Botanical Name: Eugenia caryophyllus | Family: Myrtaceae
Common name(s): Clove
- Tree, evergreen | Tropics | 30+ feet tall | Large, leathery, oval, glossy paired leaves, bell-shaped red flowers twice a season.
- Shade | Well-drained, acidic soil | Sheltered from wind
Pink flower buds are harvested and dried.
PREPARATION / DOSAGE
Infusion: Add some cloves to 1 cup of boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes.
Food: Use as a spice.
Externally: The essential oil can be used for pain or you can make a poultice from ground cloves mixed with water. You can use oil, poultice, or put a clove against a tooth to remove pain.
Constituents: Essential oil (eugenol), gallotannic acid, caryophyllin and eugenin (crystalline principles), gum, resin, fiber
Actions: Astringent, analgesic, antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, stimulant
Uses: Digestive remedy, flatulence, increasing circulation, warming the body, nausea/vomiting, toothache, neuralgia, rheumatism
Combinations: Clove can be used to help the action of other medicines and is good used in any stimulant formula.
Cautions: Clove oil can cause damage to your gums with prolonged or repeated application. Children should not use it orally, nor should pregnant women or people with bleeding disorders. Clove oil should not be taken internally and should be used with caution and diluted! It is safer to use the herb directly.
- Holistic Herbal, David Hoffman
- The Complete Book of Herbs, Lesley Bremness
- The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra
- A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M Grieve
- How to make a clove compress for toothaches
- Eugenol (Mother Earth Living)
- Photo courtesy of Pixabay
I haven’t had a toothache myself to try clove’s effectiveness, but I’ve recommended it to other people as a remedy until they could get to the dentist. If you’ve used it effectively, please leave a comment!
And according to the Mother Earth Living link I’ve include in my sources, eugenol is in many more spices than cloves, and can help prevent heart disease because of it’s anti-clotting factors.
Eat your spices!