Cloves are a spice that offers many health benefits and culinary variety. Cloves are spices originating from Asian countries such as Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and even in some areas in East Africa. Among the benefits of clove which is very well known is to increase the immune system, improve digestive health, even good for controlling health related to diabetes.
Cloves are herbs that contain anti-microbial, and anti-mutagenic properties. It can be useful to eliminate diseases of the mouth, head, and provide aphrodisiac benefits.
What is clove?
Clove, in addition to being popular as an herbal for health, is also very well known as an ingredient for providing a delicious taste for culinary delights in Asia such as savory rice or fatty rice made using cloves.
Cloves are dried flowers of the Syzygium aromaticum tree. It belongs to the tree in the Myrtaceae family. Clove phoon grows in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Clove is also used as an herb and almost all parts of clove are used, among the parts used for herbs are stems, dried shoots, and leaves that are used for making medicine, including making clove oil.
If we talk about cloves, there is a great history here. These are spices originating from Asia, in the 13th to 14th centuries ago, cloves were transported from Indonesia to China, India, Persia, Europe and Africa. at that time cloves were a very high-priced spice. So at that time a trade war to monopolize cloves began, there were many wars in Indonesia such as in Maluku whose aim was to control this spice. The Netherlands was the winner who then controlled the island of Maluku for a very long period. Now, clove is a commercial plant and is well known all over the world.
Clove Uses
The use of cloves has begun thousands of years ago such as in India, China, and the majority is used as an adjunct to culinary delights and as health herbs that are very salable.
- In ayurvedic medicine, clove is used as a remedy for tooth decay, and medicine to eliminate bad breath.
- In Chinese medicine, clove is an herb that is considered to contain aphrodisiac.
- For treatment, cloves are cut into small pieces and ground.
- Clove tea is one type of herbal that is very well known for relieving congestion.
- The benefits of clove oil are to fight headaches, flatulence, and to get rid of stretch marks.
- Clove oil can also be dissolved in water and is useful for repelling plant pests and insects.
Nutrition facts in cloves
Clove is very rich in nutrients so it is very good for curing many diseases. Based on data from the USDA, some of the nutrients found in cloves are carbohydrates, energy, protein, and dietary fiber.
While minerals in cloves include calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. Among the vitamins in cloves are vitamin E, niacin, folate, iron, zinc, phosphorus, thiamine, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K and riboflavin. While in foods such as nasi lemak, cloves are only used very little so as not to make food spicy. So for treatment is usually langusung using clove oil.
Bioactive substances in cloves
There are many bioactive compounds in cloves. Based on research, among the biocactive compounds found in cloves are flavonoids, eugenol, hexane, ethanol, methylene chloride, thymol, and benzene. This biochemistry has many properties such as antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and contains hepatoprotective.
Also see: Benefits of Ginger for Health and Beauty
Health Benefits of Cloves
From the nutritional content and bioactive compounds, we know that cloves are not ordinary spices. it has many health benefits. Among the health benefits of cloves are as below:
1. Good for digestion
Cloves are herbs that can increase the secretion of digestive enzymes and this is good for digestive health. Cloves are useful for treating stomach irritation, bloating, nausea, dyspepsia, and other digestive problems. You can roast cloves for consumption or make powder, even can be consumed with honey.
Cloves can also be useful for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.
2. As an anti-bacterial
Clove is also useful as an anti-bacterial that can fight pathogens in the body. Clove extract is the strongest part of clove to kill pathogens. In addition, clove extract is also very strong against bacteria that cause cholera.
Also read: 10 Herbs You Should Use More in Your Kitchen
3. Chemo-preventive Properties
Cloves also contain anti-carcinogenic properties, this causes the herb to attract the attention of medical experts to examine it as medicine. In a study published in the journal Oxford: Carcinogenic as can be used as an agent to fight cancer in the early stages.
In cloves there is oleanolic acid which works as an anti-tumor. While in other studies show that eugenol in cloves contains anti-cervical cancer. This is only the initial stage, but there is already a possibility that cloves can provide positive news in the fight against cancer.
4. Protect the heart
The benefits of cloves for health are also inseparable from the amount of antioxidants in them. Antioxidants are very good for fighting free radicals in the body, especially the bad effects on the liver.
Clove is a very good herb that gives antioxidants to fight free radicals.
5. Diabetes controller
Among the benefits of cloves that have long been practiced is to treat diabetes. Diabetic patients have problems with insulin levels, where the insulin produced by the body is not enough or it could not be produced at all as in type 1 diabetes.
Apparently, extracts from cloves can mimic insulin in a very extraordinary way and can control blood sugar. In the journal Ethnopharmacology it was found that cloves have good and beneficial effects on diabetic patients as part of a plant-based diet.
6. Useful for bone preservation
Cloves include phenolic compounds such as eugenol and their derivatives, including flavones, isoflavones, and flavanoids. Based on research, it increases bone tensile strength in the case of porous bones. But for this, there must be further research on cloves.
7. Useful as an anti-inflammatory
Clove is an herb that is rich in anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Based on studies in mice found that eugenol can reduce inflammation due to edema. Eugenol is also useful for reducing pain by stimulating pain receptors.
8. Good for oral health
One of the benefits of cloves is good for improving oral health. The benefits of cloves for oral health are reducing and treating oral diseases, such as gum pain, and periodontitis.
Clove extract is useful to control the growth of oral pathogens. This pathogen is responsible for various diseases of the mouth. Clove is also good for dealing with toothache because it can eliminate pain.
9. Anti-mutagenic Properties
Mutagens are chemicals that can change the genetic makeup of DNA by mutations. In cloves there are biochemical compounds such as phenylpropanoids, which have anti-mutagenic properties.
Clove extract is given to cells treated with mutagens and is able to control the mutagenic effects that are very powerful.
10. Increase body immunity
Furthermore, the health benefits of cloves are for immunity. Clove dried flower buds contain important compounds in increasing body immunity by increasing levels of white blood cells. Increased white blood cells can cause increased delayed-type hypersensitivity.
