Throat, Stomach, Liver: What Else Can Cloves Help Treat?
Among the wide variety of spices, cloves hold a special place. With their bold, aromatic flavor, they are widely used in cooking. However, not everyone knows that cloves can also be used for medicinal purposes.
Here are 5 health issues that cloves may help address.
There are plenty of good reasons to keep cloves in your kitchen. Their digestive and antimicrobial properties make them excellent for therapeutic use. Cloves have been used in medicine for centuries, valued for their beneficial effects. This spice is nothing more than dried flower buds of the clove tree. Its components positively impact metabolism and digestive functions.
Cloves: 5 Uses for Your Health
Cloves are widely used in culinary practices, but it’s useful to understand their healing potential. They contain tannins, flavonoids, sterols, and other compounds that benefit our health.
So, how can cloves be used for wellness? For starters, they are natural stimulants. Cloves are used to boost appetite, reduce intestinal gas, and treat oral infections.
Extracts and oils from cloves are often found in toothpaste and dental care products meant to treat oral diseases.
Let’s explore what else cloves can help with:
1. Digestive Issues
People have long known about the digestive benefits of cloves. As mentioned earlier, they aid digestion and help reduce gas.
Their carminative and anti-inflammatory effects are used to alleviate bloating and improve digestion. In animal studies, clove extract has even shown promise in treating ulcers—though more research is needed for humans.
Digestive Relief Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 dried cloves
- 1 cup clean water
Preparation:
Boil the water, then add the cloves. Remove from heat and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink twice a day for three consecutive days.
2. Sore Throat
Cloves’ antimicrobial properties help combat pathogens that cause throat infections.
Sore Throat Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 g ground cloves
- 1 tbsp grated radish (15 g)
- 1 tbsp honey (15 g)
- 1 cup clean water
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in warm water and gargle for 2–3 minutes. Repeat several times a day.
3. Oral Health
Cloves help maintain oral hygiene by slowing the growth of harmful bacteria, reducing plaque buildup, easing toothaches, and fighting bad breath.
However, for severe tooth pain, it’s best to see a dentist promptly.
Mouthwash Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 dried cloves
- 2 sprigs of parsley
- 2 cups clean water
Preparation:
Add parsley and cloves to boiling water, simmer for 2 minutes, then cover and steep for 10–15 minutes. Strain and rinse your mouth 3 times daily.
4. Liver Function
Clove buds contain eugenol, an active compound essential for liver health. Cloves may help treat fatty liver disease and reduce oxidative stress. They’ve even shown promise in supporting the liver during conditions like cirrhosis.
Liver Support Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 dried cloves
- 1 cup clean water
- 1 tbsp honey
Preparation:
Pour boiling water over the cloves, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain, add honey, and drink once daily for two weeks.
5. Cough Relief
Cloves are effective against cough and respiratory infections. Their active compounds combat viruses and bacteria that target the lungs and also support immune response.
Cough Remedy Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 dried cloves
- 1 cup clean water
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice of half a lemon
Preparation:
Boil the water, add cloves, lemon juice, and honey. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Drink one cup every evening before bed until symptoms subside.
Cloves are undoubtedly a powerful and essential spice for both culinary and medicinal use, wouldn’t you agree?
