Did you know that clove is a rich, brown, dried, unopened flower bud of an evergreen tropical tree? It owes its name to its resemblance with a nail – the French word for which is “clou.”
You can gauge the importance of this Indian spice from the fact that it was one of the top three spices (apart from nutmeg and pepper) that the Romans prized very highly.
Centuries later, cloves still hold their relevance in the world – especially in the medicine and Ayurveda world. Let’s look at a few health benefits of clove – that will make you hoard these magic buds!
Health Benefits of cloves
Natural Mouth Freshener
Cloves clean the tongue and palate and remove any bacteria or decaying matter that cause strong odour in the mouth. Chewing on clove gargling with clove water or clove oil diluted with water is an instant way to fight bad breath.
Aides Digestion
Cloves contain 14 to 20 percent essential oil, the principal component of which is eugenol which improves digestion. Cloves also promote release of digestive enzymes and curbs the production of digestive gases.
Part of many home remedies
Cloves are a household favourite when it comes to quick fixes like relieving toothache. Just press a clove bud between your teeth and feel the pain fade away. Cloves contain a certain type of salicylate that can help with acne. Apply clove oil diluted with a carrier oil to see the magic over time.
Boosts immunity
Start consuming two cloves with warm water daily to improve your immunity. It will also help you get rid of the problem of cold, cough, viral infection, bronchitis, sinus, etc.
Supplies important nutrients
Cloves contain fibre, vitamins, and minerals, so make sure you add cloves as a flavouring agent in your food regularly.
One teaspoon (2 grams) of ground cloves contains:
Calories: 6
Carbs: 1 gm
Fibre: 1 gm
Manganese: 55% of the Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin K: 2% of the DV
To get you a dose of these medicinal values, Idukki Gold Spices picks quality whole cloves from the fertile Western Ghats. Idukki Gold spices are oil-rich, whole, and do not contain any woody, fragile cloves.
