We all think of Holly and Ivy, Pine and Fir Balsam as the plants that are most associated with the Yuletide season, but neither our sight nor our scent of the Holidays would quite be complete without the sweetly spicy fragrance of Cloves. Their lingering aroma is an unmistakable and welcome part of celebrations, from the underlying spice in mulled wines and ciders, to the subtle flavorings of main dishes to desserts, on into gift baskets of spice mix and simple but wonderful citrus and clove pomanders to be made and treasured throughout the upcoming year. Clove reaches its height of awareness in the Winter months, yet few are aware that with all this, we STILL aren't using Clove to it's fullest extent!
Parts Used: Unopened flower buds, dried. Sometimes the bark and leaves are dried and crushed as well for aromatic purposes.
Medicinal
The last time you had a toothache and couldn't get in to see the dentist, did you head for your medicine cabinet or your kitchen cupboard? The spice rack holds your best ally when it comes to tooth ache. There is nothing better for easing toothache pain, than holding a whole bruised clove in the mouth near the tooth itself until a dentist can be reached. Most are familiar with this method of taking advantage of Cloves' mildly anesthetic properties, and Clove has been used as a home remedy in this manner for ages. In fact, Dentists even today can be found using clove oil mixed with zinc oxide as temporary fillings.
What people are not so familiar with are the germicidal (antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral) properties of Cloves as well. These medicinal properties make Clove a popular ingredient in sore throat gargles and mouthwash, both to cleanse and fight infection. In addition, Cloves also have stimulating expectorant qualities, making them popular herbal remedies for bronchitis, colds, and cough. In Asian Medicine, one also finds Cloves used for bad breath, skin disease and stomach ailments, including flatulence. In the Western world, Herbalists recommend Clove for fever as well. M. Grieve mentions in A Modern Herbal that one of Cloves best uses was to enhance the action of other medicines.
You can use Clove in the dried bud form, powdered or ground, or in the oil form. Clove oil can be found at most pharmacies and health food stores, but be aware that the strength of pure clove oil can be irritating to the skin, or cause allergic reaction. It is easy to make your own clove oil in less concentrated form by soaking whole bruised Cloves in olive oil.
