In our daily life routine, we use this little sized pungent warm spice having an intense flavor and aroma in several ways; either in cooking, as oil, with tea or as mouth refreshing agent. Cloves are the flower buds of the clove tree, an evergreen also known as Syzygiumaromaticum. The flavor comes from the compound Eugenol. Though they are tiny in size and their application is mainly limited as flavoring or spicy agent, they are potentially rich in ingredients. 2.1 grams or 1 teaspoon of ground cloves contains 6 kilocalories (kcal), 0.13 grams of protein, 0.27 g total fat, 1.38 g carbohydrate, 0.7 g fiber and the same amount of ground cloves also provides 1.263 milligrams (mg) of manganese, which is 63 per cent of the Daily Value (DV) for manganese.
Cloves have anti-microbial properties that also promote improved oral health due to its effect on plaque, gingivitis, and bacteria in the mouth. That's why; it is used as herbal mouthwash, thus removes bad smells from mouth. One of the most notable potential pain-relieving benefits of cloves is their ability to help with toothaches due to the eugenol they contain, which acts as a natural antiseptic.
Eugenol, which act as natural antioxidant also work against cancer cell. One test-tube study found that clove extract helped stop the growth of tumors and promoted cell death in cancer. Another test-tube study had similar results, showing that concentrated amounts of clove oil caused cell death in 80 per cent of esophageal cancer cells.( Though, Eugenol is toxic in high amounts and overdosing on clove oil may cause liver damage, especially in children.)
Cloves also promote liver protection as they are potential natural antioxidant, which may help prevent liver disease due to their ability to help decrease oxidative stress. Metabolism, in the long run, increases free radical production and lipid profile, while decreasing the antioxidants in the liver. Clove extracts are helpful in counteracting these effects with its hepatoprotective properties. It is also believed that, cloves are used in diabetes management as they keep your blood sugar level in check by providing manganese; a mineral that can help regulate blood sugar levels.
Other notable parameter is that, cloves are involved in formation of bone, increase bone density and the mineral content as they contains Eugenol derivatives and Manganese.At last, clove is a powerful immune booster that increase the white blood cell count, thereby, improving delayed-type hypersensitivity. Its smell also helps to prevent vomiting.
However, the usage of clove should be limited within its range, especially for children. Excess amount of use may cause liver problem, irritation in skin, inflammation in gum etc. It may alter the action of ant coagulating agent like Warfarin. So, you should not use excess amount of cloves because of their potential benefits, as they may hamper your normal lifestyle.
Written by Rizwan Ahmed, Student at Department of Pharmacy at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University (BSMRSTU), Gopalganj
