Description
Botanical Name: Syzygium aromaticum / Eugenia caryophyllata
Common Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled
Plant Part Typically Used: Buds
Color: Pale Yellow
Consistency: Medium
Perfumery Note: Middle
Strength of Initial Aroma: Strong
Aromatic Description: Spicy, warming yet slightly bitter, woody, reminiscent of true clove buds, but richer.
Clove Essential Oil Uses: Cognitive support and brain health. Pain relief, bacterial infection, fungal infection, viral skin infection, warts, verrucas, toothache, gum disease, muscle pain, rheumatism, flu, bronchitis, tired limbs, nausea, flatulence, stomach cramp, abdominal spasm, parasitic, infection, scabies, ringworm.
Clove Essential Oil generally contains up to 85% Eugenol, a phenol that dramatically contributes to the oil’s aroma, therapeutic properties, and safety precautions. Clove Essential Oil is also comprised of a number of other constituents, particularly the sesquiterpene B-caryophyllene and the ester Eugenyl acetate.
Clove Essential Oil is very helpful for use in blends intended to help relieve pain. It is also a powerful antimicrobial essential oil. However, Clove Essential Oil can be very irritating to the skin. Tisserand and Young recommend a dermal maximum of just 0.5%.
Clove Oil is also known for its benefits in dental applications. It’s often recommended for use with dental pain. Although numerous sources suggest applying a drop of Clove Essential Oil neat to a painful tooth, Clove Essential Oil is very potent and using it at full strength for any purpose is not recommended.
Aromatically, Clove Bud Essential Oil possesses a strong, warm, spicy aroma that blends well with other spicy essential oils like Cinnamon Bark. It also blends well with essential oils in the citrus, wood and floral families. It’s a strong oil, so when first learning to blend with it, try using it sparingly in blends.
Emotionally Clove Essential Oil is an invigorating and mentally stimulating essential oil. American College of Healthcare Sciences principal Dorene Petersen has undertaken research regarding cognitive and brain health. She presents that Clove Bud Essential Oil shows promise for assisting in the management of neurodegenerative diseases. [Dorene Petersen, Presentation: Clinical Use of Aromatherapy for Brain Health: 7 Essential Oils. August 9, 2017, New Brunswick, NJ. Alliance of International Aromatherapists 2017 Conference. AIA 2017 Conference Proceedings page 221-222.]
Robbi Zeck offers a nice profile for Clove Bud Essential Oil and mentions that “Clove Bud heightens inner strengths when external and internal environments need to change.” [Robbi Zeck, ND, The Blossoming Heart: Aromatherapy for Healing and Transformation (Victoria, Australia: Aroma Tours, 2008), 74.]
