Every house has a jar of clove buds in the kitchen. Do we know that this spice is included in the herbal pharmacopoeia of Britain? Do we know that fragrant cloves are part of a well-known antiparasitic dietary supplement? Maybe look at the spice jar in a new way and take advantage of the beneficial properties of cloves?
The unusual-looking clove buds are famous not only for their pungent taste and spicy aroma, but also for their healing effects. This spice has long been used in traditional medicine recipes for the prevention and even treatment of certain diseases. So, we read about the unique medical properties of the unopened buds of the syzygium clove tree in this article.
Botanical description of the clove tree
The clove tree is an evergreen plant that grows to the size of a shrub or small tree, but grows 15-20 meters in height under favorable conditions. The crown has a pyramid shape, and the thin trunk is covered with gray bark.
Her leaves are with a pleasant gloss, leathery, arranged opposite, have the color of grass: forest green. She gives flowers small, bright red... They grow in umbrella-like inflorescences.
The carnation tree should be distinguished from the usual carnations, which are herbaceous plants but never grow to the size of a tree. The garden carnation and the carnation tree are part of the same Clove family, but form different species and varieties.
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The Latin name of the plant is literally translated as "flower of Zeus". It was given by the famous Swedish scientist Karl Linnaeus due to the bright red color of the flowers.
Contraindications
Like all medicinal herbs, the seasoning has its own contraindications. It can be not only useful for a person, but also cause harm.
- You can not drink decoctions or tinctures with seasoning if your intestines and stomach are sick.
- It is not recommended to consume large quantities of cloves for breastfeeding and pregnant women, as well as for children under two years of age.
Clove seasoning, the medicinal properties of which have been studied since ancient times, is used in almost all recipes of traditional healers. It doesn't matter what hurts, it is important how many buds can be consumed per day or day, as it can harm the body.
Types of carnations
The genus Carnation includes more than 300 species. Each of them is described by scientists.
Carnation multicolored
This perennial plant forms herbaceous forms as well as shrubs. She has a lignified, erect stem that grows no more than half a meter in height. The leaves are narrow and up to 5 cm long.
The flowers of such plants have small petals (up to 3 cm) and have bright red, rich pink hues. They bloom in the middle of summer, and bear fruit until the beginning of autumn. The species is widespread throughout Central Europe and is widely found in Russia - from the European part to Siberia and the Far East. It has adapted well to our latitudes due to its drought tolerance and undemanding soil conditions.
Features of the application of the clove tree (video)
Chinese carnation
This species has exceptionally beautiful flowers of different shades: there are pink, purple, scarlet monochromatic, as well as multi-colored: snow-white petals with a bright red center.
Breeders managed to breed several dozen varieties of this species, thanks to which they adapted to different climatic conditions. They grow in height no more than half a meter. Such carnations live for several years., therefore, you need to choose a place for planting especially responsibly - it should be taken into account that the flower loves heated places that even a small shadow does not fall on.
Carnation herb
This is a perennial ground cover grass that grows no more than 15 cm in height and spreads along the ground. Forms bright red flowers with interesting coloration: there are varieties with white edging... They will harmoniously fit into any garden and will decorate well empty spaces.
Such flowers can be planted quite tightly - 40-50 plants per square meter: then you get a real flower lawn. It should be noted that this species also loves illuminated places, but does not tolerate excessive moisture - therefore, it is better to drain the soil beforehand.
Lush carnation
This species is found everywhere in Central Europe and almost throughout Russia, covering ravines, meadows and forest edges. It is well adapted to extreme climatic conditions and grows even in Siberia.
The plant reaches a height of half a meter and sometimes up to 60 cm. The flowers are large, have pleasant pink and lilac shades. Their diameter is small - about 4-5 cm. Interestingly, in a warm autumn, they can bloom in October (primary flowering in July).
Slimming
When practicing various weight-loss activities at home, clove-based products are often used.
A decoction of bay leaves and cloves reduces appetite, activates metabolic processes, removes slag deposits, which has a beneficial effect on reducing excess weight. Take a drink before breakfast, lunch, dinner in a third of the glass.
