Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and as a result, has been used by many cultures for centuries. Clove also contains antioxidant compounds that are believed to promote health and longevity.
Cloves can be consumed in various ways. They can be eaten raw or cooked with other foods, made into an oil extract, or dried and ground into powder. Cloves have long been used to relieve toothaches and mouth sores. Clove may also help ease the pain of arthritis, headaches, cramps, and congestion due to colds or flu.
Contents
Synonym
A synonym of “Clove” includes: Syzygium aromaticum, Allspice, or Jamaican pepper (Pimenta dioica)
Other names for this herb include Kinki in India and Indonesia; kadukkaai in Tamil; kelepaayi in Telugu; zerumbet in Sri Lanka.
Habitat
Clove is an evergreen tree native to Indonesia and is grown in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, and Zanzibar.
Clove is a type of fruit that grows on the evergreen tree known as Syzygium aromaticum. This particular kind of fruit can be found in tropical climates such as Southeast Asia, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan.
Description
This plant species can grow up to 15 meters tall with terete leaves that range from 20-50 centimeters long by 12-25 wide on petioles (leaf stalks). The flowers are white or greenish-yellow, fragrant, round, and bell-shaped at both ends of branches which arise directly from the trunk or larger boughs.
Occasionally two stems will appear from one spot. These stems contain flowering buds and fruit growing close together but not fused together. Clove trees have dark brown bark with light grey patches due largely because clove oil penetrates the bark.
Part used
The fruits are usually picked before they ripen. Their outer layer will not turn into brown color like other types of fresh produce. Cloves carry two major components or compounds: Eugenol and Z-element (a compound related to carvacrol).
Traditional Uses and Benefits
Clove is a natural pain reliever. It boosts the immune system and has anti-infection properties, making it good for colds, flu, allergies, and other infections.
It also repairs cell membranes more easily after damage from free radicals or environmental toxins.
Clove is loaded with antioxidants, which help repair cells and reduce inflammation.
Antibacterial: Cloves contain Eugenol, an essential oil that is a potent antibiotic against gram-positive bacteria like staphylococcus and streptococcus.
It helps to clear congestion and breathing difficulties; May also be used as a natural remedy for toothache, earache, or nausea. Drink clove tea with honey three times daily until symptoms go away. If available, grind leaves of fresh peppermint into the water before boiling it on low heat for five minutes before straining the liquid into drinking cups and serving warm.
May speed up metabolism: Cloves have a natural stimulant and can cause the body’s metabolic rate to increase, which may reduce one’s appetite.
Clove oil helps lower blood sugar levels in mice with diabetes. Cloves contain a compound called Eugenol that may help regulate blood glucose levels, according to an animal study at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and published in the April 2012 edition of The Journal for Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources.
Cloves are made up of 70% Eugenol, which helps regulate insulin production and help cells become resistant to oxidative damage.
Clove has been shown to help fight against cancer.
May improve brain function: Cloves contain Eugenol, a natural anesthetic that can help numb the sensation of sore muscles or skin irritation. Clove oil has been used in studies as an antiseptic to reduce pain while healing wounds or burns. Clove extracts have also shown some benefit against Alzheimer’s disease by blocking the formation of beta-amyloid proteins that cause nerve cell death.
Potential anti-cancer properties: Clove may be able to inhibit tumor growth by stabilizing microtubules within cells.
Cloves have powerful antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help fight inflammation of the stomach lining. Clove oil is used as a topical anesthetic for toothaches.
May relieve arthritis: Clove essential oil has been shown to lower pain in cases of osteoarthritis by acting on certain inflammatory mediators and decreasing their production levels.
Improves digestion: Cloves are believed to reduce gas due to excessive swallowing of air, increase saliva flow in those who suffer from dry mouth syndrome or bad breath (halitosis), inhibit bacteria that cause dental cavities, neutralize acids produced during digestive processes and stimulate the appetite when consumed before eating. It may also be helpful with nausea caused by morning sickness or chemotherapy side effects.
Clove contains high levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc that are beneficial for bone health. Cloves also contain vitamin C, which is a natural antioxidant that can help to fight infections.
Used for toothaches: Cloves are one of the most popular herbs today by many cultures because they have dental benefits such as treating mouth ulcers or toothache. The Eugenol found within cloves is thought to be responsible for these effects.
Prevents heart disease: Studies show that clove extract helps prevent cholesterol from sticking onto artery walls, thus reducing chances.
How To Use
Cloves are most commonly used as a spice in cooking but can also be added to potpourris or used as incense. Clove essential oil is produced from the clove by steam distillation and contains Eugenol, which has been shown to have antiseptic properties.
Dosage and Precautions
In cooking, the clove is commonly used in amounts of one to three spices per tablespoon.
This is equivalent to 18 mg/kg for a 100 lb person, or about 0.36 grams per pound.
The FDA recommends that you use between ¼ and ½ teaspoons (or less) when applying clove essential oil topically because it can irritate the skin at higher concentrations.
Clove oil is generally safe in small doses but should not be consumed orally or applied topically without diluting it with carrier oils.
It should not be taken orally with anticoagulant medications, such as Warfarin (Coumadin). Clove may lower blood pressure and cause headaches when consumed in large doses. It should never, ever be applied to broken skin because it will cause irritation. Clove oil has a strong garlic smell and an irritating effect on mucous membranes, so you must take care before using clove oil internally.
Tea made from Cloves may cause mouth sores in some people when consumed too frequently over time. But it doesn’t seem to affect everyone equally.
Clove is used in small doses to treat various conditions such as colds, sore throats, and respiratory infections. In larger doses, it can be deadly to animals and humans. It should not be consumed with alcohol or grapefruit juice because it will lead to potential liver damage, resulting in death.
Conclusion
Clove has many health benefits and is an excellent addition to your diet. We hope you enjoyed our blog post on the health benefits of clove, and we encourage you to share it with friends who might be interested in learning more about this spice! If there are any other spices or herbs that interest you, let us know. Our team of experts can help answer all your questions.
I hope you find this common spice helpful!
Reference
- How to Temporarily Relieve Tooth Pain | South Charlotte …. https://southcharlottedentistry.com/how-to-temporarily-relieve-tooth-pain/
- 7 Benefits of Cloves: A Deep Insight Into It – Jayapal.Org. https://jayapal.org/7-benefits-of-cloves-a-deep-insight-into-it/
- Topical HerbalTherapies an Alternative and Complementary …. https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=rjmp.2011.650.669
- Nancy Grew. https://nancygrew.blogspot.com/
- Uses for CloveEssential Oil – Verefina. https://www.verefina.com/blog/5-uses-for-clove-essential-oil/
- Vishkanya | Alaion Wiki | Fandom. https://alaion.fandom.com/wiki/Vishkanya
- Clove – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove
- 8 Surprising Health Benefits of Cloves. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-cloves