Plant/Part: Tree/Bed (Source: Zanzibar, Indonesia, Madagasca)

Latin Name: Eugenia caryophyllata

Family: Myrtaceae

Extraction: Distillation

AROMA: Strong, spicy and penetrating.

PROPERTIES: An antiseptic and stimulating oil useful in mouthwash and gargle. Comforting rubbed onto gums, traditionally used to relieve toothache. Could be an effective mosquito repellent and an energising muscle relaxant. Beneficial to the digestive system, renowned for relieving wind / reducing gripping action. Effective against vomiting, diarrhoea, intestinal spasm, dyspepsia, and parasites. Also eases nausea and bad breath due to gastric fermentation. Has a tonic effect on the kidneys, stomach, spleen and intestinal disorders generally. Relieves respiratory problems and has been used for tuberculosis, asthma and bronchitis. Valuable in disinfecting the atmosphere during infectious illness. An excellent bactericide and if frequently vaporised during winter will encourage resistance to germs. When mixed with Orange and Lemon, appears to be an excellent insect repellent.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: Eugenol, Eugenyl Acetate, Caryophyllene. (Clove Leaf) Eugenol, some eugenyl acetate.

PRECAUTIONS: A powerful skin irritant and should be used carefully. Do not use during pregnancy. Safety Information: use half recommended dilution or less.

BLENDS: Blends well with Basil, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Citronella, Grapefruit, Lemon, Nutmeg, Orange, Peppermint, Rosemary and Rose.

Digestive: relieves nausea, stimulates the production of gastric juices (carminative), aids digestion, improves appetite; used for colic, dyspepsia, vomiting.

Muscles/joints: relieves nerve pain; used for arthritis, rheumatism, sprains.

Respiratory: antiseptic, antispasmodic, helps to expel mucus. used for asthma and bronchitis. studies also indicate its effectiveness against s. pneumoniae.

Skin/hair: antiseptic, used for acne, athlete's foot, bruises, burns, cuts, ulcers, wounds.

Other: used as a pain-killer for toothache. many people swear by it - it is important to remember, however, that being an irritant it can blister the mouth, and according to martin watt there were even some cases of clove oil actually killing the nerve. also used as a mosquito repellent.

Caution: all the three clove oils (bud, stem and leaf) are skin and mucous membranes irritants; bud and stem oils can also cause dermatitis. clove bud oil is considered the safest and the only one recommended for aromatherapy use, but even so should be used sparingly, and in low dilutions (less than 1%).

Clove Essential Oil is extracted from Eugenia caryophyllata (also known as Syzygium aromaticum, Eugenia aromatica, E. carophyllus) of the Myrtaceae family. The tree is native to Indonesia and grows as a slender evergreen up to twelve metres high. It has bright green leaves standing in pairs on short stems. At the start of the rainy season long buds appear with rosy-pink corolla at the tip; as the corolla fades the calyx slowly turns deep red.

Latin Name: Eugenia caryophyllata of the myrtaceae family. A pale yellow oil with a strong, warm spicy fragrance produced by distillation of the buds. Natural Touch Aromatherapy Clove Bud Oil is of the highest quality and only produced from the buds. It has a lower eugenol content than those from other parts of the tree but it is still a strong oil and should be treated with respect.

In order to make this wonderful essential oil, the buds are beaten from the tree, and when dried provide cloves which are sold as a spice, ground and whole. Three types of oil are produced from the same tree; Clovebud, Clove Leaf and Stem. Leaf and Stem oil should not be used in Aromatherapy.

Although clove oil is a very potent oil that should be used with great care in aromatherapy, it does have wonderful properties - from stimulating the mind and lifting depression, to aiding digestion, relieving pain in arthritis and rheumatism, easing respiratory problems and assisting leg ulcers. Clove oil has a warm, strong, spicy smell and the oil is colorless to pale yellow with a medium to watery viscosity. A very potent oil with positive and stimulating effects. A strong bactericide useful to vaporise when infectious diseases are around.

It was often used by the Greeks, Roman and the Chinese, to ease toothache and as a breath sweetener. It has antiseptic properties and was used in the prevention of contagious diseases, such as the Plaque. It was an important commodity in the spice trade and is still used in perfumes, mulled wines and liqueurs, love potions, dental products and, stuck in an orange as pomade, an insect repellant.