You can make fat burning tea. Put in a teapot for 1/2 tsp. crushed clove spice and ground dried ginger. Pour in 1 tsp. leafy green tea. The mixture is steamed with boiled water - 300 ml. Leave covered for 40 minutes. The infusion strained through a sieve is used as a brew for healthy aromatic tea. They drink it several times a day without sugar.
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Another type of tea demonstrates high efficiency in weight loss. A glass of boiling water is brewed with 1 tbsp. l. green tea. After five minutes, decant it into an enamel saucepan and pour in an additional glass of water. They put on a light fire.
After boiling the liquid, spread a piece of ginger root about 1.5 cm long, cut into thin slices, 1/4 tsp each. ground cinnamon and clove, two cardamom pods. They languish for 20 minutes. When the drink has cooled to a warm state, filter it. Add fresh lemon juice from half of the fruit and 3 tsp. honey. Insist 15 minutes. Drink 100 ml before meals.
The active ingredients of cloves
The clove buds contain extremely many vitamins, trace elements and other substances that are beneficial to human health:
- vitamin A, E, C, K;
- B vitamins;
- trace elements (Na, K, P, Fe. Zn, Se, Mn);
- essential oils;
- glycosides;
- tannins.
Thanks to such a rich chemical composition, the plant has a complex effect on the body:
- bactericidal and antifungal;
- pain reliever;
- preventing spasms (antispasmodic);
- wound healing;
- antineoplastic.
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Research by scientists has proven that the special substance eugenol contained in the clove has a depressing effect on the development of cancer cells and thereby contributes to the fight against cancer.
Clove spice: a description of where it grows
Content
Clove is a spice that is the buds (buds) of the clove tree, a plant of the myrtle family, has a bright aroma and a strong burning taste.
The homeland of the clove tree is the Southeast part of Asia, these trees have always been grown there, not sharing their seeds with other peoples of the world. Currently, the spice is grown not only in Asia, clove trees can be found in Brazil, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Guinea. In all these states, cloves are grown, harvested, processed, sold and used for their intended purpose - in medicine, cooking, and cosmetology.
The healing and beneficial properties of cloves
Cloves are used in folk medicine in the treatment of many diseases:
- colds, coughs, runny nose;
- ear pain;
- arthritis;
- inflammation in the eyes of an infectious nature;
- diseases of the stomach and intestines;
- obesity.
Also, everyone knows that due to its fragrant aroma dry clove flowers are used in cooking as a spice. They are added to soups and main courses.
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Mulled wine, traditional for many European peoples, is brewed on the basis of red wine with the addition of sugar (or honey), as well as spices: cinnamon, cloves and zest (or slices of orange and apples). It helps keep you warm on winter evenings and is used at Christmas. And there are also non-alcoholic drink options for the little ones.
Features of a medicinal plant
Scented cloves are dried buds of a tropical clove tree. Another botanical name is aromatic syzygium, or Syzygium aromaticum. It looks like a slender, evergreen tree, can reach a height of 20 m. All parts of the plant are saturated with essential oil. This is common to all members of the myrtle family. Clove buds - burning taste, with a specific aroma. Moreover, the bud's cap is more delicate in taste and aroma.
Chinese carnation.
Carnation Shabo.
Pinnate carnation.
Other plants with the same name
There are many types of carnations in the carnation family. These plants are used in ornamental gardening and have nothing to do with traditional medicine.
- Chinese carnation. The native land of the plant is the north of China, it is also found in Mongolia and Korea. It is an ornamental shrub that blooms with beautiful white, pink, lilac, burgundy flowers. This species is grown all over the world, many hybrid varieties have been bred.
Turkish carnation.
Turkish carnation. An ornamental plant popular in our region. It is appreciated for its unpretentiousness, long flowering, bright palette of colors, delicate aroma. Can be one color, two-color, three-color, plain or terry.
- Shabo. This is the most popular variety of carnation in floriculture, a huge number of its hybrid varieties have been bred. The perennial plant can be grown in flower beds and in pots. This variety was bred by the French pharmacist Shabo.
