The very fragrant cloves you find on the spice shelf of your kitchen start their life in the tropics. They come from a tender evergreen tree that reaches 30'. The tree has large, glossy leathery leaves and gets red bell shaped flowers twice a year. The cloves on your kitchen shelf are actually the pink flower buds that turn brown and hard after drying! Here are some uses for clove buds - use in pomanders and potpourri chew to freshen breath put a clove bud on an aching tooth to help relieve pain until you can get to the dentist infuse as a tea for nausea- gently boil 10 cloves in one cup of water for 10 minutes. Clove oil is antibacterial, antiseptic and analgesic. The oil is quite powerful and has been used in the past to sterilize surgical instruments. Always dilute it before using on the skin. Clove oil makes a great addition to a soap for the kitchen and to add a spicy note to potpourri.
Information offered on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and none of the statements has been evaluated by the FDA.