Plant atlas Short
Clove Oil Was Compared With Dental Gel
Clove · กานพลู · Syzygium aromaticum
Clove — กานพลู (kan-phlu) — Syzygium aromaticum.
The dried bud in your curry is clove. You eat the flower bud. In one pulpotomy trial, clove's eugenol was tested against dental pain alongside articaine gel. The same bud carries manganese, vitamin K, fiber, calcium, and iron. Vitamin K activates the proteins your blood needs to clot and helps steer calcium into your bones. Fiber keeps digestion regular and slows how fast carbohydrates are absorbed. Calcium builds and maintains your bones and teeth and keeps muscles and nerves firing normally. Iron is the core of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your blood and supports steady energy. Massaman Neua grinds dry-roasted cloves into the paste, then simmers them with beef, coconut milk, and potatoes, served with jasmine rice and cucumber relish. Khao Mok Gai toasts cloves for the spice blend that marinates the chicken and colors the turmeric rice, finished with mint sauce and fried shallots. You use the dried buds whole or ground, and clove oil is a traditional source of its active compound. Concentrated clove oil is dangerous swallowed, especially by children — too much can cause serious liver injury and seizures. Concentrated clove products can also affect clotting, so use caution with blood thinners or before surgery. The plant needs constant tropical humidity and shelter; harvest the pink buds just before they open and dry them.
Kaeng Matsaman Nuea — แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ (kaeng-mas-sa-man-nuea)
Khao Mok Gai — ข้าวหมกไก่ (khao-mok-gai)
Food and nutrients
Rich in: manganese, vitamin K, fiber, calcium, iron
Research context
Clove's eugenol relieved dental pain at least as well as an anesthetic after pulpotomy — Dentistry Journal, 2023 (RCT)
Sources
Source: Fernandez De Grado G et al. (2023). Articaine vs eugenol for pain after coronal pulpotomy: RCT. Dent J 11(7):167. DOI:10.3390/dj11070167 (PMID 37504233)
Narration transcript
Opening
Every clove in your spice jar is a flower that was picked before it could bloom — a bud snipped while still pink and dried until it turned hard and brown. Clove — กานพลู, gan-ploo. You use those dried buds whole or ground, dry-roasted into massaman paste or the spice blend for khao mok gai.
Kaeng Matsaman Nuea (Massaman Beef Curry) (แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ)
Massaman beef curry grinds roasted cloves into its paste, then simmers them with beef, coconut milk, and potatoes, served with jasmine rice and cucumber relish.
Khao Mok Gai (Thai Chicken Biryani) (ข้าวหมกไก่)
Khao mok gai is a Thai chicken biryani that folds toasted cloves into the spice blend that marinates the chicken and colors the turmeric rice, finished with mint sauce and fried shallots.
Nutrition summary
Dried cloves are intensely rich in manganese and vitamin K on paper, though a few buds in a pot contribute very little.
Manganese
Manganese helps the body use food for energy and maintain normal connective tissue.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting and helps maintain healthy bones, working alongside calcium in your body.
Fiber
Fiber adds bulk to meals and can help with fullness.
Calcium
Calcium is needed to maintain normal bones and teeth, supports normal muscle and nerve function, and contributes to normal blood clotting.
Iron
Iron is part of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your blood, and it supports normal energy metabolism.
Closing
Go careful with clove oil: concentrated, it's dangerous to swallow, especially for children — even a small amount can injure the liver and set off seizures, and it can thin the blood too, so be cautious around surgery or blood thinners. The tree needs constant tropical warmth and shelter; harvest the pink buds right before they open and dry them in the sun. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
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