Clove & It's History & Uses 🌿

Clove

Species: Eugenia carophyllus, syzgiumaromaticum or Caryophyllus aromaticus)

Folk Names: Mykhet, Carenfil

Gender: Masculine :male_sign:

Planet: Jupiter :astrology_jupiter:

Element: Fire :fire:

Powers: Protection, Exorcism, Love :heart:, Money :moneybag:

Magical Uses:

Burned as incense, cloves attract riches, drive away hostile & negative forces, produce spiritual vibrations, & purify the area.

Cloves are burned as incense to stop others from gossiping about you.

Worn or carried, cloves attract the opposite sex & bring comfort to the bereaved.

History and Folklore

The name “clove” comes from the French word for “nail”.

Cloves were historically traded from the Spice Islands by ancient Romans and Chinese. The Chinese chewed cloves to freshen their breath.

Along with nutmeg, cloves were among the most sought-after spices of the age of European exploration. Many atrocities were committed in their name. The Dutch wanted a monopoly on the clove trade, so they destroyed clove trees wherever they found them growing outside the territory they controlled. This did not make them popular with the locals who had a tradition of planting clove trees in honor of the birth of their children. Eventually, competitors were able to establish successful groves of clove trees in other areas, including Brazil, Zanzibar, Madagascar, and Tanzania. This took some of the pressure off the Molucca Islands.

Healing with Cloves

Clove oil has long been an essential part of the herbal first aid kit. It is both antibacterial and anesthetic. Rub the oil directly on your gums to numb a toothache.

Clove oil helps stimulate circulation to the skin. It can be added to warming massage oils and dabbed on acne to encourage healing.

Use clove buds in a tea :tea: to improve digestion, prevent and relieve flatulence and relieve nausea and diarrhea. It is also lovely steeped in milk :milk_glass: , wine :wine_glass: , or juice with a cinnamon stick for these purposes.

Other Uses:

Cloves can be mixed with tobacco and rolled into a cigarette for a tasty and satisfying smoke. In Indonesia, this is called a kretek. This word describes the crackling sound of burning cloves. Many American cigarettes are clove flavored using clove oil, but a true kretek includes the actual herb.

A pomander of oranges studded with cloves has been traditionally used to repel moths from closets. Clove oil can also be added to other insect repelling concoctions to protect against mosquitoes and ants.

Cloves can be used to freshen the breath and are used in mouthwashes and gums to this effect.

Cooking Uses

    • Test a drop of clove oil on the inside of your elbow to ensure you are not sensitive to it.

EDIT :warning: Make sure you do not pour clove oil on the affected area, as it can actually worsen the condition if the oil reaches your gum tissue or the tongue. The best way is to apply clove oil is to use a cotton ball and place it against the tooth or in the cavity if there is one for 20 minutes. If you do not have clove oil a pinch of powdered clove can be applied. Alternatively, you can try chewing a whole clove with the affected tooth. Oil from the clove should reach the affected spot and relieve the pain.

Toothache Pain Relief :tired_face::tooth:

Sources:

  • Cunningham, Scott. “Clove.” Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs , Expanded & Revised., Llewellyn Publications, Woodbury, MN, 2020, pp. 96–96.

  • Morningbird, *. “Cloves.” The Witchipedia, Dawn Black, 2 Nov. 2019, https://witchipedia.com/book-of-shadows/herblore/cloves/.

My Experience

I have been having some issues with my lower left teeth/jaw. I broke a tooth & now the tooth beside it is owie :confounded:, but when I eat the pain goes through that tooth & radiates on each side of the jaw. I didn’t want to take pain medicine so I came across using clove oil on a cotton ball & placing it on the gum/tooth :tooth: that is causing the pain (I just happened to have some organic clove oil from the holidays). After I tried it & it worked wonders! :partying_face: ALL the pain & discomfort was gone with 2 drops :droplet: on a cotton ball! I had to research this because I also use it in incense, but apparently, it is much, much more versatile! :tada:

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That sounds like it hurts. I’m glad the clove oil helps!

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It lasted for a while too! I was pleasantly surprised & then was told that Peppermint oil does the same thing, it’s just a bit weaker.

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Huh. Very cool! Thank you! I hope your tooth gets to feeling better!

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Vanilla extract also does the same thing :joy: we’ve used the clove oil many times when my partner didn’t have dental insurance. Just be careful. I’ve heard that too much use can actually kill the nerve and do damage!

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Oh wow @MeganB! I will have to look into that, I only have had to do it that one time, but it really worked! I will definitely look into using it often though & when I find something I will edit the post :smiling_face:

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SiofraLovely Witch (And yes, you are!)
Thank you for this well written and informative submission. Well done, Lovely one, well done.
Garnet

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Megan, I knew that clove had been used for thousands of years for gum/tooth pain, but I did not know of Vanilla. Is it the alcohol that’s in it or the Vanilla itself?
Garnet

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Honestly, I’m not sure!

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Vanilla is more appealing than Clove :joy:

I remember when I got dry socket after a tooth extraction, the packing they put in the area was covered in cloves. They just packed it right in there! I remember it felt so much better after they did that, almost instantaneous too!

Kind of wish I had thought of that before looking it up on the internet now :thinking:

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I mean, if it works, it works :laughing:

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Thank you for sharing this information, Krissie. This is great and useful information.

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