.Clove বা লবঙ্গ

Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum. They are native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice. They are native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice. Cloves are commercially harvested primarily in Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. Cloves are available throughout the year.

Archeologists have found cloves in a ceramic vessel in Syria, with evidence that dates the find to within a few years of 1721 BC. In the third century BC, a Chinese leader in the Han Dynasty required those who addressed him to chew cloves to freshen their breath. Cloves were traded by Muslim sailors and merchants during the Middle Ages in the profitable Indian Ocean trade, the clove trade is also mentioned by Ibn Battuta and even famous Arabian Nights characters such as Sinbad the Sailor are known to have bought and sold cloves from India.

Nutrition Facts

Cloves, ground

Amount Per 1 tbsp (6.5 g)

Calories                                             18

% Daily Value*

Total Fat                                            0.8 g  1%

Saturated fat                                   0.3 g   1%

Polyunsaturated fat                       0.5 g  

Monounsaturated fat                   0.1 g  

Trans fat                                           0 g     

Cholesterol                                       0 mg   0%

Sodium                                              18 mg            0%

Potassium                                         66 mg            1%

Total Carbohydrate                       4.3 g   1%

Dietary fiber                                    2.2 g   8%

Sugar                                                 0.2 g 

Protein                                              0.4 g   0%

Vitamin A                                          0%      Vitamin C      0%

Calcium         4%      Iron    4%

Vitamin D     0%      Vitamin B-6  0%

Vitamin B-12           0%      Magnesium  4%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Benefits Of Cloves On Skin

1. Spotless Skin:

Smooth and spotless skin is obtained by using clove on a daily basis as it removes the

waste from the body and purifies the blood.

2. Reduces Skin Problems.

Make an instant face-pack using the mixture of powdered clove along with 1tsp honey and few drops of lemon juice.Leave it on the face for 20 mins and later wash it with cold water and wipe with sponge cloth to keep the skin problems at bay.

3. Removes Acne

By using the paste of clove as a face pack or can be applied locally just on the acne spots to clear them.

4. Treats Skin Ailments

The parlour results of removing all kinds of skin problems such whiteheads, blackheads, scars, pimples, scaly skin, marks, patches, blemishes and etc can be cured at home, using clove.

5. Delays Ageing

Ageing actually means when the skin cells lose their potency that can be evidently seen through wrinkles.The cloves can be used to delay the emergence of wrinkles and make you look younger as clove consists of antioxidants.

6. Skin Infection At Bay

It has the anti-allergic antiseptic property which prevents infections. It also stimulates early healing of the wound, abrasions, cuts, scabies, fungal infections, athlete’s foot, insect bites, stings, bruises and etc.

Clove For Hair

1. Promotes Hair Growth

The hair fall ratio is reduced and helps in increasing the volume of hair growth

2. Good Hair Conditioner

Cloves work as a good hair conditioner and that too without chemicals.

Mix two tsp of clove powder and ½ cup of olive oil.After that warm it and then cool it.

Apply this mixture on your scalp so that the pores in the scalp can absorb it.Then take a shower after 15 min of application.

Benefits Of Clove For Men:

1.Body Stamina Improvisation

Cloves are believed from generations to have the qualities to enhance sexual health with performance improvement and energizing their body.

2. Treatment Of Premature Ejaculation

Treating premature ejaculation in men is taken care by cloves.Weakness and Fatigue Elimination

3. Weakness And Fatigue Elimination

The natural fragrance of this wonder spice helps in eliminating weakness and fatigue from the body and keeps body energetic.

Dosage:

Lavang Powder – 1 – 2 grams per day.

Clove oil dosage – 1 – 2 drops.

Medicinal Uses Of Cloves

Clove, the wonder spice has a plethora of uses.All the medicinal uses are briefed up below.

• Improves digestion strength.

• Improves taste.

• Useful in bleeding disorders.

• Useful in excessive thirst.

• Helpful in avoiding vomiting.

• Bloating, gaseous distension of abdomen can be relieved by cloves.

• It is useful in Abdominal colic pain.

• It is very effective during a cough and cold.

• Asthma, COPD, wheezing, breathing difficulty can be handled using cloves.

• It helps to avoid hiccups.

• Chronic respiratory disorders are also taken care of.

Side Effects:

• Clove should be avoided for little children or infants as it may lead to some serious health problems including liver damage, fluid imbalance and seizures.

• Though cloves are used to reduce the swelling of the gums, the direct application is not much advised as it might damage the mucous membrane of gums and tooth pulp.

• The dental tissues sometimes are sensitive to dried cloves and might cause irritation.

• Heavy doses are not advised to any people and especially to pregnant and breastfeeding women.

• Clove has eugenol which has the property to slow down the blood clotting thus it should be avoided by the person with bleeding disorders or people taking anticoagulant medications.

• Disorders in the central nervous system may also be caused if cloves are used in overdosage.

• If the individual is suffering from the stomach ulcer, diverticulitis, intestinal discomfort, ulcerative colitis and etc then clove should be avoided.

• If the person is having allergy with cloves or clove related dishes then clove should be avoided.

A Big No To Clove For Pregnant Women

It is better if the pregnant women avoid the intake of clove as it leads to complications.

Even little quantities of clove supplements should not be given to the children and pregnant women as harmful side effects are reported even with small doses.

How to Make Clove Tea

Step 1

Buy whole cloves, as their flavor is more pronounced than that of pre-ground cloves. When selecting the cloves, press on them with a fingernail to be sure some oil is released. This is a sign of quality and freshness.

Step 2

Grind one tablespoon of whole cloves per cup of tea with a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. The clove should not be completely pulverized into a powder but should be ground down to small pieces to allow for straining.

Step 3

Bring one cup of water per cup of tea to a boil. Leave the pot over the heat source, but turn it off.

