Cloves’ are the flowers of the Syzygium aromaticum plant, and are native to Indonesia’s Maluku Islands. They are available throughout the year and now producers grow cloves in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Tanzania.
Cloves contain a compound called eugenol that is primarily responsible for its aromatic smell, pungent taste, and its use as a spice to flavor food. The components in cloves also provide several health benefits.
Health Benefits of Cloves
1. Kills Parasites
The phenylpropanoids such as carvacrol, thymol, eugenol and cinnamaldehyde in cloves are effective in killing parasites. Consume ground cloves and not clove oil to kill parasites in the digestive tract.
Consuming the oil gets in into the bloodstream, but not all the way to the colon. Parasites primarily make their home in the colon and it doesn’t reach the colon to kill the parasites. The phytonutrients attached to the fiber of the ground cloves travel through the intestines to the colon where they can kill parasites.
2. Aids Digestion – Treats Upset Stomach
Cloves improve peristalsis in the intestines. Peristalsis is a wavelike motion the muscles in the intestines produce to move food through the intestines to the anus. Cloves also increase the production of gastric mucus to protect the lining of the stomach against stomach acid.
The same study also indicated cloves have anti-ulcer properties. Another study supported cloves ability to increase peristalsis and to protect against ulcers.
3. Soothes Toothaches – Supports Oral Health
Cloves’ eugenol compound is its main compound responsible for its antinociceptive, analgesic, or pain reducing properties. You can mix ground cloves with coconut oil and apply it to the gums to relieve toothaches.
Cloves also have antibacterial properties so brushing your teeth with a mixture of ground cloves and coconut oil also supports oral hygiene. You can add myrrh gum to the mixture to support gum health. You can chew on cloves to freshen your breath.
5. Anti-Candida
Candida albicans are normally present in the body, but consuming a diet high in meat, dairy, and processed supports overgrowth. The eugenol compound in cloves has anti-fungal properties and is effective in inhibiting Candida.
It is important to consume ground herbs rather than clove oil because it stays in the digestive tract longer, and travels through the entire digestive tract. You can kill candida in the mouth by brushing with a combination of ground cloves and coconut oil.
6. Aphrodisiac
Various cultures have used cloves to support and enhance sexual activity. This led researchers to perform this study which supported cloves having sexual enhancing properties in males. Small amounts were associated with increased libido, while higher amounts had the opposite effect. Periodically add a dash of ground clove in a cup with hot spring water to a make tea to support male libido.
7. Antioxidant
Cloves have strong antioxidant properties and have a very high ORAC rating of 290283. Blueberries are known for their antioxidant properties and they only have a 4669 rating. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical
Absorbance Capacity. It is a measure of a food’s ability to stop free radical damage and reduce oxidative stress.
Free radicals steal electrons from healthy cells, damage the cells, and cause premature aging. Antioxidants donate an electron to free radicals to pair their electrons and stop them from damaging healthy cells.
8. Anti-inflammatory
The body uses an acute inflammatory process to heal itself when injured or infected. Chronic inflammation is different from the health supporting acute inflammatory process. Chronic inflammation is harmful, and it a result of the acute inflammatory process staying active.
Chronic inflammation occurs as a response to eating diets high in meat, dairy, and processed foods. The body sees components in these foods as being detrimental to its health. Constantly consuming these foods keeps the acute inflammatory process turned on which then also attacks healthy cells. You can drink clove tea made with ground cloves and use its anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce inflammation in the body.
