CLOVE - essential oil

The Chinese have used cloves medicinally for more than 2,000 years. Culinary cloves were also traded by Muslim sailors and merchants in the middle ages, even by the famous Arabian Nights character Sinbad the Sailor. Until modern times, cloves only grew on a few islands in the Moluccas region (aka the Spice Islands) in Indonesia. The oldest clove tree in the world (named Afo) is nearly 400 years old and lives on Ternate Island in the Moluccas. Until cloves were grown outside of the Maluku Islands, they were traded like oil, with an enforced limit on exportation. The Dutch East India Company tried to control the spice trade in the 17th century and they fought to gain the same monopoly over cloves as they had with nutmeg and mace, but nutmeg and mace grew only on tiny Banda Island, and clove trees grew all over the Moluccas, so the monopoly on cloves was way beyond their powers. Cloves have also been found in a ceramic pot in Syria that dates back to 1720 BC.

Warning: Clove oil should be mixed with a carrier oil like coconut oil for topical use. Internally - clove oil should be diluted and only used for up to two weeks. Taking large doses internally could harm the digestive lining and externally can irritate sensitive skin.

• Anti-septic, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic (insect bites, stings, acne, athlete's foot, wounds, scabies, cholera, E.Coli, Staphylococcus, pseudomonas, candida)
• Dental: germicidal (gum disease), dental pain (analgesia, teething), reverses cavities, halitosis (bad breath)
• Anti-inflammatory: headaches, muscle pain, joint pain
• Improves blood circulation: boosts energy, wrinkles, anti-aging, improves immune system - blood purifier
• Respiratory: cooling and anti-inflammatory, expectorant - nasal passages, coughs, colds, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis, tuberculosis, soothes sore throat.
• Digestion: hiccups, indigestion, motion sickness, gas, nausea, improves peristalsis, morning sickness.
• Stress, mental exhaustion, fatigue, stimulates brain function, insomnia, memory loss, depression, anxiety, aphrodisiac
• Diabetes: blood sugar levels (insulin and glucose responses)
• Kills household mold and fungus