Step 4

Add the ground cloves to the hot water. You can also add other herbs or spices, like dandelion or stevia, that you wish to include in the clove tea. Let the mixture steep for 10 minutes for a weaker-flavored brew and up to 20 minutes for a strongly-flavored brew.

Step 5

Pour the tea through a mesh strainer to filter out the cloves. Dispose of the solids in the strainer, and the clove tea is ready to be served.

Step 6

Sweeten the clove tea to taste with sugar or honey if desired.

***Clove tea will keep for a few days in a glass jar or covered pitcher in the fridge.

Try a cup of this tea once or twice a day, in between meals, for up to 5 days at a time. It's good measure to take a break for one or two days before resuming.

Due to the antifungal nature of cloves, drinking this tea may cause some die-off symptoms. You may want to wait until you’ve made some dietary changes and have stuck with them for a while before adding a strong medicinal tea such as this.

If taking the tea between meals causes too much discomfort (due to its yeast-killing abilities), drink it immediately before a meal and see if following directly with food helps to diminish unpleasant symptoms. If you still get too much discomfort, stop the tea for a while. Continue with the dietary changes and try again with the tea in a week or so.

RECIPES FOR HEALTH:

Clove Honey-Mix a pinch of clove powder in a teaspoon of honey to promote digestive function, ease nausea and vomiting. This can be licked or added to a small amount of

hot water.

Clove Tea-Boil 5-6 clove buds in 2 cups of water for a couple minutes, then let seep covered for 20 minutes. Sweeten to taste with honey. This can soothe indigestion and nausea and stimulate appetite.

Clove & Spice Honey-Mix ¼ tsp ginger powder, ¼ tsp lemon grass powder, 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder, 1/8 tsp ground clove into 1 tablespoon honey. Take ¼ teaspoon doses as needed for digestive complaints.

Respiratory Health- Clove’s anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial properties provide benefit for cough and minor sore throats; just chew on a roasted clove bud. Clove tea has expectorant and mucolytic properties, making it easier to cough up phlegm in bronchitis.

RECIPE FOR HEALTH:

Clove Asthma Aid-These two traditional recipes can help prevent/halt asthma complications, but should not replace a rescue inhaler for emergency asthma attacks.

1) Mix equal parts Cloves and Bishop’s Weed seeds, gently roast them in a pan till browned. Grind this to a powder. Dose 1/8-1/4 teaspoon mixed in a bit of food, drink or honey. (Bishop’s weed is a commonly invasive ornamental groundcover).

Or…

2) Boil 2 cloves buds, 12-15 fresh basil leaves and 10 black peppercorns in sufficient water for 15 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons honey and milk (or nut/rice/soymilk), then drink.

Headache-Cloves have been used to relieve headaches. One traditional remedy calls for drinking a combination of clove powder and salt in milk. Another suggests making a paste with clove powder and applying it to temples, forehead, (or all over the head if yours happens to be shaved bald).

Muscle/Joint Relief-Clove oil has a history of use in liniments and massage oils to relief painful joints, muscular cramps, sprains, bruises and other closed soft tissue and bone injuries. (One such is Tiger Balm.) In high doses clove essential oil is a skin irritant, so either dilute or use only a couple drops to treat an area such as a joint. For fragrant mild analgesic massage oil simply soak several clove buds into your favorite skin-worthy oil for a week. (My favorites are almond oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, and coconut oil.)

Parasite Cleanse-Travel, camping, exposure to pets and even other people often leads to accumulation of intestinal parasites which may cause disturbing symptoms such as pain, bloating, diarrhea, anal itching, and even the dreaded toilet spaghetti (worms seen in stool). One established effective treatment for a variety of parasites including flatworms, roundworms, protozoa (and more) utilizes cloves. Cloves are combined with Black Walnut and Wormwood to attack the parasites at multiple stages in their life cycle. Black Walnut and Wormwood kill adult and juvenile stages. Cloves kill parasite eggs. If there is a high parasite load, or individual sensitivity, the die off stage can leave parasite waste which the body may react to, leaving the patient feeling sick or experiencing other symptoms. For this reason, and the need to use laboratory tests to assure full clearance, parasite cleanses should be done under supervision of a physician.

Sexual Health-In China and Persia, cloves are considered an aphrodisiac. It has been used in formulas applied topically to the penis to prevent premature ejaculation. One cream studied (SS Cream) contained cloves, panax ginseng, cinnamon, toad venom, and other ingredients. The study showed favorable results. Yep, toad venom. Kids, don’t try one this at home!

Acne- Cloves antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory make it effective for acne. Apply a paste of clove powder mixed in honey on the affected area. Alternatively mix a few drops of clove oil in jojoba or coconut oil and apply over acne. This diminishes acne and may even lessen acne scarring. Healthy oils carry the medicinal compounds down into the oily center, changing conditions within the pustule to allow healing.

Insect Repellant- Clove oil diluted with water in 1:10 ratio keeps insects at bay effectively.

This is easily applied with a spray pump.

Minor lesions-A paste of ground cloves in a bit of water can be used as an antimicrobial treatment for insect bites, minor cuts and scrapes.

Safety Concerns-Cloves are considered safe when taken in food amounts. Irritation of the skin and mucous membranes and allergy have been reported with the use of clove for a prolonged periods, in high doses or as essential oil. Inhaling smoke from clove cigarettes is unsafe. Children should not take clove oil by mouth as as seizures, liver damage, and fluid imbalances have been reported. Clove oil contains a chemical called eugenol that seems to slow blood clotting and may cause unwanted bleeding or bruising in people with bleeding disorders or those on blood thinners. While some sourced recommend clove for morning sickness, others say pregnant and nursing women should avoid non-food dosing.