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Oil of clove, also known as clove oil, is an essential oil extracted from the clove plant, Syzygium aromaticum. It has the CAS number 8000-34-8.
Contents
Clove is often found in the aromatherapy section of health food stores, and is used in the flavoring of some medicines. Madagascar and Indonesia are the main producers of clove oil.
Clove oil has been promoted as having a wide range of health effects, but there is insufficient medical evidence to support general claims for its use as a therapeutic.
Types
There are three types of clove oil:
Uses
Clove oil has been promoted as having a wide range of health effects, but there is insufficient medical evidence to support general claims for its use as a therapeutic.
Toothache
Particularly in South Korea and India, eugenol, a phytochemical extracted from clove oil, is used to relieve toothache. Applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth or tooth socket remaining after extraction, eugenol or clove oil can relieve toothache temporarily. The potential mechanisms for how eugenol may inhibit dental pain are under active research.
In the United States, the FDA considers eugenol ineffective for treating dental pain, and has downgraded clove oil as an analgesic due to insufficient evidence to rate its effectiveness.
Use on fish
Clove oil is commonly used to anesthetize or euthanize laboratory or pet fish.
Toxicity
Little is known of the safety of taking clove oil in large amounts. Serious effects have been reported in young children, even with small doses.
Regulation
In Germany, Commission E permits the sale and administration of clove oil as a medicinal herb.