Clove bud ethereal oil

Botanical name: Syzygium Aromaticum

May cause skin and mucous membrane irritation; dilute before topical use. Maximum 1% dilution. Clove bud is the least toxic of the three other oils (clove bud, clove leaf and clove stem) due to the lower eugenol percentage.

The clove tree has been cultivated over 2000 years in plantations. The original wild trees are found in the Moluccas, which essential oil contains no eugenol (an aromatic yet toxic compound found in large amounts in clove essential oil). The peoples of Moluccas planted a clove tree to commemorate the birth of each child.

Clove bud essential oil is used a lot in pharmaceutical medicine now due to its high anti-bacterial, anti-viral, antiseptic properties. It is also being used in hospitals to help fight superbugs! It is a stimulating and immunity boosting oil that helps relieve pain. Clove oil has many anti-spasmodic and anaesthetic properties which have been used by dentists for many years. Even folk healers and pharmacists have recommended cloves or clove oil to relieve toothaches.

In TCM, the oil is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, and is employed for diarrhoea, hernia, bad breath and bronchitis etc. Ayurvedic healers in India have used clove to treat fevers, respiratory ailments, and digestive problems.

The oil from clove bud is the only clove oil suitable for use in aromatherapy, since it is less irritating than the leaf and stem oils.

Herbal Folk Tradition
Archeologists have uncovered some clove remains at a site in Syria and it dates as far back as 2400BC! Cloves were prized in Ancient Rome and mentioned in Chinese literature as early as 4BC.

Cloves, along with nugmeg and pepper, were among the most sought after spices since the ancient times. Cloves are used intensively as a domestic spice worldwide. Tinctures and infusions using cloves have been traditionally used for skin infections, digestive upsets, nausea, dressing for umblical cords, intestinal parasites and also to ease childbirth pain. It is however most notable used for toothache. A folk remedy for the relief of headaches consisted of clove and apple-cider vinegar.

In Indonesia and certain parts of South East Asia, the kretak cigarette is extremely popular, where they use tobacco with clove buds. In Africa, the bark, leaf, and roots have been used to increase lactation in nursing mothers. In Latin America, a tea made from the leaves and buds is consumed for breathing congestion. In ancient Persia, clove was used in love potions.

The people of the Molucca Islands were devastated by previously unknown epidemics after the Dutch destroyed all the clove trees.