Clove Essential Oil

LIVE: CLOVE
Young Living says “Clove is an important ingredient in Young Living’s Thieves oil blend, and has a scent that is very warm and inviting. Always dilute Clove when using topically.”

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) oil is steam distilled from the flower buds. The clove tree is an evergreen that grows about 30′ – 40′ tall and is an ultra-tropical tree which will not survive temperatures below 50F, or above 100F. It requires a humid climate with 50 to 70 inches of rainfall annually; well-drained, fertile loam; and a position in full sun or part shade. I will not be able to grow this tree indoors because my indoor temperature will occasionally drop below 50 in the winter. The buds start out a pale, milky white color, which gradually shifts to green. Just before blooming, the flower buds take on a deep red color – it is at this stage that they are ready to be picked. If allowed to flower, the plant produces a striking pink flower, which is then followed by purple berries. The fruit, called mother-of-cloves, is an edible purple berry about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch across. The entire plant is extremely ­aromatic.

POST:
Cloves contain – among other compounds – gallotannins, triterpenes, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Oil derived from Cloves contains additional compounds including 60–90% eugenol, acetyl eugenol, caryophyllene and other minor constituents.

LIVE:
Clove has a long history as a folk remedy for toothache. Pakistan folk medicine used cloves to treat the common cold, cough and flu to more serious conditions such as asthma, jaundice and heat stroke.  Europeans used clove tea as a digestive aid. Traditional Chinese medicine used cloves to treat fungal infections, diarrhea, hernia, hiccups, indigestion, intestinal parasites, impotence, ringworm, and kidney disorders. During the Middle Ages, cloves were used to cure the plague and were also considered an aphrodisiac due to the similarity in shape to the human penis. I know a ballerina who uses it on her feet and legs diluted by a carrier oil to help with sore and achey muscles after hours of dancing.

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