The Medicinal Herb Info site was created to help educate visitors about the often forgotten wisdom of the old ways of treating illnesses. Many of today's drugs and medicines were originally derived from natural ingredients, combinations of plants and other items found in nature.

We are not suggesting that you ignore the help of trained medical professionals, simply that you have additional options available for treating illnesses. Often the most effective treatment involves a responsible blend of both modern and traditional treatments.

We wish you peace and health!

Clove

Scientific Names

Clove plant

  • Caryophyllus aromaticus L.
  • Syzygium aromaticum L.
  • Myrtaceae
  • Myrtle family

Common Names

  • Ding-xiang (Chinese name)
  • Lavanga (Sanskrit name)
  • Ting-hsiang (Chinese name)

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Parts Usually Used

Flower buds, dried
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Clove plant

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

The clove is an evergreen tree, 15-30 feet tall; it has opposite, ovate leaves more than 5 inches long; and its flowers, when allowed to develop, are red and white, bell-shaped, and grow in terminal clusters. The familiar clove used in the kitchen is the dried flower bud. The fruit is a one-or two-seeded berry.
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Where Found

Native to the Spice Islands and the Philippines but also grown in Sumatra, Jamaica, the West Indies, Brazil, and other tropical areas.
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Medicinal Properties

Anodyne, antiemetic, antiseptic, anti-nauseous, aphrodisiac, carminative, stimulant
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Biochemical Information

Clove oil is comprised of eugenol, caryophyllene, acetyl eugenol, tannin, wax and fat.
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Legends, Myths and Stories

Cloves are actually the dried buds of the clove tree. Used in China for more than 2,000 years, legend has it that cloves are an aphrodisiac. Although there isn’t any evidence to back up this claim, we do know that oil of clove is a time-honored remedy for toothache.
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Cloves

Uses

Clove oil will stop the pain of a toothache when dropped into a cavity. A few drops of the oil in water will stop vomiting, and clove tea will relieve nausea. Eating cloves is said to be aphrodisiac.

It aids digestion, allays flatulence, nausea and/or vomiting, stops hiccoughs, and treats impotence. Used for colds, cough, asthma, hiccough, laryngitis, pharyngitis, low blood pressure. Cloves are mildly aphrodisiac. The volatile oil is a powerful analgesic.

The spicy, dried, unopened flower buds of the beautiful tropical evergreen clove tree uses:

  1. Whole cloves in stewed fruit, hot spiced drinks, pickling liquids, marinades;
  2. Ground spice in breads, cookies, spice cakes, pies, fruit dishes, curries, and some meat dishes.

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Formulas or Dosages

Oil: for toothache, rub oil on affected area. For vomiting, mix 2 drops of oil in a cup of water.
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How Sold

  • Oil of Clove
  • Ground or powdered cloves
  • Whole cloves

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Warning

Avoid cloves in cases of hypertension and inflammatory conditions.

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Resource Links

Herbs That are More Effective in Treating Lyme Than Antibiotics

LiveStrong.com: Clove Oil for Fleas

U.S. National Library of Medicine: Clove or Clove Oil

SimpleSteps.org: GreenPaws Flea and Tick Products Directory

The Green Spotlight: Flea and Tick Treatments That Won’t Poison Your Pet

University of Maryland Medical Center: Eugenol Oil Overdose

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Bibliography

Buy It! The Herb Book, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.

Buy It! The Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993

Buy It! Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, Shambala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973

Buy It! Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

Buy It! Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible, by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

Buy It! Old Ways Rediscovered, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988

Herbal Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, Cornell Plantations, Matthaei Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan, University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley., Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition

Buy It! Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. WI 53181., Copyright 1988, published 1992

Buy It! Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, New World Dictionaries: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023

Buy It! The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living, by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988).

Buy It! The Herbalist Almanac, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994

Buy It! The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.

Buy It! The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book), edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. Emmaus, PA, 18049., 1974

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