- Feathery. A wild herb that is ubiquitous in Eastern Europe. In Russia, the flower can be found more often in the southern regions. Does not represent value as a medicinal plant.
The area of the clove tree
Carnation. Botanical illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen.
The homeland of the fragrant syzygium is the Malay archipelago. Or to be more precise - the Moluccas (spice islands). There are about 500 species of this plant here. Archaeological finds on the islands indicate that the carnation trade has been going on here since time immemorial. The plant is also common in India, Indonesia, Ceylon, Zanzibar, Pemba, Madagascar. And in Tanzania, 90% of the production of this spice is concentrated.
Features of the workpiece
Syzygium fragrant blooms twice a year, gives a high yield. Collect unopened buds of inflorescences.They are knocked down with a pole or plucked from special platforms during industrial assembly. It is enough to dry the buds in the sun to get a fragrant spice. There is no difficulty in producing this spice (compared to vanilla), so cloves are inexpensive. Depending on the place of harvesting, they distinguish between Madagascar, Zanzibar (Tanzanian) and others. Essential oil is produced not only from buds, but also from bark and leaves. The spice is exported in the form of dried buds, since the taste and medicinal properties of the clove spice are lost when ground.
Healing action
Healing properties of cloves:
- antimicrobial;
- antiseptic;
- pain reliever;
- tonic;
- enzymatic, normalizing digestion;
- stimulant appetite;
- anthelmintic;
- carminative;
- locally irritating;
- anti-cold;
- sedative;
- fortifying.
How is clove useful? The most valuable thing in its chemical composition is essential oil. Depending on the variety and growing conditions, its content can vary from 5 to 22%. It also contains tannins, fatty oil, flavonoids, mucus, sterols, glycosides, vitamins C, A, E, B, and trace elements. Eugenol is the most valuable component of essential oil. It is he who gives biocidal (antimicrobial) properties.
Indications for use
For what symptoms and diseases is clove treatment most effective?
- Carnation for parasites. For a long time, the spice has been used as an anthelmintic agent. Decoctions of cloves are drunk from worms (pinworms and roundworms). The anthelmintic effect of cloves has been proven in laboratory studies. Also, the remedy is effective for giardiasis and opisthorchiasis. The spice is used to cleanse the liver and intestines along with wormwood, tansy and other anthelmintic herbs. Read more about cloves from worms in our other article.
- Low pressure carnation. The uniqueness of this spice is that it is able to tone and relax at the same time. For example, it relaxes the muscles of the stomach and intestines, the nervous system, but it tones the muscles of the uterus, the cardiovascular system. This spice can be useful only in case of hypotension (low blood pressure).
- Digestion. Relieves stomach and intestinal cramps, normalizes digestion, acts as a carminative, eliminates flatulence. It treats inflammation of the digestive tract - liver, stomach, intestines. The spice is especially useful for gastritis with low acidity, stimulates the production of enzymes, improves appetite, helps with nausea, belching, vomiting.
- For the nervous system. Clove helps to relax the nervous system, it is drunk with neuroses, sleep disorders, headaches, memory impairments.
- Fungal diseases. Possesses fungicidal (antifungal) properties, is used to treat fungal infections of the skin and mucous membranes. She is successfully treated for nail fungus and lichen. In addition to local use, for fungal diseases, infusions are taken orally.
- Antibacterial drug. The spice has a pronounced antibacterial effect, helps with staphylococcal infection, kills diphtheria bacillus, typhus bacillus, anthrax pathogens. It is known that medieval doctors advised wearing clove beads around the neck, as well as chewing spices to prevent cholera, plague, and anthrax.
- Antiviral agent. It has been proven that essential oil protects the body from ARVI, influenza. Therefore, the spice can be taken for the prevention and treatment of colds, viral infections during epidemics.
