiencing the natural decalcification that occurs when oestrogen levels fall because phytoestrogens have a structure that resembles the female sex hormone. There is plenty more for you to read about maintaining normal bones during and after the menopause here.
The menopause and bones
Fermented red clover is not only attractive as a means of alleviating the symptoms of menopause. Falling oestrogen levels also affect bone density in women.
Calcium and vitamin D help reduce the loss of bone mineral in post-menopausal women. Low bone mineral density is a risk factor in terms of potential bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis. A reduction in bone mineral density loss can only be achieved with a daily intake from all sources of a minimum of 1,200 mg of calcium and 20 μg of vitamin D. For people who have a specific need to maintain their bones, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration recommends a daily intake of 800-1000 mg of calcium and 20 µg of vitamin D.
Lots of science about red clover
If you would like to find out even more about red clover, fermentation, bones, digestion and the menopause, why not continue your voyage of exploration in our big “Knowledge Bank” section. This is where we have compiled most of the science we use as the basis for our work at Herrens Mark. And we are always keen to share it with you. You can go straight to our “Knowledge Bank” section by clicking here.
