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, 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

Eugenol is a reliable source for producing natural vanillin (by the US definition). It is a versatile molecule, which can be converted to vanillin with a few simple steps of conversion through the use of naturally available phytochemicals.[ citation needed ]

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]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lavandula</i> Genus of plants

Lavandula is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the mints family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of mainland Eurasia, with an affinity for maritime breezes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemon balm</span> Species of plant

Lemon balm is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family and native to south-central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, Iran, and Central Asia, but now naturalised elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clove</span> Spice, flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum

Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum. They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or fragrance in consumer products, such as toothpaste, soaps, or cosmetics. Cloves are available throughout the year owing to different harvest seasons across various countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essential oil</span> Hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants

An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term "essential" used here does not mean indispensable or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavender oil</span> Essential oil distilled from lavender flower spikes

Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. There are over 400 types of lavender worldwide with different scents and qualities. Two forms of lavender oil are distinguished, lavender flower oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 g/mL; and lavender spike oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having a density of 0.905 g/mL. Like all essential oils, it is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of phytochemicals, including linalool and linalyl acetate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil</span> Important culinary herb

Basil, also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also known as sweet basil or Genovese basil. Basil is native to tropical regions from Central Africa to Southeast Asia. In temperate climates basil is treated as an annual plant, however, basil can be grown as a short-lived perennial or biennial in warmer horticultural zones with tropical or Mediterranean climates.

<i>Salvia sclarea</i> Species of flowering plant

Salvia sclarea, the clary or clary sage, is a biennial or short-lived herbaceous perennial in the genus Salvia. It is native to the northern Mediterranean Basin, along with some areas in north Africa and Central Asia. The plant has a lengthy history as an herb and is currently grown for its essential oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacognosy</span> Study of plants as a source of drugs

Pharmacognosy is the study of crude drugs obtained from medicinal plants, animals, fungi, and other natural sources. The American Society of Pharmacognosy defines pharmacognosy as "the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological properties of drugs, drug substances, or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenol</span> Chemical compound

Eugenol is an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol, a member of the allylbenzene class of chemical compounds. It is a colorless to pale yellow, aromatic oily liquid extracted from certain essential oils especially from clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and bay leaf. It is present in concentrations of 80–90% in clove bud oil and at 82–88% in clove leaf oil. Eugenol has a pleasant, spicy, clove-like scent. The name is derived from Eugenia caryophyllata, the former Linnean nomenclature term for cloves. The currently accepted name is Syzygium aromaticum.

<i>Ocimum tenuiflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Ocimum tenuiflorum, commonly known as holy basil or tulsi, is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Australia, Malesia, Asia, and the western Pacific. It is widely cultivated throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. This plant has escaped from cultivation and has naturalized in many tropical regions of the Americas. It is an agricultural and environmental weed.

<i>Cinnamomum tamala</i> Species of tree

Cinnamomum tamala, Indian bay leaf, also known as tejpat, tejapatta,Malabar leaf, Indian bark, Indian cassia, or malabathrum, is a tree in the family Lauraceae that is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. It can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall. Its leaves have a clove-like aroma with a hint of peppery taste; they are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is thought to have been one of the major sources of the medicinal plant leaves known in classic and medieval times as malabathrum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caryophyllene</span> Chemical compound

Caryophyllene, more formally (−)-β-caryophyllene (BCP), is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that is a constituent of many essential oils, especially clove oil, the oil from the stems and flowers of Syzygium aromaticum (cloves), the essential oil of Cannabis sativa, copaiba, rosemary, and hops. It is usually found as a mixture with isocaryophyllene and α-humulene, a ring-opened isomer. Caryophyllene is notable for having a cyclobutane ring, as well as a trans-double bond in a 9-membered ring, both rarities in nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sesquiterpene</span> Class of terpenes

Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of three isoprene units and often have the molecular formula C15H24. Like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes may be cyclic or contain rings, including many unique combinations. Biochemical modifications such as oxidation or rearrangement produce the related sesquiterpenoids. A recent study conducted in the Cosmics Leaving Outdoor Droplets large cloud chamber at CERN, has identified sesquiterpenes—gaseous hydrocarbons that are released by plants—as potentially playing a major role in cloud formation in relatively pristine regions of the atmosphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juniper berry</span> Spice, herbal drug

A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales called a galbulus, which gives it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinctive flavour. Juniper berries are among the only spices derived from conifers, along with spruce buds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis flower essential oil</span> Essential oil obtained from the hemp plant

Cannabis flower essential oil, also known as hemp essential oil, is an essential oil obtained by steam distillation from the flowers, panicles, stem, and upper leaves of the hemp plant. Hemp essential oil is distinct from hemp seed oil and hash oil: the former is a vegetable oil that is cold-pressed from the seeds of low-THC varieties of hemp, the latter is a THC-rich extract of dried female hemp flowers (marijuana) or resin (hashish).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aromatherapy</span> Pseudoscientific alternative medicine practice

Aromatherapy is a practice based on the use of aromatic materials, including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological well-being. It is used as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative medicine, and typically is used via inhalation and not by ingestion.

Garlic oil is the volatile oil derived from garlic. It is usually prepared using steam distillation, and can also be produced via distillation using ether. It is used in cooking and as a seasoning, a nutritional supplement, and also as an insecticide.

<i>Ocimum basilicum <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> minimum</i> Variety of basil

Greek basil is a flowering herb and cultivar of basil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acetyleugenol</span> Chemical compound

Acetyleugenol is a phenylpropanoid compound found in cloves. It is the second in abundance to the related compound eugenol in certain extract preparations. Like eugenol, its found in several plants such as Acacia nilotica and Piper betle and has similar antibacterial and antifungal properties on C. albicans and S. mutans. It inhibits aggregation of platelets and has partial agonistic activity on AhR.

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. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. "Clove Oil BP". medicines.org.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. 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.