- Dentistry. Clove oil is one of the most effective herbal remedies used in orthopedic and therapeutic dentistry. It is used with zinc oxide for the preparation of cement, temporary fillings, medical, orthopedic, insulating pads, for making impressions.In addition, decoctions and infusions of cloves help with toothache, relieve gum inflammation, and heal wounds with aphthous stomatitis. Cloves are often found in medicines for periodontal disease.
- Diseases of blood vessels, muscles and joints. The product strengthens blood vessels and bones, helps relieve rheumatic pains, lowers cholesterol levels, and normalizes metabolism.
- Antineoplastic medicine. The spice clove has been described in folk medicine as a cancer-fighting drug. In China and the USA, studies have been carried out on the antitumor properties of the plant. It turned out that they are given by oleanolic acid and eugenol in the composition of the plant. The spice is believed to be most effective for breast, pancreatic, ovarian, cervical, colon and liver cancers. It is most useful for these diagnoses to take alcoholic clove tincture.
- External use. It is often prescribed for throat disinfection in chronic tonsillitis, treatment of wounds and ulcers on the mucous membrane and skin, treatment of lichen. In addition to disinfecting properties, it is valued for its local irritating effect: it expands blood vessels, relieves pain, reduces spasms and muscle tension, and heals wounds faster. It is used to prepare ointments and balms that help with neuralgia.
Cloves have insecticidal properties and are used to repel insects. Cloves can be used to make a natural repellent against mosquitoes, flies and ants.
What are the contraindications for cloves? Due to the tonic properties, it is forbidden to take with hypertension, pregnancy, lactation. Contraindications are acute forms of diseases of the urinary, digestive system, can not be taken with gastritis with high acidity. In case of an overdose of clove essential oil, allergies are possible in the form of hives and itching, headache, dizziness, and indigestion.
The use of cloves in traditional medicine
In folk medicine, cloves are taken both externally (in the form of oil) and internally (decoctions, infusions in water and alcohol or vodka). If it is not possible to prepare the raw materials yourself, you can purchase a carnation at the pharmacy. It is sold in several dosage forms:
- Pharmacy balm based on herbal infusion of cloves and oils of mint, fir and eucalyptus. It is taken internally and externally.
- Powder capsules used as a dietary supplement.
- Essential oil used to treat colds, skin diseases, and arthritis.
Preparation and application of clove tincture on vodka
Vodka infusions are prepared on the basis of 5 large spoons of crushed clove buds per 100 grams of vodka. Accordingly, 25 tablespoons are taken for a half-liter bottle. It is infused for 2 weeks in a dark place. Such tincture is used for colds and bronchitis, and also for headaches - half a teaspoon is used before each meal (it is better to dilute in tea or a glass of water).
How to use dry cloves
Interestingly, the plant helps dry it too. For example, with severe toothache, you need to put a couple of buds on the tooth, chew slowly and hold for half an hour.
Helps dry cloves and infectious bowel disorders, as well as in the treatment of worms. For this, several buds are chewed (or crushed in advance) and taken orally. The powder is washed down with water - this should be repeated 3-4 times a day until complete recovery.
Clove oil
Plant oil is used externally - mainly compresses are applied for purulent lesions, rashes, eczema, wounds and boils. And it can also be advised for adolescents to treat age-related skin problems.
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The scent of clove oil acts as a mild soothing, helps to normalize the heart rate and stabilize blood pressure. Therefore, it can be used in aroma lamps, filling the house with a pleasant atmosphere.
Decoctions and infusions of cloves
Decoctions are prepared on the basis of boiling water - as a rule, the raw materials are crushed and infused for several hours. There are many ways to use this tea, here are some of them:
- For coughing and shortness of breath the following recipe is used: a tablespoon is poured with a glass of boiling water, infused for 2 hours and 2 large spoons are taken three times a day before each meal until complete recovery. The same recipe is used for gastritis and cystitis.
- From bronchial asthma as an emergency, make a decoction of 4 crushed buds and fill them with half a glass of boiling water - you need to use the whole glass during an attack. You can add honey.
- Infusion of a teaspoon of cloves in a glass of boiling water used in the treatment of barley: they put an appropriate compress during the day and at night.
