14 Health Benefits of Cloves: How to Use Them and Side Effects - Healthlinz

14 Health Benefits of Cloves: How to Use Them and Side Effects

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Benefits of Cloves

Discover the nutritional profile and health benefits of cloves. Learn how to use this spice for better oral, respiratory, bone, and liver health, cancer prevention, and stress reduction. You’ll be surprised to learn how vital these dried buds are to your health!

Cloves are tiny dried flower buds that fill your mouth with a savory and spicy flavor when you accidentally crush them while chewing food. However, the benefits of cloves are so compelling that it is worth it to put up with the occasional discomfort they cause.

This spice, derived from the clove tree Syzygium aromaticum, contains vitamins C and K, fiber, and manganese and aids in immunity and brain function. Furthermore, cloves are used to treat inflammation and diabetes.

This article delves into these benefits in depth, the nutritional profile of cloves, and their potential side effects. So, let’s get this party started. Clove comes from the French word “cloud,” which means nail.

14 Benefits of Cloves You Need to Know

Benefits of cloves

1. Potential to combat inflammation.

Clove eugenol has been shown in studies to be a potent anti-inflammatory agent. This is also true for clove essential oil, which is a common form of clove.

Clove also helps to reduce inflammation in the mouth and throat. According to one study, clove oil can help reduce inflammation caused by plaque and gingivitis.

In animal studies, the eugenol in cloves reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines. As a result, it may aid in treating inflammation associated with arthritis in humans.

2. Could Aid in Cancer Prevention

One study shows that clove extract can inhibit tumor growth and induce cancer cell death. Clove’s anti-cancer properties are attributed to eugenol (which also lowers the risk of esophageal cancer).

Cloves are also high in antioxidants. Antioxidants reduce inflammation and protect us from cancer. Another study discovered that clove extract is lethal to breast cancer cells.

3. Benefits of Cloves for Oral Health

Benefits of Cloves for Oral Health

The eugenol in clove is thought to relieve tooth pain. The substance is an anesthetic with antibacterial properties that may aid in pain relief.

Place a few whole cloves in your mouth to relieve a toothache and moisten them with your saliva. You can use your teeth to crush the cloves. The oil that is released combats pain. Use a whole clove for 30 minutes before discarding it and starting with a new one.

If you have a severe toothache and finding it difficult to grind cloves with your teeth, use crushed cloves. Crush the cloves whole and apply the powder to the affected tooth.

According to an Iranian study, clove has analgesic properties that can help relieve toothache. Cloves may also help with bad breath.

Clove essential oil is widely used as a pain reliever in dental emergencies in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, Western herbalism, and dentistry.

4. Benefits of Cloves In Diabetes Treatment 

After consuming clove extracts, volunteers in a study reported lower glucose levels before and after meals. Another animal study found that cloves could help diabetic mice with blood sugar spikes.

Cloves also contain nigericin, which has been shown to improve insulin secretion and the health of insulin-producing cells. Cloves may help keep your blood sugar levels in check with a healthy diet.

Read Here Related: 17 Benefits of Cloves sexually

5. Improves Liver Health

Improve liver health

Eugenol, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound found in cloves, has been shown to benefit liver health. One study shows ascorbic acid and beta-sitosterol compounds can reduce hepatic cell proliferation.

Cloves’ eugenol-rich fraction (ERF) also reduces oxidative stress and protects against liver cirrhosis.

6. Cloves for Bone Health: A Comprehensive Guide

The hydroalcoholic extract of dried cloves is high in polyphenols like eugenols and eugenol extractives, which can help with bone density.

According to animal studies, the manganese in cloves may aid in the improvement of bone mineral density and metabolism.

7. Can Cloves Help with Diabetes Management?

Cloves contain compounds that may help reduce stomach ulcers. Clove oil can thicken gastric mucus, protecting the stomach lining and preventing peptic ulcers.

Cloves contain fiber as well. This fiber could help with digestion and prevent constipation. The effectiveness of clove fiber in accomplishing the same has yet to be studied.

8. It may help with weight loss

Cloves contain natural fatty acid synthesis inhibitors that can help you lose weight. Alcohol extracts of clove (AEC) were found to reduce lipid accumulation in the liver, abdominal adipose tissue weight, and body weight in animal studies.

More research is needed, however, to fully understand the role of AEC in weight loss in humans.

9. How to Use Cloves for Respiratory Health

Benefits of cloves

This is particularly true of clove oil. The oil can be used to treat asthma. The oil has anti-inflammatory properties and soothes the respiratory tract. Clove oil supplementation prevented bacteria from forming colonies in the lungs.

Massage the oil into your chest, sinuses, and the bridge of your nose. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this may open the breathing passages and provide relief. Take the oil (or a few cloves steeped) in a glass of warm water as a tea. Chewing on a clove bud can also help relieve a sore throat.

10. Stress Reduction

Clove alcoholic extracts were discovered to have anti-stress properties. This could be due to clove’s antioxidant properties. However, more research is needed in this area.

