What are the medicinal properties and therapeutic indications of cloves?
Jun 06, 2024
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. He Haochen
Introduction
Generally speaking, clove has medicinal properties such as warming the middle burner, suppressing vomiting, tonifying the kidneys and enhancing yang, inhibiting and killing bacteria, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and promoting digestion. It is primarily used to treat conditions including indigestion, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, oral diseases, cold-induced abdominal pain, and swellings or sores caused by wind-heat. However, patients should use this herb only under the guidance of a physician. If any physical discomfort occurs, seek medical attention promptly.
Generally speaking, cloves have medicinal properties including warming the middle burner and suppressing counterflow, tonifying the kidneys and strengthening yang, inhibiting and killing bacteria, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and promoting digestion. They are primarily used to treat indigestion, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, oral diseases, cold-induced abdominal pain, and wind-heat swellings or toxic conditions. However, patients should use cloves under the guidance of a physician. Specific details are as follows:
I. Medicinal Properties
1. Warming the Middle Burner and Suppressing Counterflow
Cloves have an aromatic odor, which enables them to warm the middle burner and suppress upward counterflow. People with poor spleen and stomach function may benefit from using cloves to improve symptoms such as spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, thereby supporting gastrointestinal health.
2. Tonifying Kidneys and Strengthening Yang
Cloves act on the kidney meridian and help improve renal function, regulate kidney deficiency, and enhance kidney activity, thus exerting a kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening effect.
3. Inhibiting and Killing Bacteria
Cloves contain substances such as clove oil and eugenol. Drinking tea brewed with cloves or decocted clove water can effectively inhibit *Helicobacter pylori*, *Staphylococcus*, *Streptococcus*, *Escherichia coli*, *Salmonella typhi*, and *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*, thereby achieving antibacterial and germicidal effects.
4. Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects
Eugenol and other volatile components in cloves also possess anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, making them useful for treating joint pain, bruises, and injuries, benefiting overall health.
5. Promoting Digestion
Cloves contain tannins, which help protect and nourish the stomach. They stimulate gastric acid secretion, aiding food digestion.
II. Primary Therapeutic Applications
1. Indigestion
Cloves can be used to treat clinical symptoms caused by indigestion, such as hiccups, bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and bad breath.
2. Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation
Cloves also have yang-tonifying effects and can be used to address erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and soreness of the lower back and knees due to kidney yang deficiency.
3. Oral Diseases
Cloves are commonly used in dentistry. Gargling regularly with clove water can help prevent bad breath, oral ulcers, and toothaches.
4. Cold-Induced Abdominal Pain
Cloves are warm in nature and enter the spleen and stomach meridians. They dispel internal cold, warm the spleen and stomach, and effectively relieve epigastric and abdominal cold pain and loss of appetite caused by stomach cold.
5. Wind-Heat Swellings and Toxic Conditions
Certain components in cloves have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce inflammation-related discomfort and pain, thus helping to treat conditions involving wind-heat swellings and toxins.
Patients should use cloves only under medical supervision. If any physical discomfort occurs, seek prompt medical attention and receive standardized treatment as directed by a healthcare professional.
