Trifolium pratense and Caitlin Shetterly

Trifolium pratense (red clover) is a species of clover, native to Europe, Western Asia and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalised in many other regions.

It is an herbaceous, short-lived perennial plant, variable in size, growing to 20–80 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate (with three leaflets), each leaflet 15–30 mm long and 8–15 mm broad, green with a characteristic pale crescent in the outer half of the leaf; the petiole is 1–4 cm long, with two basal stipules. The flowers are dark pink with a paler base, 12–15 mm long, produced in a dense inflorescence.

Contents 1 Diseases 2 Uses 3 Warnings and contraindications 4 Symbolism 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Diseases Main article: List of red clover diseases

Red clover is subject to bacterial as well as fungal diseases. Other problems include parasitic nematodes (roundworms) and viruses. Uses Trifolium pratense, general aspect

It is widely grown as a fodder crop, valued for its nitrogen fixation, which increases soil fertility. For these reasons it is used as a green manure crop. Several cultivar groups have been selected for agricultural use, mostly derived from var. sativum. It has become naturalised in many temperate areas, including the Americas and Australasia as an escape from cultivation.

Red clover is commonly used to make a sweet-tasting herbal tea. It is an ingredient in some recipes for essiac tea. Trifolium pratense is used in traditional medicine of India as deobstruent, antispasmodic, expectorant, sedative, anti-inflammatory, and antidermatosis agent. Warnings and contraindications

In alternative medicine, red clover is promoted as a treatment for a variety of human maladies, including coughs, disorders of the lymphatic system and a variety of cancers. However, according to the American Cancer Society, "available clinical evidence does not show that red clover is effective in treating or preventing cancer, menopausal symptoms, or any other medical conditions."

Dietary amounts of red clover are safe, but medicinal quantities may cause rash-like reactions, muscle ache, headache, nausea, vaginal bleeding in women, and slow blood clotting.

Due to its activity on estrogen receptors, red clover is contraindicated in people with a history of breast cancer, endometriosis, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, uterine fibroids, or other estrogen-sensitive conditions, but others have suggested the high isoflavone content counteracts this, and even provides benefits in these conditions.

Due to its coumarin derivatives, it should be used in caution in individuals with coagulation disorders or currently undergoing anticoagulation therapy.

It is metabolized by CYP3A4 and therefore caution should be used when taking it with other drugs using this metabolic pathway. Symbolism

It is the national flower of Denmark and the state flower of Vermont. See also Green manure List of ineffective cancer treatments

Caitlin Shetterly and Trifolium pratense

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 References 4 External links

Early life

Caitlin Shetterly graduated from Brown University with Honors in English and American Literature. Her first book, a collection of short stories she edited, was entitled Fault Lines: Stories of Divorce and was published in 2001 (Putnam Berkley Group).

Her parents, the painter Robert Shetterly and author Susan Hand Shetterly, both live in Maine. Her brother, Aran Shetterly, also an author, lives in Mexico. Career

In the spring of 2008, Shetterly started a blog entitled Passage West chronicling her tumultuous move with her husband from Maine to Los Angeles, CA . In response to the 2008 recession, which Shetterly was blogging about, she was asked to create a series of audio diaries entitled The Recession Diaries for National Public Radio. The Recession Diaries, which told her personal story of struggle with the Recession, made Shetterly an overnight sensation. Both the audio diaries and her blog inspired her second book, a memoir, Made For You and Me: Going West, Going Broke, Finding Home (Voice, 2011).

In 2003, Shetterly founded the Winter Harbor Theatre Company in Portland, Maine. For the Winter Harbor Theatre Company, she created the "Letters Series...", a run of shows aimed at creating dialogue around complex social issues such as the war in Iraq, the Katrina disaster and gun control. The shows were formed from entirely original pieces which Shetterly commissioned from playwrights and artists across America. Each show brought the selected performers and playwrights together for one week in Maine where they rehearsed and performed.

From 2003 to 2007, Shetterly wrote a bimonthly dating column called Bramhall Square for the Portland Phoenix newspaper.

Shetterly is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio and has written for the New York Times Magazine, SheWrites.com, Self Magazine, etc. She has been a contributor to This American Life, Studio 360, WNYC, WAMC, Maine Public Radio, among other public radio outlets.

Shetterly lives with her husband, photographer Daniel E. Davis, and their son in Portland, Maine.
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