Cloves, clove oil

What are cloves?

Clove healing properties

Clove remedies

Using cloves

Warnings / contraindications for cloves and clove oil

References

What are cloves?

The cloves in your kitchen spice rack have been used as a trusted traditional remedy for thousands of years. Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree which is native to the Moluccas Islands (Maluku or the Spice Islands) in Indonesia, although over the centuries clove trees have been planted in warm tropical climates all over the world. Fresh cloves are available throughout the year because of different harvest seasons across various countries.

Cloves are commonly used as a spice or flavouring in foods, as a fragrance in consumer products such as toothpaste, soaps and cosmetics, and as a traditional home remedy and medicine. Cloves are a powerful natural antibiotic. They are used in the traditional cuisine of Asian, African, Mediterranean and the near and middle East countries. Cloves have an overwhelmingly strong flavour, and so are more commonly used as an ingredient in spice blends rather than as the only spice. The biggest clove producers are Indonesia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Comoros.

The clove tree Syzygium aromaticum is in the Myrtaceae family. It is an evergreen tree that grows up to 8-12 metres (26-39 ft) tall, with large leaves and crimson flowers grouped in terminal clusters. The flower buds initially have a pale hue which gradually turns green, and then as the cloves ripen they transition to a bright red, ready for harvest. Cloves are harvested when 1.5-2 centimetres (5/8-3/4 in) long. A single clove is made up of a long calyx that terminates in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals that form a small central ball.

Most of clove's strong taste comes from the oil eugenol, which is the main component of clove oil, usually greater than 75%.
Other phytochemicals in clove oil include acetyl eugenol, beta-caryophyllene, crategolic acid and vanillin.
Tannins such as bicornin, gallotannic acid, methyl salicylate.
Flavonoids such as eugenin, eugenitin, kaempferol and rhamnetin.
Triterpenoids such as campesterol, oleanolic acid and stigmasterol.
Various sesquiterpenes. (1, 3, 4)

Clove healing properties

• Analgesic (numbing).
• Anodyne (pain relief).
• Anti-inflammatory.
• Antimicrobial. Cloves have antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasite abilities. (2)
• MAO inhibitor. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are pharmaceutical medications used to manage and treat depression and other neurological and psychiatric illnesses. Cloves are a natural MAO inhibitor which don't have the horrible side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. Cloves raise noradrenalin, serotonin and dopamine levels in the body.
• MIC booster. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) are the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that will inhibit the visible growth of a microorganism after an overnight incubation. Clove oil boosts the MIC of most antibiotics by 1,000%. This means that in a situation where an antibiotic is genuinely needed, a tiny fraction of the standard antibiotic dose can be used if it is combined with clove oil. If only this information were publicised, it would make a dramatic impact upon the proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the proliferation of fungicide resistant fungi. (5)

Clove remedies

• Osteo arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis pain.
• Bad breath (halitosis).
• Candida.
• Depression.
• Food preservative, especially efficient at preventing mould growth.
• Fungal infections (athlete's foot, candida, jock itch, ringworm, scalp infections, tinea.
• Gum disease and infections.
• Sore throat.
• Stomach problems such as gastritis, bloating, indigestion. (2)
• Stomach ulcers.
• Tooth pain, toothache.

Using cloves

You can chew and then swallow one clove two or three times per day to enjoy many of the benefits of cloves as a remedy.

You can purchase clove essential oil or pure eugenol oil. Clove essential oil is widely available and usually reasonably priced. Clove oil is 75 - 90% eugenol oil, so it is not necessary to buy pure eugenol oil unless there is some special reason.

As always, the less processing of any supplement or food, the better. Preferably use whole cloves. The next best is freshly ground cloves, which can be added to your food or taken as a supplement. (1, 3)

You can make clove-infused oil using olive oil, coconut oil or other oils. Put one tablespoon of oil in a mortar and pestle, and add half a teaspoon of cloves. Give it a good pounding or crushing. Sieve it and then use it immediately, or store it in a glass container in the fridge.

Warnings / contraindications for cloves and clove oil

The maximum dose of clove oil for an adult is 2.4 mg of clove oil per kg of your body weight, per day.

• Liver. Do not consume cloves if you have liver toxicity problems, or any forms of liver disease. If you have a liver disease, check with your healthcare provider before using cloves as a remedy.
• Pregnant or lactating women should not use cloves as a remedy, nor should children, unless under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
• Allergy to cloves is rare, but those who are allergic to cloves should avoid them.
• Cloves are a natural blood thinner and tend to prevent blood clotting. Those who have a blood clotting ailment should avoid cloves.

References

1. Ulanowska M, Olas B. Biological Properties and Prospects for the Application of Eugenol - A Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(7):3671. doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073671.

2. Sarahfin Aslan, Masriadi Nur, Rahmah Hasanuddin, Andi Tenri, Biba Mallombasang, Nur Azizah. Effectiveness of Mixed Clove Flower Extract (Syzygium Aromaticum) And Sweet Wood (Cinnamon Burmanni) on the Growth of Enterococcus Faecalis. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. 16 (1). 2022.

3. Kamatou G P, Vermaak I, Viljoen A M. Eugenol - from the remote Maluku Islands to the international market place: a review of a remarkable and versatile molecule. 2012, Molecules. 17 (6): 6953-81. doi:10.3390/molecules17066953. PMC 6268661. PMID 22728369.

4. Li-Ming Bao Eerdunbayaer, Nozaki Akiko, Takahashi Eizo, Okamoto Keinosuke, Ito Hideyuki, Hatano Tsutomu. Hydrolysable tannins isolated from Syzygium aromaticum: Structure of a new c-glucosidic ellagitannin and spectral features of tannins with a tergalloyl group. 2012, Heterocycles. 85 (2): 365-381. doi:10.3987/COM-11-12392.

5. Kowalska-Krochmal B, Dudek-Wicher R. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Antibiotics: Methods, Interpretation, Clinical Relevance. Pathogens. 2021 Feb 4;10(2):165. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10020165. PMID: 33557078; PMCID: PMC7913839.