11. Headache Relief

In aromatherapy, clove oil is commonly used to treat headaches. This could be because clove contains eugenol, which has analgesic (pain-relieving) properties.

Place a few crushed cloves in a clean handkerchief. When you have a headache, inhale the scent. Alternatively, mix two drops of clove oil into a tablespoon of coconut oil and gently massage your forehead and temples.

These methods, however, are based on anecdotal evidence. Consult your healthcare provider if you are unsure how to use clove to treat headaches.

12. Testosterone Levels May Increase

Oral ingestion of cloves has been shown in mice studies to improve testicular function and, as a result, testosterone levels.

Cloves may boost fertility, according to anecdotal evidence. However, specific research indicates that consuming too many cloves may impair fertility. Animals have shown similar effects. As a result, it is critical to consult a doctor before consuming cloves.

13. Acne Treatment

Cloves’ antibacterial and antifungal properties could play a role here. Clove oil is effective for treating acne and improving skin health. The oil is also recommended for acne treatment in aromatherapeutic literature.

The oil contains eugenol, which has antibacterial properties. The oil can kill infection and fight inflammation, effectively treating acne.

14. It may Benefit Hair Health

Clove oil has the potential to be used in scalp and hair treatments. The oil is also said to improve blood circulation and stimulate hair growth. These effects, however, are not supported by research.

Cloves are generally safe, and most research backs up this claim; however, more research is needed to understand their function fully. However, incorporating cloves into your regular diet is a good idea. We discussed how to use cloves in the section that follows.

Cloves: The Superfood Spice You Need in Your Diet

You can use cloves to make tea and flavoring agents in recipes, cookies, and gingerbread preparations. Cloves can also be used to kill fleas.

For use in the kitchen

By grinding cloves, you can add them to cakes. This adds a kick to your baked goods. Cloves complement nutmeg and cinnamon. You can also put a few cloves in your morning tea. You can add cloves to your rice dishes. It’s a good idea to use them as a garnish.

To get rid of fleas

Because clove oil is a fragrant essential oil, it can be an effective insecticide. After bathing your pet in warm water, rinse it with a few drops of clove oil. To keep fleas at bay, apply a drop of oil to its collar. Clove oil can also be used to repel mosquitos.

What Did You Know?

Cloves were widely used to preserve, garnish, and flavor various foods in the later half of the Middle Ages. The nutritional profile of cloves will be discussed in the following section.

What Is Cloves’ Nutritional Profile?

Cloves contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. One tablespoon of cloves contains, according to the United States Department of Agriculture:

  • Energy in the form of 17.8 calories
  • 2.2 grams of fiber
  • The protein content of 0.388 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4.26 g

Cloves are also high in vitamins C and K and minerals like manganese and calcium.

What Are The Side Effects of Cloves?

1. Increases Bleeding

Cloves may raise the risk of bleeding by boosting the effects of blood thinners such as Warfarin.

Cloves may interact with antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole, heparin, and ticlopidine. That also raises the possibility of Bleeding.

2. Significantly reduce blood sugar levels

Cloves may help reduce blood sugar levels. In one investigation, clove was shown to have long-lasting antihyperglycemic action. That is excellent news, particularly for those who have diabetes.

But, there is a risk that the spice may significantly drop your blood sugar levels, mainly if you are on diabetic medication.

There is no evidence that cloves may significantly reduce blood sugar levels. But, if you are on diabetic medication, consult your doctor before using cloves.

3. May Lead to Allergies

Cloves contain eugenol, which may cause allergies. Contact dermatitis is caused by the compound’s direct reaction with body proteins. Localized irritation might also occur.

Cloves may also induce respiratory allergies in certain people. This was particularly true for employees in spice (clove) processing industries who inhaled the spice dust. Two of the most common symptoms were irritation of upper and lower respiratory tract and reduced lung function.

Cloves’ eugenol content may also irritate the oral mucosa. Those who consume too much of it may feel warmth and soreness in their mouth.

According to Jesse Feder, a certified dietician, “Cloves may irritate soft tissue, such as the skin in our mouth, which can lead to mouth ulcers.”

4. It has the potential to be toxic

Several cases of clove (or oil) poisoning have been recorded. The oil induced unconsciousness fits, and severe liver damage. In the research, a 2-year-old kid was given 5 and 10 ml of clove oil and fell into a stringent slumber in 3 hours.

While further study on the toxicity of clove oil is being conducted, there is information on essential oils in the general-a category to which clove oil also belongs. Essential oils may induce fits, coma, renal failure, and even hypoglycemia when taken in excess.

Moreover, cloves may affect sperm health. “Some limited research shows cloves may have a deleterious influence on sperm health and motility,” explains certified nutritionist Isabella Bazzarro. “One research indicated that clove oil (a component of cloves) had a considerable detrimental influence on sperm motility and viability,” she continues.

 Another research found that eating a lot of cloves (more than 1 gram per day) was connected with lower sperm count and motility. However, it is crucial to emphasize that these trials were limited, and further study is required to corroborate these results.”

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2 thoughts on “14 Health Benefits of Cloves: How to Use Them and Side Effects”

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