Clove

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Clove

Family: Myrtaceae Genus: Eugenia, Syzygium

Species: Caryophyllata, Aromaticum respectively

Also Known As: Caryophyllus, Clavos

Rx: oil for toothache, infusion

It has been used for toothaches, oral hygiene, a

digestive aid, and an infection fighter. It is also

used to treat hernia, ringworm, and athlete's foot.

Warnings:Children under the age of 2 should never

be given clove for medicinal purposes. The oil may

cause stomach upset when swallowed, and used

externally may cause rash.

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/cloves.html

Cloves

Eugenia caryophyllus

syn: E. caryophyllata, E . aromatica,

Caryophyllus aromaticus, Syzgium aromaticum

Fam: Myrtaceae

The word ‘clove’ is from the Latin word for ‘nail’ –

clavus. The clove is native to the North Moluccas, the

Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is cultivated in

Brazil, the West Indies, Mauritius, Madagascar, India,

Sri Lanka, Zanzibar and Pemba. The Chinese wrote of

cloves as early as 400 BC. and there is a record from

200 BC of courtiers keeping cloves in their mouths to

avoid offending the emperor while addressing him. Arab

traders delivered cloves to the Romans.

Spice Description

Cloves are the immature unopened flower buds of a

tropical tree. When fresh, they are pink, dried, they

turn to a rust-brown colour. Measuring 12-16 mm

(1/2”-5/8”) long, they resemble small nails, with a

tapered stem. The large end of the clove is the

four-pointed flower bud.

Bouquet: Warm, pungent and aromatic

Flavour: Sweetly pungent, astringent and strongly

aromatic.

Hotness Scale: 5

Preparation and Storage

Cloves are best bought whole. As a powder flavour

quickly deteriorates. Being extremely hard, it is

difficult to grind cloves with a mortar and pestle so

an electric grinder such as a coffee grinder is

recommended. Store in an airtight container out of

direct light.

Culinary Uses

Cloves can easily overpower a dish, particularly when

ground, so only a few need be used. Whole cloves are

often used to “stud” hams and pork, pushing the

tapered end into the meat like a nail. A studded onion

is frequently used to impart an elusive character to

courts-bouillons, stocks and soups. Cloves are often

used to enhance the flavour of game, especially

venison, wild boar and hare. They are used in a number

of spice mixtures including ras el hanout, curry

powders, mulling spices and pickling spices. Cloves

also figure in the flavour of Worcestershire sauce.

They enjoy much popularity in North Africa and the

Middle East where they are generally used for meat

dishes, though rice is often aromatized with a few

cloves.

Attributed Medicinal Properties

Folklore says that sucking on two whole Cloves without

chewing or swallowing them helps to curb the desire

for alcohol. Traditional Chinese physicians have long

used cloves to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia,

and ringworm, as well as athlete's foot and other

fungal infections. India's traditional Ayurvedic

healers have used Cloves since ancient times to treat

respiratory and digestive ailments. The medieval

German herbalists used cloves as part of anti-gout

mixture. Early American Eclectic physicians used

cloves to treat digestive complaints, and they added

it to bitter herbal medicines to make them more

palatable. They were also the first to extract clove

oil from the herbal buds, which they used on the gums

to relieve toothache. A few drops of the oil in water

will stop vomiting, and an infusion will relieve

nausea. Essential oil of clove is effective against

strep, staph and pneumomocci bacterias. Contemporary

herbalists recommend vloves for digestive complaints

and its oil for toothache. The primary chemical

constituents include eugenol, caryophyllene, and

tannins. Cloves are said to have a positive effect on

stomach ulcers, vomiting, flatulence, and to stimulate

the digestive system. It has powerful local antiseptic

and mild anesthetic actions. Japanese researchers have

discovered that like many spices, clove contains

antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent the cell

damage that scientists believe eventually causes

cancer. On the other hand, in laboratory tests, the

chemical eugenol, has been found to be a weak tumor

promoter, making clove one of many healing herbs with

both pro- and anti-cancer effects. At this point,

scientists aren't sure which way the balance tilts.

Until they are, anyone with a history of cancer should

not use medicinal amounts of clove. For otherwise

healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, powdered

clove is considered nontoxic. Additionally, dentists

have used clove oil as an oral anesthetic. They also

used it to disinfect root canals. Clove oil still is

an active ingredient in several mouthwash products and

a number of over-the-counter toothache pain-relief

preparations. Cloves kill intestinal parasites and

exhibits broad anti-microbial properties against fungi

and bacteria, thus supporting its traditional use as a

treatment for diarrhea, intestinal worms, and other

digestive ailments. Like many culinary spices, Cloves

helps relax the smooth muscle lining of the digestive

tract. And finally, eating cloves is said to be

aphrodisiac.

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