When you’re stocking your spice rack, you likely prioritize essentials like garlic powder, cayenne pepper for a touch of heat, turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties, and of course, salt and pepper.
However, a highly beneficial spice that often gets overlooked is cloves. You might be surprised to learn just how many health benefits cloves offer.
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree native to Indonesia. These potent spices have been used for centuries in various cuisines and are key ingredients in both Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine due to their pain-relieving properties. But the advantages of cloves extend beyond their culinary and medicinal uses.
Rich in antioxidants, cloves offer numerous health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and aiding digestion. Here’s why you should consider incorporating cloves into your routine.
What Are Cloves?
Cloves are dried flower buds from the Syzygium aromaticum tree, a tropical evergreen native to Indonesia. Their unique flavor and aroma make them a staple in many global cuisines.
Key Health Benefits of Cloves
1. Rich in Fiber
Cloves are a great source of dietary fiber, which is essential for good digestion and regular bowel movements. For a spice, cloves have an impressive amount of fiber. One teaspoon of cloves provides close to a gram of fiber.
2. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Cloves contain manganese, a mineral that can help regulate blood sugar levels. Cloves provide manganese, which is why adding a pinch or two into your cooking can help manage blood sugar levels.
3. Antibacterial Properties
Cloves can also improve oral hygiene due to their antibacterial properties. Preliminary research has shown that clove oil can act as an antibacterial agent.
One study found that a mouth rinse containing clove, basil, and tea tree oil helped fight plaque and bacteria in the mouth, making cloves a beneficial addition to oral care routines.
4. Alleviating Tooth Pain
Cloves are well-known for their ability to relieve tooth pain. The essential oil derived from cloves contains eugenol, a compound with natural antiseptic and pain-relieving properties.
Research has shown that clove oil can be particularly effective in easing toothaches caused by conditions such as dry socket.
5. Reducing Inflammation
Cloves possess significant anti-inflammatory properties, thanks to the eugenol they contain. Studies have demonstrated that eugenol can help lower the body’s inflammatory response.
Applying clove oil or black seed oil as a lotion, or incorporating cloves into tea, can be effective ways to combat inflammation.
6. Protecting Against Aging
Cloves are rich in antioxidants, which play a crucial role in protecting the body from signs of aging. The anti-inflammatory properties, epigenetic effects, and mitochondrial activity in antioxidant-rich foods contribute to longevity and vitality.
Add cloves to smoothies, rice dishes, or desserts to easily increase your daily antioxidant intake.
7. Cloves as a Cough Suppressant
If you’re feeling a tickle in your throat, consider using cloves as a home remedy for cough relief. According to Ayurvedic medicine, cloves help suppress coughs by relaxing the throat muscles.
To use them, you can chew on whole cloves (but don’t swallow them) or brew them into a tea, adding honey for extra soothing effects. For an added boost, try using manuka honey, which has antibacterial and antiviral properties.
8. Cloves as an Insect Repellent
If you tend to attract insects like mosquitoes, ants, and wasps, cloves can be a handy natural repellent.
Cloves contain a compound called eugenol, which is effective at killing insects and larvae. You can use diluted clove oil in a spray bottle as a natural pest control solution for your home.
9. Cloves for Skin Health
Cloves can also benefit your skin. Clove oil, when applied topically, has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce skin inflammation. Its antibacterial properties make it useful for treating acne caused by bacteria.
Always test clove oil on a small patch of skin first to ensure it doesn’t cause an adverse reaction.
10. Cloves can help soothe digestive discomfort
Using cloves to ease digestive problems is also a common practice in Ayurvedic medicine. Cloves are said to relax the stomach lining and are used to relieve nausea, gas, and vomiting. To reap the benefits, she recommends brewing a tea with cloves and ginger. Then sip and enjoy.
Any there any health benefits to drinking clove water?
Drinking clove water can have many benefits, particularly for gut health. Drinking clove-infused water can have several health benefits. According to Shapiro, it helps keep you hydrated, improves digestion, flushes out bacteria, and boosts your immune system.
Additionally, clove water can reduce gas and enhance the speed of digestion. However, Shapiro also mentions that if your main goals are better digestion and regularity, simply drinking enough water each day is often sufficient to achieve these results.
Nutritional value of cloves
1 tbsp of ground cloves contains approximately:
- 18 calories
- 4 grams of carbohydrates
- 2.2 grams of fiber
- .15 grams of sugar
- .4 grams of protein
- 1.3 grams of fat
- 40.5 mg of calcium
- 9 mcg of vitamin K
- 1.9 mg of manganese
- .573 mg of vitamin E
- .081 mg of vitamin B6
- 6 mcg of folate