- To combat excess weight green tea is used, to which a pinch of ginger powder and half a teaspoon of crushed clove buds are added. Insist in a glass of boiling water and drink the entire contents during the day, dividing into three equal portions before each meal. Of course, tea for weight loss is drunk without sugar, but if you wish, you can put lemon plastic in it.
Moonshine clove tincture recipe
If you have high-quality purified moonshine at home, then it is ideal for making cloves. You will need:
- 50 g dried cloves.
- 1 liter of moonshine.
- 6 large lemons.
The tincture is prepared in the following way:
- The spice is poured with moonshine, the jar is tightly closed with a lid and insisted for 3 days.
- Then they take 6 lemons, grate them together with the peel and mix with 1 kilogram of sugar.
- Moonshine with cloves is also poured there and insisted for a couple of days, periodically shaking the mixture.
- At the end, everything is filtered through cheesecloth and put into the refrigerator.
As a result, about 5 liters of the finished product should come out. You need to drink the medicine for the prevention of atherosclerosis twice a day, 30 ml after meals.
Preparation of medicinal raw materials
Only buds are used for medicinal purposes - they are harvested. In this case, several rules are taken into account at once:
- Collect flowers only with unblown buds.
- The buds are taken only from those plants that are at least 6 years old.
- Tear off the buds along with the peduncles (use a knife).
- Then the peduncles are removed and dried naturally or in the open air, but the temperature should not be higher than 40 ° C.
The resulting raw materials are stored in bags made of natural fabrics in conditions of low air humidity.
Hair loss
In order to strengthen, prevent hair loss, activate hair growth, 6 spicy buds are placed in a half-liter jar. The rest of the volume is filled with clean onion husks, lightly ramming the layers. Raw vodka is poured to the brim. Under a tight lid, when shaking every two days, the container is kept in the dark for a week and a half. Squeeze through a double gauze pad.
The tincture is lightly rubbed into the roots, and then distributed along the length of the strands. They are kept under a waterproof cap and scarf for two hours. Then they wash their hair with shampoo. Such procedures should be performed every three days.
How to take for adults
The recipe for its use is simple, you just need to grind the spice to a powder state, then dosed it for 10 days in a row. Adult cloves are taken at a dosage of 1/5 or 1/3 teaspoon (depending on the person's weight). You need to eat a portion 20 minutes before lunch. After ten days of therapy for prophylaxis, the agent is taken once a week. So you can defeat uninvited guests in your body, avoid intoxication.
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Special precautions and warnings
- children: children are contraindicated to take clove oil by mouth.This can cause serious side effects such as seizures, liver damage, and fluid imbalances;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding: cloves are most likely safe when taken internally as food. There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking this spice in medicinal doses if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Stay safe and avoid using it;
- bleeding: Clove oil contains a chemical called eugenol, which appears to slow blood clotting. There is a concern that taking clove oil may cause bleeding in people with bleeding disorders;
- surgery: Clove oil contains a chemical called eugenol, which appears to slow blood clotting. There is a concern that this could cause bleeding during or after surgery. Stop using this spice at least 2 weeks before your scheduled surgery.
Harvest handling
The crop is sorted and processed by manually removing the pedicels. Then left to dry in the sun for four days or sent to special ovens for drying. After such a procedure, the buds of the clove tree turn brown and become brittle, but after a while they gradually restore their former elasticity due to the accumulation of oil. The dried bud resembles a carnation - and this is how the name of the plant was coined.
After a long storage of the spice, the essential oil leaves it, so the quality of the product can be determined. Signs of a good clove are oiliness and flexibility. You can check the amount of oil by dropping the bud into water: the secret is that since oil is heavier than water, the best bud will and will stay upright. If it lies horizontally, it is less useful.
What part of the clove tree becomes a spice? Dried buds and ground fruits are used as spices.
Clove oil
In addition to decoctions and tinctures, clove oil is also used in medicine. It has a warming and calming effect, therefore it is used for massage in the treatment of headaches and to relieve unpleasant symptoms of degenerative processes in the spine. A few drops of oil during massage help increase blood flow and relieve the condition of a patient with diagnoses such as arrhythmia and bronchial asthma. With the development of rheumatism, the substance is the most effective remedy for relieving the symptoms of the disease.
