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Banish or treat winter illnesses with these herbs
Cloves, Naeltjies - Syzygium aromaticum
Condensed Version:
This tropical evergreen tree can grow 10 to 20m tall and has an attractive triangular shape and long glossy leaves. The attractive red and white bell shaped flowers bloom year round in clusters at the ends of the branches. The buds are pink, but the calyx changes from yellow to deep red-pink after the stamens fall. The spice we know as Cloves are the unopened, sundried flower buds, which start of pale and gradually turn green then transition to a bright red when ready for harvest.
Clove oil has two major components, eugenol and beta-caryophyllene, which constitute 78% and 13% of the oil, respectively. Clove oil and these components are generally recognized as 'safe. Eugenol is a pain killer, and is used as an analgesic (painkiller). In western herbalism and dentistry the essential oil is used as an anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies, and to disinfect root canals; mixed with zinc oxide it is used to form a temporary tooth cavity filling. Clove is also used as an antibiotic; antiseptic; anthelmintic (drugs that expel parasitic worms); anti-rheumatic; and carminative agent. Cloves are also an excellent source of manganese, vitamins C and K and dietary fibre. The herb is also rich in calcium and magnesium. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed, especially for digestive problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen are said to warm the digestive tract.
Cloves remain the ‘King of spices’ and have been long used in traditional liqueurs, mulled wines and sauces. They remain a favourite to add to Chinese 5 spice powder, pickles, preserves, cakes, buns biscuits, and stewed fruits; and pair well with cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, red wine, and basil, as well as onion, citrus peel, star anise, or peppercorns. Cloves are used extensively in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern cuisines, lending flavour to meats, curries, and marinades, as well as a complement to fruit such as apples, pears, or rhubarb. In Mexican cuisine, cloves are best known as 'clavos de olor', and often accompany cumin and cinnamon. In Europe cloves are used for special types of sweets or sweet breads, and for stewed fruits. Plain rice is also often flavoured by one or two cloves. In France, cloves often go into meat stews or broths; and in England, they are most popular in pickles.
Full Version:
Description, History & Interesting Facts:
This tropical evergreen tree can grow 10 to 20m tall and has an attractive triangular shape and long glossy leaves. The attractive red and white bell shaped flowers bloom year round in clusters at the ends of the branches and have four tiny petals surrounded by a long, four-parted calyx (the “stem” of the clove) and numerous stamens. The buds are pink, but the calyx changes from yellow to deep red-pink after the stamens fall. The spice we know as Cloves are the unopened, sundried flower buds, which start of pale and gradually turn green then transition to a bright red when ready for harvest.
In their natural habitat the trees grow well near the sea in full sun an on open sandy loam and laterite soil (laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas,) and at altitudes from sea level to 600m.
Click here to see Google Images of the beautiful Clove Tree
Until modern times clove trees were endemic in the North Moluccas (Indonesia); historically called the Spice Islands; including Ternate, Tidore, Bacan and the West coast of Halmahera. In fact, the clove tree that experts believe is the oldest in the world, named Afo, is on Ternate; and is between 350 and 400 years old. Clove trees were already introduced to China before 200 BC and eventually became the country's greatest export; and in the third century BC, a Chinese leader in the Han Dynasty required those who addressed him to chew cloves to freshen their breath. Cloves were traded by Muslim sailors and merchants during the Middle Ages in the profitable Indian Ocean trade; and Archaeologists have also found cloves in a ceramic vessel in Syria, with evidence that dates the find to within a few years of 1721 BC. Arab traders brought cloves to Europe in the time of the Romans, and at that time cloves were still very expensive and a highly coveted luxury. The French took the plants to Reunion Island, the Seychelles and Mauritius; but The Dutch East India Company had the monopoly of the spice trade by the 17th century, and sought to gain the monopoly in cloves like they had in nutmeg. However, unlike nutmeg and mace, which were limited to the minute Bandas, clove trees grew all over the Moluccas, and the trade in them could not be effectively policed.
