Clove: Pain Relief’s Loyal Servant – Fighting Infections

“Is it not remarkable, simple oil of clove. How amazing the results. Life can be so easy—relief or discomfort.”

That could be your dentist talking. But in this case it’s Lawrence Olivier, playing a sadistic dentist in the 1976 film Marathon Man, as he repeatedly drills into Dustin Hoffman’s tooth and then relieves the pain with . . . oil of clove.

Fortunately, oil of clove can relieve dental pain in real life. Along with a lot of other health problems.

TLC For Teeth and Gums

The scientific name for oil of clove is eugenol. And biting into a clove (the dried flower bud of an Asian tree, and a culinary spice enjoyed around the world) reveals just how powerful eugenol is: there’s an instant rush of localized numbness. The eugenol and other aromatic molecules in clove make it one of the most penetrating spices on the planet. And that penetrating power is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the dentist’s chair—or while waiting through a tooth-aching weekend to get into one!

Yes, oil of clove is a mild anesthetic. (In fact, clove oil is just as powerful as benzocaine in numbing oral tissue before needle sticks at the dentist, reported a team of researchers in Journal of Dentistry.)And it can boost circulation: when it’s rubbed around a painful tooth, blood vessels near the gum dilate, bringing blood to the surface with a warm, soothing sensation. And it’s an analgesic, reducing pain.And it’s anti-inflammatory, reducing redness and swelling around an injury. And it’s antibacterial, killing germs.

All those therapeutic powers help explain why eugenol is not only a home remedy for an untreated toothache, but a formidable medicine against many forms of oral disease. It can fight gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease, when gums are inflamed. It can fight periodontitis, the later stage, when gums recede and bone erodes. It’s also effective against stomatitis, a painful inflammation of the mucous lining of the mouth, caused by factors such as medications, poor dental hygiene, or ill-fitting dentures.

“Clove oil has been used to cure dental problems for ages” and is “an integral part of the dentist’s kit,” said a team of Indian researchers who investigated a long-lasting eugenol-treatment to battle periodontal disease, reporting their results in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy.

Fighting Infections

Eugenol’s germ-fighting powers aren’t limited to your teeth and gums. It can fight bacteria (and viruses) throughout the body. Such as:

Helicobacter pylori. These bacteria cause stomach ulcers and are also linked to stomach cancer. An international team of researchers from India noted that conventional medical treatment to eradicate H. pylori is only 80 to 90 percent effective, and that the bacteria are also developing resistance to various antibiotics. Since eugenol had already proven effective at stopping the growth of so many other types of nasty, disease-causing bacteria—including E. coli (food poisoning), Staphylococcus (staph infections), Proteus (bladder infections), Klebsiella (respiratory infections), Enterobacter (hospital-acquired infections), and Pseudomonas (urinary tract infections)—they decided to test it against H. pylori too. And in a laboratory study, they found that eugenol stopped the growth of 30 strains of H. pylori—and did so 25 percent faster than amoxicillin (Amoxil), a common antibiotic. And they found that the bacteria didn’t develop any resistance to eugenol.

In their discussion of the study, the researchers noted that eugenol is already part of the diet in many countries and is likely to be “non-toxic”; that it was used by modern medicine as early as 1950 to treat ulcers; and that its “benefits could be multiple” because it’s also a powerful antioxidant. They urge other researchers to duplicate their findings to help establish eugenol as a treatment and overcome the “treatment failures and antibiotic resistance in the area of H. pylori management.”

Herpes simplex. Japanese researchers found that using the antiviral medication acyclovir (Zovirax) and eugenol was more powerful against the virus that causes cold sores (HS-1) than using acyclovir alone, both in the test tube and in animals. Thai researchers found that the virus that causes genital herpes (HS-2) couldn’t replicate in the presence of eugenol. And US researchers found that eugenol protected animals against infection with HS-2.

Hepatitis C. Millions of Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Japanese researchers found that eugenol caused near total “inhibition” of the virus. “Natural products” including eugenol “could play a great role as anti-hepatitis C agents,” conclude the scientists in Phytotherapy Research.

Clove Loves You—All of You

Researchers have found many other ways that eugenol can protect the body.

