Clove Essential Oil Uses And Benefits

 

(Written for https://www.youngliving.com/blog/)

Clove Essential Oil Origins

What Is Clove Oil?  

Clove oil is instantly recognized by many due to its spicy, warm scent. It has a nostalgic reminder of fall and winter holidays spent cozily at home with family while baking holiday goodies.  Clove oil is the same as clove essential oil. It is distilled from the same clove plant where you get the clove spice you use while baking delicious cookies or loaves of holiday bread.

The Chinese have used cloves for over 2,000 years as a perfume and a spice, as well as used it for its antifungal and antibacterial qualities, to treat digestive issues, fevers, and respiratory problems. People would even hold cloves in their mouths to improve bad breath during an audience with the emperor. The cultivation of cloves was nearly exclusively in China and Indonesia until the late 1700’s when the French smuggled some cloves from the East Indies to the islands in the Indian Ocean and to the New World.

Clove oil was an ingredient in one of the core therapeutic grade essential oil blends that protected people from catching the bubonic plague in Europe during the Dark Ages. The story goes that robbers covered themselves in thieves oil so they could rob the graves of the victims. One of the oils in the thieves blend was clove oil, combined with Lemon oil, Cinnamon Bark oil, Eucalyptus oil, and Rosemary oil.

Clove essential oil can be used for lots of different things and improve your health and prevent illnesses.

How Is Clove Oil Made?

Clove essential oil is produced by taking the clove flower bud and plant stem and is steam distilled to obtain the highly concentrated essence of pure clove oil or the clove extract. The rich oil of cloves that results from this process contains the active ingredient of eugenol. Eugenol is sometimes used as a local antiseptic. Eugenol is also found in other essential oils in addition to clove essential oil, as well as used in perfumes. It has also been found to have useful applications when combined with zinc oxide in dental work. Eugenol being a part of clove essential oil is, in part, what makes the clove oil so potent and versatile. 

Clove Oil Uses

How Do You Use Clove Oil?

Depending on what you need to be healed or fixed, you can either apply clove oil topically, ingest it either in oil form or in capsule form, put a few drops in a warm bath to soak in and enjoy its aroma, put it in a oil diffuser to create a homey and inviting smell and atmosphere, or add it to water in a spray bottle and use as an excellent air freshener. Adding clove oil to your repertoire of natural remedies is a great way to boost your antioxidant levels, promote general health, and fight various infections, both in the mouth and gums, and respiratory problems. 

You can use the clove oil for topical applications and apply directly to whatever spot is ailing you. Be sure to use a carrier oil, like olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil, to dilute the clove oil, since it is very strong and may irritate sensitive skin or burn you. If you have a toothache, apply directly to the gums surrounding the painful tooth. If you want to protect yourself and boost your immune system against a cold or flu bug that is floating around, put it around your neck and chest for antioxidant protection. If you have high blood pressure, you can also apply the clove oil topically on your wrist to help lower your blood pressure.

You can also combine clove oil with V-6™ Vegetable Oil Complex carrier oil and use it for a soothing and relaxing massage that will rejuvenate you. Dilute 1 drop of clove oil with 4 drops of V-6™ or another carrier oil to be sure you don’t irritate your skin.

Can You Diffuse Clove Essential Oil?

Yes! Studies have shown that diffusing clove essential oil and inhaling the distillation of essential oils has helped fight respiratory tract infections. And, a plus side to using clove oil in an essential oil diffuser is it smells extremely nice and will create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home, reminiscent of fall and winter fun and holidays that you can carry with you all year round, in addition to improving overall health benefits. Young Living’s Desert Mist Diffuser is the perfect way to diffuse clove essential oil in your home or office and start being able to benefit from the health advantages of this highly versatile oil.

What Mixes Well With Clove Oil? What Are Some Clove Essential Oil Alternatives?

Clove oil is one of the core oils in the Thieves essential oil blend that helps boost your immune system.  ImmuPower essential oil is another essential oil that has clove oil as one of the main ingredients in this essential oil that promotes positive energy and improves your immune system as well. Clove Vitality is one of the few ways that it is safe to ingest clove oil orally. You can add a drop of Clove Vitality to a vegetarian capsule and take as a daily dietary supplement, or substitute it for ground spice or ground cloves in recipes, or add a drop to homemade cider, wassail, or to a warm bowl of oatmeal.

Clove Oil Benefits

What Is Clove Oil Good For?

