Essential Oil - Clove
Essential Oil – Clove
Botanical Information
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum), formerly classified as Eugenia aromatica or Eugenia caryophyllata, belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is an evergreen tree that grows up to 12 metres tall, with a smooth grey trunk and large, glossy green leaves arranged in opposite pairs. During the rainy season, the tree produces clusters of flower buds with rosy-pink petals. As the petals fall, the calyx gradually turns deep red, and these unopened flower buds are harvested and dried to produce the cloves commonly used as a spice.
Habitat and Cultivation
Clove is believed to have originated in Indonesia, particularly the Molucca (Spice) Islands. Today it is cultivated extensively throughout tropical regions, especially in Madagascar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Madagascar and Indonesia remain the world’s leading producers of clove essential oil.
Related Species
The clove tree has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years due to its culinary, medicinal, and aromatic value. Interestingly, the original wild clove trees found in the Moluccas reportedly produced essential oil containing little or no eugenol, the compound now responsible for most of the oil’s therapeutic properties.
Traditional Uses
Clove has been valued for centuries as both a culinary spice and medicinal herb. Traditionally, clove tinctures were applied to treat skin infections, including athlete’s foot and scabies, while clove preparations were taken to relieve digestive discomfort, intestinal parasites, nausea, and toothache. It was also used to disinfect the umbilical cord after childbirth and, when infused in wine, to ease labor pain. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, clove oil has been prescribed for diarrhea, bronchitis, hernia, and bad breath. In Indonesia, cloves are famously blended with tobacco to produce Kretek cigarettes, a traditional aromatic cigarette widely used throughout the country.
Therapeutic Actions
Clove essential oil is traditionally recognized as anthelmintic, antibiotic, antiemetic, antihistaminic, antirheumatic, antineuralgic, antioxidant, antiseptic, antiviral, aphrodisiac, carminative, counter-irritant, expectorant, larvicidal, spasmolytic, stimulant, stomachic, and vermifuge. Its high concentration of eugenol contributes to its powerful antimicrobial, analgesic, and warming properties.
Extraction Method
Clove essential oil is obtained by water distillation of the flower buds and leaves, while steam distillation is used to extract oil from the stems. Additional products, including concrete, absolute, and oleoresin, are also produced from the flower buds in smaller quantities for fragrance and industrial applications.
Aroma and Characteristics
Three distinct clove oils are commercially available. Clove Bud Oil is a pale yellow liquid with a warm, sweet-spicy fragrance and a fresh fruity top note, making it the preferred choice for perfumery and aromatherapy. Clove Leaf Oil is darker brown with a stronger burnt-woody aroma, while Clove Stem Oil is pale yellow and possesses a sharper spicy-woody scent. Clove Bud Oil blends particularly well with rose, lavender, bergamot, clary sage, bay leaf, allspice, ylang-ylang, cananga, and vanilla.
Major Chemical Constituents
The chemical composition varies according to the source of the oil. Clove Bud Oil contains approximately 60–90% eugenol, together with eugenyl acetate, caryophyllene, and other minor constituents. Leaf Oil contains 82–88% eugenol with little or no eugenyl acetate, while Stem Oil has the highest eugenol concentration, ranging from 90–95%.
Safety Profile
All forms of clove essential oil may cause skin irritation and irritation of the mucous membranes if used improperly. Clove Bud Oil is considered the safest of the three because it contains a lower percentage of eugenol than leaf and stem oils. Even so, it should always be used in very low dilutions (below 1%) and with caution. Clove Leaf and Stem Oils are generally not recommended for topical aromatherapy because they are more likely to cause skin sensitization and dermatitis.
Aromatherapy Uses
Only Clove Bud Essential Oil is recommended for aromatherapy. It is traditionally used to support acne, athlete’s foot, minor burns, cuts, bruises, ulcers, wound care, toothache, and as a natural insect repellent. It is also valued for helping relieve arthritis, rheumatism, sprains, bronchitis, asthma, indigestion, colic, nausea, colds, influenza, and other minor infections because of its warming, antimicrobial, and stimulating properties.
Other Uses
Clove essential oil is widely used in dental products, including toothpastes, mouthwashes, and oral anesthetic preparations, owing to its antiseptic and analgesic properties. It also serves as a fragrance ingredient in soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, and perfumes, while its distinctive spicy flavor makes it an important ingredient in foods, confectionery, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks. Beyond personal care, clove oil is utilized in the manufacture of printing inks, adhesives, and varnishes, with Clove Leaf Oil serving as a major commercial source for the extraction of natural eugenol.
