Cloves: A Tiny Spice With Powerful Herbal Benefits

You probably recognize cloves by their warm, unmistakable aroma—the scent that finds its way into holiday baking, spiced teas, simmer pots, and traditional recipes. But cloves are much more than a flavorful kitchen spice.

Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) have a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine. These small, dried flower buds contain naturally occurring plant compounds, including eugenol, that contribute to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, soothing, and digestive properties.

What Exactly Are Cloves?

Cloves are the unopened flower buds of the clove tree, a tropical evergreen native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The buds are harvested before they open and then dried, creating the familiar brown spice found in our kitchens.

Their strong aroma and slightly sweet, warming flavor come largely from their volatile oils. Eugenol is the predominant constituent of clove essential oil and is responsible for many of the properties that have made clove valuable in traditional herbal preparations.

Everyday Wellness Benefits of Cloves

1. Rich in Antioxidant Plant Compounds

Cloves contain an impressive concentration of antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants help protect cells from oxidative stress caused by free radicals.

Oxidative stress is a normal part of metabolism, but factors such as environmental exposures, poor diet, inflammation, and everyday stress can increase the body's oxidative burden.

Including antioxidant-rich herbs and spices as part of a varied diet is one simple way to support overall wellness.

2. Traditional Digestive Support

Herbalists have traditionally used cloves as a warming digestive herb.

Clove may help stimulate digestion and has historically been used for occasional gas, bloating, nausea, and digestive discomfort. Its aromatic compounds make it particularly well suited to digestive tea blends.

A simple cup of tea made with a few whole cloves can be a pleasant after-meal herbal beverage, especially when combined with other digestive herbs such as ginger, cinnamon, fennel, or peppermint.

3. Oral and Dental Wellness

Clove has perhaps one of its best-known traditional uses in oral care.

Eugenol has been used in dentistry because of its local soothing and antimicrobial properties. Traditionally, clove preparations have been used for temporary relief of tooth and gum discomfort and to freshen the mouth.

However, concentrated clove essential oil can irritate or damage oral tissues when used improperly. Persistent tooth pain, swelling, fever, drainage, or other signs of infection require dental evaluation rather than relying on an herbal remedy.

4. Natural Antimicrobial Properties

Laboratory research has demonstrated antimicrobial activity from clove and several of its constituents against certain bacteria and fungi.

This doesn't mean eating cloves works like an antibiotic or that cloves should replace appropriate treatment for an infection. Instead, it helps explain why aromatic spices such as clove have been incorporated into traditional herbal preparations and food preservation practices for generations.

5. Supports a Healthy Inflammatory Response

Eugenol and other compounds found in cloves have been studied for their effects on pathways involved in inflammation.

Inflammation is an important part of the body's normal immune response. The goal isn't to eliminate inflammation altogether but to support the body's ability to maintain a healthy inflammatory balance.

Using culinary herbs and spices including cloves as part of an overall nutrient-rich diet can be one small piece of that approach.

6. A Warming Herb for the Colder Months

In traditional Western herbalism, cloves are often described as warming and stimulating.

This makes them especially enjoyable during fall and winter. Their warming character pairs beautifully with herbs and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, orange peel, and star anise which I include in my Chai Tea and Mulling Spice during the holiday months..

A warm mug of clove-spiced tea isn't just comforting, the aroma itself makes the ritual feel restorative.

Simple Ways to Use Cloves at Home

Cloves don't have to be complicated to incorporate into everyday wellness. Try adding whole or ground cloves to:

• Herbal teas and chai blends

• Stewed apples or pears

• Oatmeal

• Soups and broths

• Rice dishes

• Homemade cider

• Smoothies

• Baked goods

• Herbal digestive blends

• Winter simmer pots

Because cloves have such a strong flavor, a little goes a long way.

Simple Warming Clove Tea

Add 2–3 whole cloves to approximately 8–12 ounces of hot water. Cover and steep for about 10 minutes, then strain.

For a more flavorful blend, add fresh ginger, a small piece of cinnamon stick, or a little orange peel.

Honey can be added after steeping if desired.

Whole Clove vs. Clove Essential Oil

****This distinction is important****

Using cloves as a culinary spice or making a mild tea from whole cloves is very different from using concentrated clove essential oil.

Essential oils contain highly concentrated volatile compounds and should not automatically be treated as interchangeable with the whole herb. Clove essential oil can irritate the skin, mouth, and gastrointestinal tract when improperly diluted or ingested.

For everyday home use, whole cloves and properly prepared herbal formulations are generally a much gentler approach.

A Few Clove Precautions

Food-level amounts of clove are generally well tolerated by most adults, but medicinal or concentrated preparations deserve more caution.

Eugenol may affect platelet function and blood clotting. People taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications, those with bleeding disorders, and anyone preparing for surgery should discuss medicinal clove use with a qualified healthcare professional.

Extra caution is also appropriate with concentrated clove preparations during pregnancy and breastfeeding and for young children. Clove essential oil should be kept safely away from children because swallowing even relatively small amounts can be dangerous.

As with many herbs, the dose and preparation matter.

From the Spice Cabinet to the Herbal Apothecary

One of my favorite things about herbal medicine is discovering that many of the plants we already have in our kitchens have been used medicinally for generations.

Clove is a perfect example.

Behind its warm aroma and tiny flower bud is a fascinating collection of plant compounds that have earned it a place in traditional digestive preparations, oral care, warming herbal formulas, and everyday wellness practices.

You don't always need an exotic herb to begin exploring herbal medicine. Sometimes your herbal apothecary starts right in your spice cabinet.

Be Well & Take Care!

Maria Nasta, MSN, FNP-C

Owner + Founder, Clinical Herbalist

"Rooted in Nature, Blooming with Wellness."

Published On: August 11, 2026

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 **Herbal education is intended for general informational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical care. If you take prescription medications, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or are preparing for surgery, consult an appropriate healthcare professional before using herbs medicinally.