Cloves – Erakina

Cloves are fragrant flower buds that grow throughout the year. Cloves have healthy properties and are used in various treatments to ensure the health of the consumer. It belongs to the category of spices and can be found in both forms – whole and grounded. Being a versatile spice, it is used in various ways from adding flavor in foods and beverages to its usage in conventional medicines. Cloves are very healthy owing to their antioxidants and nutritional composition and scientists even find them as an effective cure for cancer. Cloves are in use since time immemorial and were used as a significant trade item during colonial times. Cloves being a spicy item, alongside its health proposition was highly traded and there were tussles among the colonial powers to possess trading of spices, especially cloves. 

Scientific classification of cloves

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Clade: Tracheophytes / Angiosperms / Eudicots / Rosids
• Order: Myrtales
• Family: Myrtaceae
• Genus: Syzgium
• Species: S. aromaticum

How healthy are cloves?

Cloves are an abundance of healthy components making them a perfect blend of healthy items. It contains vitamins, fibers, and minerals. These components are present in cloves whether it is in whole or grounded forms. One teaspoon of clove about 2 grams consist of the following nutrients:

• Calories: 6
• Carbs: 1 gram
• Fiber: 1 gram
• Vitamin K: 2% of the Daily Value (DV) 
• Manganese: 55% of the DV

Manganese is a significant component of cloves that enhances its health proposition. It helps to manage the body’s enzymes to produce hormones and repair bones. The high content of manganese in cloves stimulates brain functioning and acts as antioxidants to safeguard the body from sorts of radicals. The rich quotient of manganese in cloves makes it a healthy spice, or else it has no such significance in terms of nutrients. 

What are the health benefits of cloves?

Cloves are healthy spices having a range of health benefits for the users. The antioxidants proponents in cloves lead to various health benefits:

Curing bad breath

Clove is a home remedy to cure bad breath. It cleans the tongue, upper part, and palate of the throat by destroying the bacteria inside the mouth. If you chew a clove or gargle your mouth with a clove-based solution, it delivers a strong aroma doing away with bad smells in the mouth. 

Cloves control diabetes

Cloves are healthy spices leading to the efficient functioning of insulin. Having a clove during your meal enhances insulin levels in the body and releases gastrointestinal hormones for digestion. Clove can reduce glucose levels in the blood as well as bad cholesterol (LDL). So if you are a type 2 diabetic, make sure to boost your insulin level by having a clove while having meals. 

Improves digestion

Cloves have essential oils like categoric acid and eugenic acid that help indigestion. The healthy spice increases the digestive enzymes as well as digestive motility. The phenomenon reduces the generation of excessive digestive gasses that otherwise may lead to stomach bloating. Consuming clove also clears your gastrointestinal tract reducing the risk of vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. 

Cloves fight against cancer

The healthy components of cloves help in preventing the growth of cancer cells in the body. Usage of clove oil can destroy 80% of esophageal cancer cells owing to the anti-cancer properties of eugenol in cloves. The healthy spice can also destroy the cervical cancer cells but overuse of clove can be harmful, especially for the kids. 

Antibacterial properties of cloves

Cloves have germicidal properties that are effective in toothache, dental pains, mouth ulcers, and sore gums. Again, if you are suffering from respiratory ailments like cold, asthma, and bronchitis clove oil will be quite effective in relieving the anxiety. Clove oil is further used to treat bacterial and fungal issues like athlete’s foot and vaginal infections. 

The bottom line

Cloves have countless benefits to keep you healthy. Besides using it as a flavor aspect for cooking, cloves are used for numerous ailments. From controlling diabetes and checking the growth of cancer cells and bad breath, cloves are used to improve the health of the liver, bones, and reduce stress. Cloves are easily available in the market or your neighborhood grocery, so make them a part of your diet to stay healthy.