This oil helps with allergic skin rashes, helps to quickly get rid of bruises and acne. The tool is used to treat burns and boils. Clove oil is highly concentrated, so make sure there is no allergic reaction before applying it to your skin. For this, 1 drop of the substance is required to be applied to the skin. If, after a few hours, redness and allergic rashes do not appear at the test site, the product can be used without fear. It is strictly forbidden to use oil for internal use.
What a smell and taste
Both the taste and aroma of this spice are incredibly intense. Cloves are able to suppress all other ingredients in dishes, even when taken in small quantities.
She has one of the most powerful aromas of any spice in the world. The taste is pungent, strong and sweet with a bitter, astringent aftertaste. The clove also has a distinct pungency, and for some it is almost pungent. This spice is very strong! The pungency is concentrated mainly in the petioles of the bud. The most subtle aroma is in the hat.
Eating cloves leaves your mouth feeling like nutmeg. Combining clove and nutmeg in spice mixes and in specific dishes is very popular as their flavors are similar and complement each other well.
History
Clove plantations
The plant was mentioned 1500-1660 BC in Ayurvedic treatises.Then it was used for rheumatic pains, sciatica, and also as an antibacterial and antiparasitic agent. The trade of Imperial China and the Spice Islands dates back over 2,500 years. Moreover, it was more valued as a medicinal plant. In particular, it was recommended for freshening the breath and it was simply indecent to come to the imperial palace without chewing a clove bud. It was widely used as a toothache medicine.
In Europe, especially in the Mediterranean, it has been known since pre-Christian times. During the time of the Roman emperors, the carnation was transported from Malaysia, through Ceylon, along the Red Sea to Alexandria and Constantinople. It is known that Emperor Constantine gave some spice to Pope Sylvester 1 as the greatest jewel. The presence of cloves in Germany in 973 was first mentioned by the Arab merchant and doctor Ibrahim ibn Yakub, who was surprised to find, among other well-known spices and cloves, on the market. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) recommends cloves as a medicinal plant in his writings.
The Portuguese and the Dutch fought bitter wars for the possession of the spice islands and for the possession of a monopoly of trade. The Dutch managed to maintain a monopoly on the carnation trade until the 17th century. The French also decided to make their own business: in 1772 in Reunion, in 1786 in French Guiana, and in 1827 in Madagascar, clove plantations were established.
Shelf life
We told you what kind of spice cloves can be. Let's briefly tell you about the shelf life of inflorescences. There are a few rules to remember:
- The ground powder is stored half a year;
- Whole buds - up to three years;
- The oil does not lose its properties up to two years.
Preservation of properties during these periods is possible only if the storage conditions are observed:
- Sealed container;
- Dry and cool place;
- Protection from direct sunlight.
We figured out the composition and shelf life, let's look at the medicinal properties and contraindications of clove seasoning.
How to choose and where to buy
A good red-brown clove, it should give off a sweet scent when squeezed between thumb and forefinger and be oily to the touch.
This spice is often sold whole and ground in the spice department stores. Buy whole cloves instead of powdered cloves, as they can often contain counterfeit spices. The buds should be solid, stem and sepals, and compact.
You can buy organic clove seasoning (that is, grown in clean places without harmful substances) at the IHerb online store.
Harvesting
During harvest, plantations begin to resemble anthills. A large number of people gather, equipped with sticks and hooks to pull up the upper branches. Usually the fruits are harvested in two steps - from early autumn to early winter and from January to mid-spring. Unblown buds are cut off - only from them first-class spices are obtained, the quality of blossoming buds is almost halved.
What is useful
What is the use of cloves for the body, this question worries many, and we will answer it. Scientific studies have shown that exotic spice can solve a number of health problems. If you use clove tinctures and teas, constantly add spice to dishes, then it will affect the body:
- - analgesic and sedative effect;
- - antiseptic and healing effect;
- - antimicrobial and antiviral effects.
