Clovers

What Are Cloves?

Cloves are a fragrant spice made from the dried flowers of the clove tree. In the past, spices used to be worth their weight in gold, and cloves were no exception. Native to the Spice Islands near China, cloves spread throughout Europe and Asia during the late Middle Ages as a key part of local cuisine. Today, cloves remain a popular spice that gives many dishes a subtly sweet warmth.

What are ground cloves?

Cloves can be used whole or ground. You might include ground cloves in spice mixes and whole cloves in recipes to add depth and flavor to a wide variety of foods. These small dark brown pods are used in curries, seasoned meats, Worcestershire sauce, baked goods, chai, and Chinese five-spice blends. They also offer some health benefits.

Benefits of Cloves

Some health benefits of cloves include:

Lower inflammation. Cloves contain many compounds known for their anti-inflammatory properties, with eugenol being the most important. It's been shown to reduce your body's inflammatory response, which can lower your risk of health issues such as arthritis and help manage symptoms.

Fewer free radicals. Cloves are full of antioxidants, including eugenol. Antioxidants help your body fight free radicals, which damage your cells. By removing free radicals from your system, the antioxidants found in cloves can help lower your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Benefits of Clove Oil

Throughout history, people have used clove oil to soothe toothaches. Some cosmetics and medicines use eugenol for its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral abilities.

Uses of Cloves

Cloves are dried flowers, so they can be found all year long in spice shops, grocery stores, and health food stores.

They can lose their strength quickly once they’ve been ground, so it's best to buy whole cloves and keep them in an airtight container. If you need ground cloves, you can grind them with a pepper mill or a mortar and pestle right before you use them.

Cloves add a healthy boost to your diet. Here are some ways to use this flavorful spice:

• Add ground cloves to pumpkin pie.
• Add cloves to chai lattes.
• Use whole cloves in a pickling mix for spicy pickles.
• Include cloves in a curry.
• Make mulled wine with a heavy sprinkle of cloves.
• Use cloves in rubs to season meats.