Cloves: The surprising super spice for health benefits year-round
Cloves are an indispensable ingredient in gingerbread spice. When pierced into oranges, they create a festive atmosphere and stimulate the senses with their characteristic aroma. However, few people know that cloves are worth remembering, not only during Christmas. They have a protective effect on the stomach, help fight infections, and may even inhibit cancer development. I have discovered how to use their valuable properties effectively.
Until now, I've been adding them to autumn infusions, cakes, borscht, or mulled wine. Whenever I encountered them while eating, I instinctively set them aside. However, cloves can be eaten whole. Moreover, they have a beneficial impact on health. Cloves support the body in fighting infections, relieve toothache, and even aid in falling asleep.
Where do cloves come from?
The spice was known in ancient Rome. Fragments of cloves were also found in the ruins of a burned house from 1720 BCE, located in Syria. However, they became known to modern Europeans in the 16th century with Antonio de Abreu's discovery of the Moluccas archipelago in Indonesia, known as the Spice Islands.
The cloves we recognize from gingerbread spice are actually the dried buds of clove tree flowers. Currently, clove plantations are found in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar.
Valuable properties of cloves
Cloves owe their health benefits primarily to essential oils, with eugenol being the dominant one. Eugenol is a compound with natural antioxidant properties. It fights free radicals at a level similar to vitamin E. Eugenol also has anti-inflammatory properties and helps treat joint diseases and stomach ulcers.
If consuming two cloves a day can reduce cancer risk, it's worth a try. Certainly, such a quantity won't harm you, and an additional benefit will be fresh breath. However, not everyone is recommended to consume them in this way. People prone to food allergies, those taking medication, children, and pregnant women should be cautious about eating whole cloves. The permissible daily amount of cloves is a maximum of 6 pieces.
