Oil of clove

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Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) essential oil in clear glass vial CloveEssOil.png
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) essential oil in clear glass vial

Oil of clove, also known as clove oil or eugenol [a] , is an essential oil extracted from the clove plant, Syzygium aromaticum . [1] [2] Clove oil is commonly used in aromatherapy and for flavoring food, tea, and toothpaste. [2] [3] In alternative medicine, it may be used as a topical medication to relieve toothache. [1] [3] [4] There is insufficient medical evidence to support its use as an analgesic for treating pain. [1] [3]

Contents

Madagascar and Indonesia are the main producers of clove oil. [5]

Types and phytochemicals

There are three types of clove oil: [5]

Distilled clove oil from buds contains mixed phytochemicals, including as main constituents phenylpropanoids (primarily eugenol), carvacrol, thymol, and cinnamaldehyde, with smaller quantities of polyphenols, carbohydrates, lipids, oleanolic acid, and rhamnetin. [1]

Human health

Toxicity

Clove oil is toxic in anything other than small therapeutic doses, [1] and several cases of acute liver and kidney damage have been reported, principally in children. [2] In foods, the level of clove oil used as a flavor ingredient does not exceed 0.06%, and is considered safe. [1]

Toothache

Particularly in South Korea and India, eugenol, an aromatic compound extracted from clove oil, is used in alternative medicine to relieve toothache. [6] Applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth or tooth socket remaining after extraction, eugenol or clove oil may relieve toothache temporarily. [6] There is insufficient scientific evidence that eugenol is effective for treating dental pain. [2] [3]

Other uses

Clove oil is commonly used to anesthetize or euthanize laboratory or pet fish. [7] [8]

Clove oil is a component of choji oil (Japanese : 丁子油), which was traditionally used for the maintenance of Japanese swords. [9] [10]

Regulation

In Germany, Commission E permits the sale and administration of clove oil for use in alternative medicine. [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Distinct from the chemical compound eugenol

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Clove". Drugs.com. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Eugenol (clove oil)". LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 28 October 2019. PMID   31869191.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Clove". MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. ↑ "Clove Oil BP". Electronic Medicines Compendium, UK. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 Lawless, J. (1995). "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherapy and Herbalism". The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Essential Oils. ISBN   978-1-85230-661-8.
  6. 1 2 Chung G, Oh SB (2013). "Eugenol as Local Anesthetic". Natural Products. Springer-Verlag Berlin; In: Natural Products - Phytochemistry, Botany and Metabolism of Alkaloids, Phenolics and Terpenes; Part XIV. pp. 4001–4015. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_171. ISBN   978-3-642-22144-6.
  7. ↑ Gary Kent Ostrander (2000). The Laboratory Fish. Elsevier. pp. 508–. ISBN   978-0-12-529650-2.
  8. ↑ Gary West; Darryl Heard; Nigel Caulkett (21 July 2014). Zoo Animal and Wildlife Immobilization and Anesthesia. Wiley. pp. 249–. ISBN   978-1-118-79286-5.
  9. ↑ Nagayama, Kōkan (1997). The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords. Kodansha International. ISBN   978-4-7700-2071-0.
  10. ↑ "Glossary". Samurai Museum. 6 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  11. ↑ Rister, R.; Klein, S.; Riggins, C. (1998-08-15). The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines (1st ed.). American Botanical Council. p. 112. ISBN   978-0-9655555-0-0.
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