Cloves (
Syzygium aromaticum,
syn. Eugenia aromaticum or
Eugenia caryophyllata) are the aromatic dried
flower buds of a tree in the family
Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to
Indonesia and
India and used as a
spice in cuisine all over the world. The English name derives from Latin
clavus 'nail' (also origin of French
clou 'nail') as the buds vaguely resemble small irregular nails in shape. Cloves are harvested primarily in
Indonesia,
Madagascar,
Zanzibar,
Pakistan, and
Sri Lanka; they are also grown in
India under the name
Lavang. In
Vietnam, it is called
đinh hương.
The clove tree is an
evergreen which grows to a height ranging from 8-12 m, having large square
leaves and sanguine flowers in numerous groups of terminal clusters. The flower buds are at first of a pale color and gradually become green, after which they develop into a bright red, when they are ready for collecting. Cloves are harvested when 1.5–2 cm long, and consist of a long
calyx, terminating in four spreading
sepals, and four unopened petals which form a small ball in the centre.
Nomenclature and taxonomy
Uses
Dried cloves
- 110,000 tonnes).
Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong, they are used sparingly. The spice is used throughout
Europe and
Asia and is smoked in a type of
cigarettes locally known as
kretek in Indonesia. A major brand of kreteks in the United States was Djarum, which sells Djarum Black. Clove cigarettes (as well as fruit and candy flavored cigarettes) have been outlawed in the US. Cloves are also an important
incense material in
Chinese and
Japanese culture.
Dried cloves also play a major role in the production of
chai tea, an Indian spiced black tea. The tea is described by many as having a sweet cinnamon taste.
Cloves have historically been used in
Indian cuisine (both
North Indian and
South Indian) as well as Mexican cuisine (best known as "clavos de olor"), where it is often paired together with
cumin and
cinnamon. In north Indian cuisine, it is used in almost all dishes, along with other spices. It is also a key ingredient in tea along with green cardamom. In south Indian cuisine, it is used extensively in
biryani along with "cloves dish" (similar to
pilaf, but with the addition of other spices), and it is normally added whole to enhance the presentation and flavor of the rice. In Vietnamese cuisine, cloves are often used to season pho broth.
Due to the Indonesian influence the use of cloves is widespread in the
Netherlands. Cloves are used in cheeses, often in combination with cumin. Cloves are an essential ingredient for making Dutch
speculaas. Furthermore cloves are used in traditional Dutch stews like
hachee.
Its essence is commonly used in the production of many perfumes.
During
Christmas, it is a tradition in some European countries to make a
pomander from cloves and oranges to hang around the house. This spreads a nice scent throughout the house and the oranges themselves act as Christmas decorations.
Medicinal and nostrums
Cloves are used in
Ayurveda called Lavang in
India,
Chinese medicine and western
herbalism and
dentistry where the essential oil is used as an
anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies. Cloves are used as a
carminative, to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach and to improve
peristalsis. Cloves are also said to be a natural
antihelmintic. 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.
In Chinese medicine cloves or
ding xiang are considered acrid, warm and aromatic, entering the
kidney,
spleen and
stomach meridians, and are notable in their ability to warm the middle, direct stomach
qi downward, to treat
hiccough and to fortify the kidney
yang.
[Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition by Dan Bensky, Steven Clavey, Erich Stoger, and Andrew Gamble 2004] Because the herb is so warming it is contraindicated in any persons with fire symptoms and according to classical sources should not be used for anything except cold from yang deficiency. As such it is used in formulas for impotence or clear vaginal discharge from yang deficiency, for morning sickness together with
ginseng and
patchouli, or for vomiting and diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness.
This would translate to
hypochlorhydria.
Clove oil is used in various skin disorders like acne, pimples etc.
It is also used in severe burns, skin irritations and to reduce the sensitiveness of skin.
Ayurvedic herbalist K.P. Khalsa, RH (AHG), uses cloves internally as a tea and topically as an oil for hypotonic muscles, including for multiple sclerosis. This is also found in Tibetan medicine. Ayurvedic herbalist Alan Tilotson, RH (AHG) suggests avoiding more than occasional use of cloves internally in the presence of
pitta inflammation such as is found in acute flares of autoimmune diseases.
In West Africa, the Yorubas use cloves infused in water as a treatment for stomach upsets, vomiting and diarrhea.The infusion is called Ogun Jedi-jedi.
Western studies have supported the use of cloves and clove oil for dental pain, and to a lesser extent for fever reduction, as a mosquito repellent and to prevent premature ejaculation. Clove may reduce blood sugar levels.
History
Until modern times, cloves grew only on a few islands in the
Maluku Islands (historically called the
Spice Islands), including
Bacan,
Makian,
Moti,
Ternate, and
Tidore.
Nevertheless, they found their way west to the
Middle East and
Europe well before the first century AD. Archeologists found cloves within a ceramic vessel in
Syria along with evidence dating the find to within a few years of 1721 BC.
Cloves, along with
nutmeg and
pepper, were highly prized in
Roman times, and
Pliny the Elder once famously complained that "there is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of fifty million
sesterces." Cloves were traded by
Arabs during the
Middle Ages in the profitable
Indian Ocean trade. In the late fifteenth century,
Portugal took over the Indian Ocean trade, including cloves, due to the
Treaty of Tordesillas with
Spain and a separate treaty with the sultan of
Ternate. The Portuguese brought large quantities of cloves to
Europe, mainly from the
Maluku Islands. Clove was then one of the most valuable spices, a
kg costing around 7 g of
gold.
The high value of cloves and other spices drove Spain to seek new routes to the Maluku Islands, which would not be seen as trespassing on the Portuguese domain in the Indian Ocean. Fernando e Isabela sponsored the unsuccessful voyages of Cristobal Colon (Columbus), and their grandson Carlos I sponsored the voyage of Hernando de Magallanes (Magellan). The fleet led by Magallanes reached the Maluku Islands after his death, and the Spanish were successful in briefly capturing this trade from the Portuguese. The trade later became dominated by the
Dutch in the seventeenth century. With great difficulty the
French succeeded in introducing the clove tree into
Mauritius in the year 1770. Subsequently, their cultivation was introduced into
Guiana,
Brazil, most of the
West Indies, and
Zanzibar.
In Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, cloves were worth at least their weight in gold, due to the high price of importing them.
Active compounds
The compound
eugenol is responsible for most of the characteristic aroma of cloves.
The compound responsible for the cloves' aroma is
eugenol. It is the main component in the
essential oil extracted from cloves, comprising 72-90%. Eugenol has pronounced antiseptic and anaesthetic properties. Other important constituents include essential oils
acetyl eugenol, beta-
caryophyllene and
vanillin;
crategolic acid;
tannins,
gallotannic acid,
methyl salicylate (painkiller); the
flavonoids
eugenin,
kaempferol,
rhamnetin, and
eugenitin; tri
terpenoids like
oleanolic acid,
stigmasterol and
campesterol; and several
sesquiterpenes.
Notes and references
See also
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