Herb Notes: The Benefits of Clove
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) is a pungent culinary delight that makes for a wonderful spice and herbal ally.
Let’s dive into three gifts of clove…
1. Clove for Digestive Health
Like so many of our most beloved spices, clove is a carminative. Carminatives are aromatic herbs that can help reduce gas and bloating. Clove can soothe the digestive tract, easing stagnation, addressing gas and bloating, and lessening nausea. To experience the digestive benefits of clove, you can simply cook with this dynamic spice or enjoy it in a pungent tea blend with other herbs like cinnamon, all spice, cardamom, and more.
2. Clove for Oral Care
Clove can support a healthy oral microbiome: easing toothaches and reducing bad breath. Clove is antimicrobial and has a natural anaesthetic quality that can prove helpful for toothaches as a powder applied topically to the gums.
3. Clove for Aromatherapy
Clove’s warm, pungent scent that offers a sense of grounding and coziness. You can enjoy the uplifting scent of clove at home in an orange pomander: sticking whole cloves into the rind of a whole orange. Clove’s spicy scent mixes wonderfully with the citrus. You can keep this near your bed as you sleep to inhale its healing fragrance during the night, or place the pomanders in your kitchen for some sweet decor.
Clove Contraindications
Taking clove essential oil could cause bleeding in people with bleeding disorders. It is not recommended to take clove oil during the two weeks leading up to a surgery. Clove essential oil may also cause an allergic reaction or inflammation on the skin. Swallowing pure clove essential oil can be toxic. There is not enough information to know if clove is safe to use in medicinal amounts when pregnant or lactating.1
Want to Learn More About Other Common Herbs' Benefits?
Now that you've learned a little bit about the health benefits of clove, you might be wondering how you can learn more about the medicinal properties of other common plants.
Well, here’s the easy way to get more info about some of our favorite herbs: download a FREE deck of our top 12 Herb Notes here. You’ll learn all about the medicinal properties of common herbs like elderberry, dandelion, and more.
Here are some frequently asked questions about clove...
How can I use cloves?
In addition to a delicious, warming chai or an aromatic pomander, there are many other things you can make with clove. You can add clove to backed goods (think banana bread or apple bread), you can add it to a spiced syrup, or you could make a mouthwash with clove. The possibilities are endless!
Are cloves anti-inflammatory?
Yes, cloves can soothe inflammation in the body. Just be mindful that a little goes a long way when it comes to working with cloves.
Footnotes
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