Mosquito finito. Put away your citronella candles and get out your clove oil—it might be the best way to stop mosquitoes from biting. That’s what Thai researchers discovered when they tested 38 different essential oils against mosquito bites, including the popular citronella.

The researchers enlisted volunteers to stick their forearms into an area dense with mosquitoes. Only a few essential oils protected against the bites, including citronella, patchouli, and clove oil, providing two hours of “complete repellency.” When those oils were retested, only clove oil gave “100 percent repellency” for four hours.

Stopping blood clots. Blood clots that plug arteries are the cause of most heart attacks and strokes. And blood clots are caused in part by platelet aggregation—plate-shaped blood cells become sticky and clump together. Researchers in Denmark tested eugenol against two “blood-thinning” medications that fight platelet aggregation—aspirin and indomethacin (Indocin)—and found eugenol stronger than aspirin and equal to indomethacin.

Anti-cancer. Studies in animals with lung and skin cancer show eugenol can stop cancer cells from multiplying.

Getting to Know Clove

In the ancient days—BT, or Before Toothbrushes —cloves were used to clean teeth and keep breath smelling clean. In the ancient imperial court of China, during the Han Dynasty, no one was allowed to speak to the emperor without a clove in his or her mouth. And that traditional use has continued to this day in Asia, where cloves are often used as an after-meal breath freshener.

The Coveted Clove

Cloves have a bloody history. They were coveted for their medicinal and culinary use, and brought enormous wealth to the intrepid explorers who went in search of them. Nations fought over them.

At the height of the Spice Wars, in 1605, the Dutch wrested possession of the Moluccas, or “spice islands,” from the Portuguese, breaking their 60-year monopoly of the clove trade. Then the Dutch uprooted and burned all the clove trees, and restricted clove plantations to the remote island of Ambon—keeping the source of cloves secret and the price high. Inquisitive explorers in search of the spice were turned away. Anyone caught trying to pirate seedlings from the island was put to death. It took nearly 200 years to break this stranglehold. But in the early 1800s, a Frenchman by the name of Pierre Poivre (Peter Pepper)—the Peter Piper of nursery rhyme fame—managed to smuggle flowering clove buds off the island. Poivre took the buds to the French West Indies in the Caribbean and cultivated the tree there. Eventually, the tree spread to other countries with the right climates for cultivation. Today, cloves grow from South America to North Africa.

Cloves are dried flower buds from an evergreen tree.

In traditional and folk medicine, clove and clove oil have been used for a variety of ills—indigestion, for nausea, gas, diarrhea, bloating, and colic; against infections of all kinds; for muscle spasms, and to prepare for labor; for skin problems, including acne, ulcers, and sores; as an aid to memory; and even as an aphrodisiac. And, of course, for toothache.

It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that clove caught on in the kitchen, and today cloves are a common culinary spice in virtually every cuisine. Spice blends the world over make liberal use of cloves. In China, clove is a key ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder. Clove is found in many of India’s spice blends, including the basic blend garam masala. Clove is one of the four spices in French quatre épices. And it’s a key ingredient in the Moroccan spice blend ras-el-hanout and the Ethiopian baharat.

Cloves are a popular spice in the United States, used in both sweet and savory dishes, with more than 1,000 tons imported every year. Americans stud hams with cloves, include them in apple spice mixes, put them in pickled eggs and soused herring, and add them to homemade sausages and Christmas fruitcakes. Cloves add to the distinctive flavor of Worcestershire sauce and are reportedly one of the “secret” spices in Heinz ketchup.

