Uses of Clove
- In the culinary field, these are most known to flavor hot drinks like tea, cookies, breads and cakes.
- In the field of medicine, clove is most famous for its use in making toothpaste.
- In the world of cosmetic also clove makes its presence in the form of soaps and some perfumes.
How to Buy Cloves
- Cloves can be bought whole or in the ground form.
- Whole cloves are much more aromatic and flavourful, and so you should try to buy whole cloves as opposed to the ground powder.
- Whole cloves should be compact and free of any blemishes.
- The clove powder should be dark in colour and have a strong aroma.
Other common Indian names of Cloves
- Hindi – Laung / Lavang
- Marathi – Lavang
- Gujarati – Laving
- Tamil : Lavangam / Kiraambu
- Malayalam : Grambu
- Telugu : Lavangam / Lavangalu
- Kannada : Lavanga / Lavangapattai
- Bengali : Labango
- Punjabi : Laung
Nutrients in Clove
One teaspoon (2 grams) of ground cloves contains
- Energy: 6 calories
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
10 Health Benefits of Clove
The buds of the clove can be used as whole or in powder form in cooking. Alternatively their oil is extracted which has many health benefits too. In either form its active compound ‘eugenol’ is the main highlight which has been shown to act as an antioxidant. With it’s this key compound it has main benefits. A few of them are:
- It helps reduce the oxidative stress in the body by helping ward off the free radicals.
- It has the ability to kill micro-organisms like the bacteria and help overcome cold and cough. Clove Tea is known to be one of the most common home remedy to relieve congestion.
- Clove oil is also essentially known to relieve toothache.
- Some mouth rinses have also being making use of clove to help reducing oral inflammation.
- Clove oil applied on head is known to relieve headache is some people.
- Keeping 1 to 2 cloves in the mouth can help overcome halitosis (bad breath).
- It may help reduce inflammation in the body and protect heart and liver health.
- Some studies also show that clove may help regulate blood sugar levels too.
- Recent studies also prove that clove may help in preventing some types of cancer.
- A few drops of clove oil applied on acne may help to treat it.
How is Clove used in Indian Cooking?
- To begin with the morning tea which makes use of Chai ka Masala makes use of clove.
![Chai ka Masala, Chai Powder, Tea Masala, Indian Masala Tea Powder]()
Chai ka Masala, Chai Powder, Tea Masala, Indian Masala Tea Powder
![Punjabi Garam Masala]()
Punjabi Garam Masala
- Gujaratis are very fascinated with the use of clove when it comes to making Gujarati delicacies like Gujarati dal, Dal Dhokli etc.
![Dal Dhokli]()
Dal Dhokli
- The most yummy restaurant style Vegetable Biryani also uses clove in the tempering in its whole form.
![Vegetable Biryani ( Desi Khana)]()
Vegetable Biryani ( Desi Khana)
- Smilarly South Indian cuisine also makes use of clove while tempering Vegetable Stew.
![Vegetable Stew ( Idlis and Dosas)]()
Vegetable Stew ( Idlis and Dosas)
Takeaway
Clove has many health benefits and can easily be incorporated in the diet However more research in required in the many fields on how clove benefits us and in what quantity can it benefit us. Nevertheless, since we use clove in minimal quantity and it’s over dose is very less likely to take place because of its extremely strong aroma, go ahead and use it… don’t miss out on this precious spice.
It is advisable to use clove in the treatment of tooth pain, acne and diabetes management under your doctor’s supervision only.