Although the demand for this spice was great and the small trees were fetching a very high price; they were planted all over the tropics. The most important production area today is the island of Pemba, which together with Zanzibar forms one part of the state of Tanzania. The whole island of Pemba is covered with clove gardens, and it is reported that the island can be smelled on any ship approaching it. Cloves are also grown on other East African islands, most notably, Madagascar. In Indonesia clove production has recovered after World War II, when the country was forced to import cloves to satisfy the huge domestic market. Cloves are also grown commercially in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Uses:
Indonesians are the main consumers of cloves and use up nearly 50 percent of the world's production, not for cooking but rather for smoking. Cigarettes flavoured with cloves (kretek) are extremely popular and nearly every Indonesian enjoys them; and their sweet, incense-like aroma pervades Indonesian restaurants, buses, markets and offices. Clove is much used in perfumes, liqueurs, and love potions; as well as to make a fragrant pomander when combined with an orange. Clove oil is also used as a mosquito repellent. The volatile oil from the buds is used in perfumery and in the manufacture of vanillin (artificial vanilla flavouring).
Health Benefits:
Because of its antiseptic properties, clove was used in the past as a prevention of contagious diseases, such as the Plaque; and traditional Chinese physicians have long used the plant to treat almost everything; including indigestion, stomach infection and fungal infections. India's traditional Ayurvedic healers have used clove since ancient times to treat respiratory and digestive ailments; and medieval German herbalists used cloves as part of anti-gout mixture.
Clove oil has two major components, eugenol and beta-caryophyllene, which constitute 78% and 13% of the oil, respectively. Clove oil and these components are generally recognized as 'safe. Eugenol is a pain killer, and is used as an analgesic (painkiller). In western herbalism and dentistry the essential oil is used as an anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies, and to disinfect root canals; mixed with zinc oxide it is used to form a temporary tooth cavity filling. Clove is also used as an antibiotic; antiseptic; anthelmintic (drugs that expel parasitic worms); anti-rheumatic; and carminative agent. Cloves are also an excellent source of manganese, vitamins C and K and dietary fibre. The herb is also rich in calcium and magnesium.
The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed, especially for digestive problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen are said to warm the digestive tract.
Anti-Fungal Powder:
To make a powder that reduces sweating and retards fungal growth, use one cup of dried sage leaves and one teaspoon of whole cloves. Make sure the sage leaves are thoroughly dried. Place the ingredients in a coffee grinder or blender and process until finely ground. Sprinkle this powder in socks or on feet daily.
In the Kitchen:
Cloves remain the ‘King of spices’ and have been long used in traditional liqueurs, mulled wines and sauces. They remain a favourite to add to Chinese 5 spice powder, pickles, preserves, cakes, buns biscuits, and stewed fruits; and pair well with cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, red wine, and basil, as well as onion, citrus peel, star anise, or peppercorns. Cloves are used extensively in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern cuisines, lending flavour to meats, curries, and marinades, as well as a complement to fruit such as apples, pears, or rhubarb. In Mexican cuisine, cloves are best known as 'clavos de olor', and often accompany cumin and cinnamon. In Europe cloves are used for special types of sweets or sweet breads, and for stewed fruits. Plain rice is also often flavoured by one or two cloves. In France, cloves often go into meat stews or broths; and in England, they are most popular in pickles.
In the Garden:
This beautiful multi-stemmed tree offers cool shade and is suitable for gardens.
Cultivation & Harvesting:
Clove trees are grown from fresh seeds and will take about 6 to 8 years to flower, and remain productive for up to 60 years.
In gardens they thrive in rich, loamy soil with high humus content. Cloves are tender to cold and will not grow where the temperatures drop below 10°C. They require a humid, warm tropical climate with lots of water year-round, but can be grown in greenhouse outside of the tropics.
Cloves are either handpicked or collected by beating the tree with bamboo sticks when the buds are 1.5 to 2cm long, and consist of a long calyx that terminates in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals that form a small central ball. When collected, the cloves are green, or slightly pink in colour and after drying in the sun, they turn brownish black.
Propagation:
The plants are propagated by seeds, and will not germinate when dried. Fresh seed is not widely available outside of areas where cloves are grown. Fresh seeds should be planted soon after removal from the fruit. Germination generally begins within days, though root sprouts can take a few weeks to show. Plant the seed close to the soil surface; in moist, well-drained soil. Provide a high humidity environment. Soil and air temperature should be at 23 to 25°C.
Caution:
The information contained within this website is for educational purposes only, recording the traditional uses of specific plants as recorded through history.
Always seek advice from a medical practitioner before starting a home treatment programme.
Clove oil is very potent and should be used with care. If it is added to an oil, lotion or cream and applied to the skin, the concentration should be well below 1%. It may cause irritation to the skin of some individuals and can easily irritate the mucus membranes.
It should be avoided during pregnancy.