Clove

What is Clove?

Clove is the dried flower bud of Syzygium aromaticum, a tropical evergreen tree. It is both a kitchen spice and a long-standing home remedy. In the Caribbean it is called jiwof in Haiti and clavo dulce in the Dominican Republic.

People reach for it mainly for toothache and gum pain. It is also taken as a tea for gas, nausea, coughs and sore throat.

Here is the honest verdict. Clove oil does numb mouth tissue, and small human trials back that up. Most other uses rest on tradition and lab work, not on good human studies.

Traditional use is not proof that something works, and it is not proof that it is safe. That applies to clove as much as to any remedy. The spice in food is low risk, but the concentrated oil is not.

How does Clove work?

The main active compound is eugenol, and it numbs tissue it touches. In small human trials, clove gel on the gum reduced needle-stick pain about as well as a standard numbing gel. That is the one effect with decent human support.

The rest is early-stage work. In test tubes, clove extracts slow the growth of several bacteria and yeasts. Whether that happens in a human mouth or gut is not established.

In cell and animal studies, eugenol appears to damp down inflammation signals and mop up free radicals. In animals it has also shown some effect on stomach lining and blood sugar. None of this has been confirmed in people.

Lab work also shows eugenol can slow platelets, the cells that help blood clot. That is one reason the bleeding caution below matters.

What forms does Clove come in?

You will meet clove in these forms:

Whole dried buds, used in cooking and steeped in hot water as a tea.

Ground clove powder, sold as an ordinary spice.

Clove essential oil, very concentrated, sold for external and dental use.

Dental products, such as cements and temporary filling pastes that contain eugenol.

Mouthwashes, toothpastes and sore-throat lozenges with small amounts of clove.

Capsules of clove powder or extract.

Clove-scented rubs and bay rum style skin lotions.

Clove cigarettes, or kreteks, are a separate product. They are a tobacco product and carry the usual smoking harms. Nothing on this page supports them.

Where it comes from:

Clove came to the Caribbean through the colonial spice trade from the Moluccas. By the 1700s it was grown and traded in the region, and it settled into local home practice.

Caribbean households used it in several ways:

A bud was held against an aching tooth.

Buds were boiled into bush teas for gas, chills and period cramps.

Clove went into rum infusions, bay rum rubs and spiced drinks.

It also appears in Haitian and Dominican cooking and in ritual and household scenting. Western dentistry adopted eugenol in the 1800s, and it is still used in dental pastes today.

This is history, not a recommendation for how to treat yourself now.

What does Clove help with?

• Toothache and gum pain: This is the best-supported use. Small human trials show clove gel numbs gum tissue about as well as benzocaine gel before a needle stick. The relief is short and surface-level. It does not treat the cause, such as decay or infection. A throbbing tooth needs a dentist. Numbing it and waiting can let an infection spread.
• Gas, bloating and indigestion: Caribbean households used clove tea after heavy meals. Clove is a classic carminative, meaning a spice used to ease gas. Human evidence is thin. Some animal work suggests effects on gut movement and stomach lining. Any relief you feel may come from the warm drink as much as the clove.
• Nausea: Clove was used as a simple antiemetic (anti-nausea) remedy, often as a tea or a bud chewed slowly. There are no good human trials for clove alone here. Ginger has far better evidence for nausea. If nausea is new, severe or lasts more than a couple of days, get it checked.
• Sore throat and cough: Clove appears in lozenges and gargles, and the numbing feel is real. Eugenol dulls surface pain in the mouth and throat. That is comfort, not a treatment for the infection behind it. No strong human trials support clove for curing throat infections. A sore throat with high fever or trouble swallowing needs medical care.
• Bad breath: Chewing a clove bud was a common Caribbean breath freshener. The strong aroma masks odour for a while. In test tubes, clove extracts slow some mouth bacteria. Whether that lasts on real teeth is not established. Ongoing bad breath often signals gum disease and is worth a dental visit.
• Food use and flavouring: As a spice, clove is well established and safe for most people. It flavours stews, rice, cakes, drinks and spice blends across the Caribbean. No health claim is needed here. Food amounts are small and have a long record of ordinary use.

Which foods are rich in Clove?

Clove is itself a food. You will meet it in Caribbean stews, rice dishes, pickles, cakes, spiced rum and ginger drinks. It is also in garam masala, pumpkin spice and mulled wine blends. Those cooking amounts are small and are not a concern for most people.

What are the side effects of Clove?

• Burning or stinging where clove oil touches skin or gum
• Sore, red or peeling gum tissue after repeated oil use
• Damage to the tooth pulp and nearby bone from heavy oil use
• Mouth ulcers
• Allergic skin rash or contact dermatitis
• Heartburn or stomach upset from strong tea or capsules
• Easier bruising or bleeding at high intakes
• After swallowing clove oil: vomiting, drowsiness, liver injury, low blood sugar and seizures

Good to know:

Clove as a food spice rarely causes problems. Most reactions come from the concentrated oil.

Mouth and skin irritation are the common ones, and they settle when you stop. The serious cases almost all involve swallowed clove oil.

Children are at highest risk. Even small swallowed amounts of clove oil have caused liver damage and seizures in young children.

How much Clove should you take?

• Recommended daily: Clove used as a spice in cooking needs no measuring. That use is ordinary food. Capsule labels in shops commonly list around 500 mg of clove powder, once or twice a day. Tea labels often describe one or two whole buds in a cup of hot water. These are label figures, not advice for you. Clove essential oil is a different thing. It is concentrated and labels say to use it in drops, diluted, on the outside of the body only. Swallowing it has caused serious poisoning, especially in children. There is no safe home dose of swallowed clove oil. Do not treat any figure on this page as a personal instruction.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much. Clove is not known to affect sleep or body clock. People who use the tea for gas usually drink it after meals. That is habit rather than proven timing.
• With or without food: Clove tea and capsules sit better with or after food. On an empty stomach, strong clove can feel burning. As a cooking spice, it is eaten with food by definition.
• Time to effect: Applied to the gum, the numbing feel starts within a few minutes. It usually fades within an hour or two. For digestive use, people report comfort within about half an hour of a warm cup. That may be the warmth and fluid. It may also do nothing at all for you. Clove has no proven effect on nausea, coughs or digestion in people.
• How long to take it: Food amounts can be part of everyday eating with no set limit. For a flare of toothache, clove is a stop-gap for a day or two at most. It buys time until a dentist appointment. Repeated clove oil on the gum can burn tissue and damage tooth pulp. Long-term use of clove capsules has not been studied for safety. There is no evidence base to support taking them for months.