Clove may help prevent and/or treat:

Bad breath

Blood clots

Cancer

Cold sores

Denture problems (stomatitis)

Food poisoning

Genital herpes

Gum disease (gingivitis and periodontal disease)

Hepatitis C

Mosquito bites

Toothache

Ulcer

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Clove pairs well with these spices:

Allspice

Amchur

Cardamom

Chile

Cinnamon

Cocoa

Coriander

Cumin

Ginger

Kokum

Nutmeg

Star Anise

Tamarind

Turmeric

and complements recipes featuring:

Apple pie

Cakes

Chocolate

Ham

Mincemeat

Orange

Pickled eggs

Pumpkin

Red cabbage

Stewed fruit

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Other recipes containing clove:

Apple Pie Spice

Baharat

Berbere

Caribbean Curry Paste

Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning

Chinese Five-Spice Powder

Colombo Powder

Garam Masala

Grilled Pork Chile Adobo

Mulling Spice

Pickling Spice

Quatre Épices

Ras-el-hanout

Spicy Vanilla Rice Pudding

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Nutritionists recommend eating a daily handful of nuts—high in heart-healthy polyphenols and monounsaturated fats—as a wholesome snack. Spicing them with these five healing spices makes them even healthier. These nuts make a nice gift at holiday time.

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

1 egg white

2 tablespoons water

2 pounds whole mixed nuts, such as almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts

1. Spray two pastry sheets with non-cook spray and preheat the oven to 275°F.

2. Combine the sugar, spices, and salt (if using) in a large bowl. Stir in the egg white and water, and mix. The mixture should resemble a smooth paste. Add the nuts and gently stir so each nut is thoroughly coated with the spice mixture.

3. Spread out the nuts on the pastry sheets, separating them so they don’t touch and stick together. Bake for 40 minutes or until the coating is crisp and golden brown. Cool and transfer to an airtight jar.

Makes about 5 cups.

The French stud onions with cloves to add aroma to stocks and stews. Germans are fond of adding cloves to pot roast and other long-cooking meat and game dishes. The British put cloves in Christmas pudding and apple tart.

Clove is a key ingredient in mulled wine, and an element of many other alcoholic beverages. Germans use cloves to spike popular fire-tongue punch (Feuerzangenbowle), which is made with wine, hot rum, citrus juices, and sugar. The French add cloves to a home-brewed orange liqueur made with coffee beans and vodka. Similar versions are also made in Italy and Spain. Clove is also used in some sweet vermouths.

But for all their culinary popularity, the largest share of the world’s cloves goes into producing the popular Indonesian cigarette called kretek. The cigarettes contain 40 percent clove, which give the cigarettes a crackling sound as they are smoked.

How to Buy Clove

Clove comes from the Latin word clavus, meaning nail—because cloves resemble nails. A clove is the still-closed bud from an evergreen that flowers twice a year. Growing and harvesting cloves is tricky, because they have to be picked by hand at precisely the right time.

Cloves are native to the Malukus (“spice islands”) of Indonesia, but the best cloves don’t come from there. Among clove aficionados, penang cloves from Malaysia are considered the best, followed by cloves from Zanzibar and Madagascar. The majority of the cloves imported into the United States come from Madagascar or Brazil.

The only way to buy cloves by their place of origin is from a specialty spice shop or online.

The “Buyer’s Guide” has a list of recommended dealers.

However, it’s not necessary to go out of your way to buy exotic cloves. For culinary flavor, what’s most important is keeping cloves as fresh as possible. That means buying them whole and grinding them yourself. Once ground, they start to lose their volatile oil, which weakens their aroma.

When buying, look for cloves that are large—meaning you can clearly make out the head and stems. (Penang cloves are the largest.) In fact, you should be able to recognize the four would-be petals of the bud, and the stamen inside them, forming the nail-like head. You don’t want to buy cloves that look like little bits of sticks; those are just stems. The color should be reddish-brown.

Whole cloves will keep for a year or more in an airtight container away from light and heat.

In the Kitchen with Clove

Cloves have a distinctive aroma—pungent and somewhat woodsy—and a sweet and musty taste. They will mellow somewhat from cooking, but they can definitely overpower a dish.

The food writer Tom Stobart, author of Cook’s Encyclopedia, advises, “As a flavoring, cloves are best when kept below the level of recognition.” Keep this in mind when using cloves. It takes only a fewcloves to add aroma to a pot of savory stew, or a few ground cloves to flavor a pastry.

When adding whole cloves to a savory dish they should be removed before serving, as unknowingly biting into a whole clove can spoil the taste, not to mention chip a tooth. One way to avoid inadvertent clove-crunching is to stud a small onion with cloves and add it to the broth. When the dish is finished, retrieve the onion and throw it out.