Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Synonyms —
Caryophyllus aromaticus
L.,
Eugenia aromatica
(L.) Baill.,
Eugenia caryophyl-
lata
Thumb.,
Jambosa caryophyllus
(Spr.) Neid.,
Eugenia caryophyllus
Spreng.
Family —
Myrtaceae
Common Names —
Clove (E), clou de girofle, giroflier (F)
African Names —
Arabic: karanfal; Bambara: benefundi; Hausa: kanumfari, karanho, kade;
Igbo: osaragbogo-eze; Swahili: karafwu; Yoruba: konofuru
Description —
Cloves are small evergreen trees 10 to 15 m high. The leaves are opposite, peti-
olated lanceolate with translucid aromatic glands. They have a pungent odor and are pink when
young. The inflorescence occurs as racemose panicles and bears buds that take on the form of nails
before blossoming to constitute the spice. The flowers are red and have four concave, overlapping pet-
als that drop as soon as the flower opens. There are numerous stamens and four calyx teeth. The fruit
is a dark and red, fleshy drupe. Clove buds have a strong aromatic characteristic odor and a pungent
and spicy taste, followed by a slightly aromatic, characteristic odor and a pungent and spicy taste,
followed by a slight numbness. Clove readily exudes oil when pressed or scratched by the fingernail.
Habitat and Distribution —
The plant originated in Indonesia but is now grown in some parts
of Africa, especially in the islands of the Indian Ocean (the Comoro archipelago, Madagascar,
Reunion Island, and Zanzibar).
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
Clove and clove oil are used as anodynes for toothache and mouth
infections. The plant is used as an antiseptic dressing for wounds. It has also been dispensed for
coughs and stomachache and as a stimulant and carminative. Other
Syzygium
species, especially
S. guineense
and
S. cordatum
, are also used as remedies for various diseases.
S. guineense
is used
in West Africa and by the Swahili as a remedy for dysentery. In Central Africa, a decoction of the
bark is used in the treatment of diarrhea. The Bemba use a decoction of the leaf of
S. cordatum
as a
remedy for stomachache and diarrhea, and they apply a poultice of the pounded leaf, bark, and root
to the breast of the nursing mother to increase the flow of milk. The Zulu use the plant and a related
species,
S. gerrarde,
as a tuberculosis remedy and emetic.
79
The powdered bark is sprinkled on the
water as an effective fish poison but is not toxic to big fish and warm-blooded animals.
79
Constituents —
It yields 15-20% volatile oil, which consists of up to 90% eugenol and about
13% gallotanic acid and β-caryophyllin, methyl salicylate, benzaldehyde, and sesquiterpenes
α-cubebene, cardenes, and α-copene.
1012
Two ellagitannins, syzyginins A and B, were isolated from
the leaves.
1013
The plant also contains the sterols sitosterol, campestrol, and sigmasterol, as well as
the flavonoids kaempferol and rhamnetin.
Pharmacological Studies —
Clove has been shown to possess antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti-
histaminic, and anthelminthic properties.
1014
Eugenol is widely used in dentistry to deaden the pain
of toothache and to probe tooth decay. The oil and aqueous extracts potentiate the activity of tryp-
sin.
123
It possesses antioxidant
1015
and antimicrobial activities.
It has been used in combination with
Lavandula angustifolia
and
Geranium robertianum
for the
treatment of acute external otitis (AEO). The combination herbal eye drop (Lamigex) preparation was
compared with the ciprofloxacin 0.3% drop in the alleviation of AEO symptoms. All assessed symp-
toms (tenderness, itching, erythema, edema, and discharge) were equally improved in the ciprofloxacin
and Lamigex groups by the end of the trial (
p
> 0.05). There were remarkable reductions in the visual
analog scale score by the end of the trial in both groups (
p
< 0.001). However, the rate of pain improve-
ment was not found to be significantly different between the groups at either the 3rd or 7th day of trial
(
p
> 0.05). The numbers of positive cultures for all tested microorganisms were clearly reduced by the
end of the trial in both groups but were not significantly different between the groups (
p
> 0.05).
1016
It has shown activity against
Trypanosoma cruzi
,
1017
Lymnaea acuminate
,
1018
and xerophilic afla-
toxigenic fungi associated with marketed tea.
1019
The hexane extract has a biphasic action on testicu-
lar function:
1020
A low dose (15 mg) of the extract for 35 days increased the activities of Δ
5
3β-HSD
a nd 17β-HSD and the serum level of testosterone; the higher doses (30 and 60 mg) of the extract
inhibited these parameters and induced nonuniform degenerative changes in the STs associated with