Clove oil has been found to be effective for many different types of dental use. One of the most well-known clove oil uses is as a remedy for toothaches and helping to soothe the gums, which the Chinese have been using as a homeopathic remedy for over 2,000 years. You can apply a few drops of clove oil directly to the gums with a cotton ball or cotton swab. Make sure to only use for adults or older children, and if you are going to use clove oil for a small child, to be especially sure to use it with a carrier oil to achieve the desired dilution. Small children may need the essential oil to be more diluted than an adult would need it to be diluted.

Clove essential oil has also been found to be successful as a natural remedy in treating dry sockets and for relieving pain that results from various dental issues. In 2012, scientists investigated the effectiveness of clove oil on the erosion of teeth and gums resulting from acidic beverages, like apple juice, which can cause the decalcification of enamel and cause cavities. According to this study, clove oil was successful in preventing dental erosion, in a similar way that fluoride works in preventing cavities. In 2016 a study was performed where they tested 10 natural plant products to see how effective they were against the bacteria that cause oral cavities. Of the ten plant products, clove oil was found to be the most successful at preventing cavities. Lastly, in 2006, researchers compared the pain-relieving ability of clove gel and benzocaine, which is used as a topical anesthetic. There was no significant difference between the lowered pain scores and reported pain relief from the clove gel versus the benzocaine gel, leading them to conclude that clove gel could be a potential replacement for benzocaine as a topical, local anesthetic.

Clove oil can also help boost your immune system with its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Researchers have also studied the effectiveness of essential oils and clove essential oil to treat a sore throat and to kill the bacteria that can cause respiratory infections like pneumonia and influenza. Essential oils, because of their volatility, can easily reach the upper and lower portions of the respiratory tract when inhaled. Due to this, it makes it easier for essential oils to fight the bacteria. Thyme, clove oil, and cinnamon bark were found to be the most successful and could provide promising potential antibacterial activity against respiratory infections, by using the essential oils either in liquid or vapor form when inhaled.

Oil of cloves can be used to kill staph bacteria cells in liquid cultures and in biofilm, as scientists discovered in a recent study in 2012. A biofilm is a group of bacteria that live together, protected by a slimy shield, or film. They found that unlike many antibiotics that aren’t that effective in penetrating the biofilm to kill the staph bacteria, the clove oil was successful.

Researchers have also studied the effects of antifungal activity with various essential oils. Fungal contamination of indoor air has recently become a huge public health concern, with the air contamination causing many adverse health effects. They found that of the multiple oils tested clove oil was the most successful at fighting fungal contamination in the air, with all essential oils being more effective than a traditional cleaning compound such as vinegar.

In 2005, researchers studied the effects of eugenol, a major component of clove oil on fungal infections such as athlete’s foot, oral thrush, and vaginal yeast infections. In the culture and a rat model study, the scientists found that the eugenol was successful in killing the yeast. It was concluded the eugenol, which is in clove oil, could be a potential antifungal agent. 

The component of eugenol in clove oil was also tested to see how effective it is in lowering blood pressure and preventing heart attacks. Since clove oil is a natural blood thinner, you don’t want to combine it with other conventional blood thinners like prescribed medication, but on its own, it has been shown to be very effective in lowering blood pressure and preventing the clumping together of platelets in the blood, which could lead to blood clotting or a heart attack.

Clove essential oil has also been tested to see if it was effective in helping chronic skin irritation. The 2017 study found that when compared to petroleum oil, the clove oil significantly relieved itching and helped those with sensitive skin. In 2007, researchers studied the topical use of clove oil cream to treat anal fissures versus treating them with stool softeners and lignocaine cream. After 3 months, they found healing in 60% of the people in the clove oil group, versus the 12% healing in the stool softeners and lignocaine group. The topical application of clove oil cream showed a significant beneficial impact on patients suffering from chronic anal fissures.

Clove Essential Oil Safety Considerations

What Are The Disadvantages Of Clove? Is Clove Oil Dangerous?

Clove essential oil is not dangerous if used with caution. Keep away from small children and keep away from your eyes or any mucous membranes. Store the oil in a cool, dark place. If pregnant, nursing, on medication, or if you have a medical condition, consult your physician prior to using the essential oil.

Clove oil has been shown to slow down blood clotting because of the eugenol that is a component of the clove essential oil. Be careful not to use clove oil if you are already taking any blood-thinning medications.

Make sure to use a carrier oil to dilute the clove oil since it is so potent. To avoid any side effects like skin irritation or burning, or potential allergic reactions, dilute the clove essential oil with a few drops of a carrier oil, like olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil, or a similar oil that can be used on sensitive skin. Small children may need the essential oil to be more diluted than an adult would need, due to their highly sensitive skin.