In addition, cloves are an excellent remedy for parasites, this spice can kill several types of pathogenic microbes, remove them from the body and serve as a prophylactic agent against bacteria and viruses.
The unblown flowers of the clove tree give the body a refreshing and rejuvenating effect, support the normal functioning of organs, remove excess fluid, relieve spasms, give tone and vitality.
Do not be shy, ask questions to our consultants, right here on the site. We will definitely answer Leave your comments.
What to replace in the recipe
Clove is a fairly common and affordable spice that most cooks have in stock, however, when it ends unexpectedly, there are options for replacing it:
- Nutmeg - It is just as fragrant with a wonderful and unique taste that is very similar to cloves. Add the same amount of nutmeg as required by the recipe. It is ideal for all types of dishes, both sweet and savory.
- Allspice is also a worthy replacement for cloves. To use this substitute, simply add the same amount. This spice has a unique taste and has hints of black pepper that may be undesirable in sweets, for example.
- Cinnamon - It has more spice and less sweetness than other possible clove substitutes, so depending on which dish you are cooking, you may need to add one more ingredient to create the right flavor. For example, in desserts, cinnamon goes well with vanilla. Again, the amount of cinnamon (or cinnamon plus vanilla) should be equal to the amount of cloves required by the recipe.
In addition to its strong aroma and memorable taste, the clove spice is renowned for its powerful medicinal properties. Here you learned about some of the contraindications to eating and everything about its culinary use.
Chemical composition
While cloves are commonly known for their mouth-watering taste and aroma, they are packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are essential for a healthy body.
Nutritional value of ground cloves (Sygizium aromaticum) per 100 g.
| Name | number | Percentage of the daily value,% |
| Energy value | 47 Kcal | 2 |
| Carbohydrates | 10.51 g | 8 |
| Protein | 3.27 g | 6 |
| Fats | 0.15 g | 0,5 |
| Dietary fiber (fiber) | 5.4 g | 14 |
| Folates | 68 mcg | 17 |
| Niacin | 1,046 mg | 6,5 |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.388 mg | 7 |
| Pyridoxine | 0.116 mg | 9 |
| Riboflavin | 0.066 mg | 5 |
| Thiamine | 0.072 mg | 6 |
| Vitamin A | 13 IU | 0,5 |
| Vitamin C | 11.7 mg | 20 |
| Vitamin E | 0.19 mg | 1 |
| Vitamin K | 14.8 mcg | 12 |
| Sodium | 94 mg | 6 |
| Potassium | 370 mg | 8 |
| Calcium | 44 mg | 4 |
| Copper | 0.231 mg | 27 |
| Iron | 1.28 mg | 16 |
| Magnesium | 60 mg | 15 |
| Manganese | 0.256 mg | 11 |
| Phosphorus | 90 mg | 13 |
| Selenium | 7.2 μg | 13 |
| Zinc | 2.32 mg | 21 |
| Beta carotene | 8 mcg | — |
| Lutein Zeaxanthin | 464 μg | — |
Contraindications, side effects and safety
Cloves are most likely completely safe for most people when consumed as food in normal amounts. Not enough is known about the safety of oral administration of this spice in large medicinal doses.
Carnation for women. Clove oil or cream containing clove flower may be safe when applied to the skin. However, frequent and repeated application of clove oil to the mouth or gums can sometimes cause damage to the gums, dental pulp, skin, and mucous membranes.
Inhaling the smoke from clove cigarettes is not safe and can cause side effects such as breathing problems and lung infections.
The dried spice can also cause soreness and irritation in the mouth, as well as damage to dental tissue.
What is used
Harvesting begins with six-year-old plants. Ripe buds (slightly pink in color) are harvested by hand. The peduncles are removed, the buds are blanched in boiling water and then dried in the sun.
The yield from one tree reaches 8 kg per year. If, when immersed in water, the buds are in an upright position, then their quality is good. With a horizontal arrangement of buds on the surface of the water, their aroma is low.
