Syzygium aromaticum (Cultivated)

Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry, Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts 18: 196 1939. (Syn: Caryophyllus aromaticus L.; Caryophyllus hortensis Noronha; Caryophyllus silvestris Teijsm. ex Hassk.; Eugenia aromatica (L.) Baill. [Illegitimate]; Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb.; Eugenia caryophyllus (Spreng.) Bullock & S.G.Harrison; Jambosa caryophyllus (Thunb.) Nied.; Myrtus caryophyllus Spreng.);

Moluccas, Java (introduced), Laos (introduced), Thailand (introduced), Vietnam
(introduced), trop. Africa (introduced), Zanzibar (introduced), Somalia
(introduced), Mozambique (introduced), Fiji (introduced), Micronesia
(introduced) (Yap (introduced), Pohnpei (introduced)), Palau Isl. (introduced),
Mauritius (introduced), Réunion (introduced), Lesser Antilles (introduced)
(Guadeloupe (introduced), Martinique (introduced), St. Vincent (introduced)),
Cayman Isl. (c), Cuba (c), Hispaniola (c), Andaman Isl. (introduced), Nicobar
Isl. (introduced), Burma (introduced), Sri Lanka (introduced), Nepal
(introduced), Trinidad & Tobago (introduced) as per Catalogue of life;

Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum. They are native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice. Cloves are commercially harvested primarily in Indonesia, India, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

The clove tree is an evergreen tree that grows up to 8–12 m tall, with large leaves and sanguine flowers grouped in terminal clusters. The flower buds initially have a pale hue, gradually turn green, then transition to a bright red when ready for harvest. Cloves are harvested at 1.5–2.0 cm long, and consist of a long calyx that terminates in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals that form a small central ball.

Cloves are used in the cuisine of Asian, African, and the Near and Middle East, lending flavor to meats, curries, and marinades, as well as fruit such as apples, pears or rhubarb. Cloves may be used to give aromatic and flavor qualities to hot beverages, often combined with other ingredients such as lemon and sugar.

In Mexican cuisine, cloves are best known as clavos de olor, and often accompany cumin and cinnamon.^[2]

A major component of clove taste is imparted by the chemical eugenol,^[3] and the quantity of the spice required is typically small. It pairs well with cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, red wine and basil, as well as onion, citrus peel, star anise, or peppercorns.

Cloves are used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, and western herbalism and dentistry where the essential oil is used as an anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies. Cloves are used as a carminative, to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach and to improve peristalsis. Cloves are also said to be a natural anthelmintic.^[6] The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed, especially for digestive problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen are said to warm the digestive tract. Applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth, it also relieves toothache.^[7]

In Chinese medicine, cloves or ding xiang are considered acrid, warm, and aromatic, entering the kidney, spleen and stomach meridians, and are notable in their ability to warm the middle, direct stomach qi downward, to treat hiccough and to fortify the kidney yang.^[8] Because the herb is so warming, it is contraindicated in any persons with fire symptoms and according to classical sources should not be used for anything except cold from yang deficiency. As such, it is used in formulas for impotence or clear vaginal discharge from yang deficiency, for morning sickness together with ginseng and patchouli, or for vomiting and diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness.^[8]

Cloves may be used internally as a tea and topically as an oil for hypotonic muscles, including for multiple sclerosis.^{[citation needed]} This is also found in Tibetan medicine.^[9] Some recommend avoiding more than occasional use of cloves internally in the presence of pitta inflammation such as is found in acute flares of autoimmune diseases.^[10]

(From Wikipedia on 21.12.14)