An abundantly aromatic spice, cloves are the flower buds of the tree called Syzygium Aromaticum. As its scientific name suggests, cloves are recognised both by culture and science as having a strong aroma that rouses a pleasant reaction in the human olfactory (smell) senses. Native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, it is one of the most versatile spices, available in both ground and whole forms for addition to foods, or singular intake. European cuisine has taken the usage of cloves to new levels, like seasoning pot roasts, adding that unique flavour to hot beverages, and bringing that spicy tinge to much loved snacks, cookies and cakes. These practices have since made their way into global haute-cuisine, taking clove centred recipes to areas like North America, Canada, United Kingdom and eastern Europe.
Best known over the world for its sweet-strong aroma, it is most famous as the main ingredient in ginger-bread baked concoctions. However, apart from its delicious edible properties, cloves are a rage among health enthusiasts for many reasons. A highly tested benefit of cloves is bone strength, especially for teeth. Highly recommended by dentists the world over, keeping a dried clove in your mouth, or direct usage of clove in teeth-based products, has proven wonderful for gum health. In fact, cloves have been used for hundreds of years in various cultures for improving teeth whitening, strengthening enamel, killing mouth-bacteria and bringing that alluring smile to your face.
CLOVES ALSO EXHIBIT THE FOLLOWING MEDICINAL PROPERTIES:
ANESTHETIC
A wonderful property of clove oil comes from its active ingredient eugenol. It acts as a natural anesthetic, reducing gum inflammation, relieving toothache by numbing the pain and bringing much needed relief. This property of cloves made fortunes for clove suppliers in ancient times. Even today, spice exporters provide tooth-product based MNCs with clove, as the majority of toothpastes contain clove as the main ingredient.
LIVER-HEALTHY/BONE-HEALTHY
The ingredient eugenol has also shown great benefits for liver health. As per studies, regulated clove intake as dietary supplements can boost liver health, helping subjects fight fatty-liver issues, and preventing conditions like liver-cirrhosis. This is possible due to clove’s strong antioxidant properties, which help reduce oxidative stress in livers. Similarly, a clove-rich diet enhances the manganese and eugenol content in your body, enhancing bone formation, maintaining proper bone mass, thereby preventing bone-weakness or osteoporosis.
