Allspice

Myrtaceae - Myrtaceae. Parts used: buds. Pharmacy name: clove - Caryophylli tios (formerly: Flores Caryophylli), clove oil - Caryophylli aetheroleum (formerly: Oleum Caryophylli).

Botanical description. The clove tree comes from the Moluccas and Philippine Islands. In addition to these places, it is also bred in Malaysia and on the East African coast.

This slender evergreen tree reaches a height of 10-20 m. All its parts contain fragrant essential oil - a feature of representatives of the myrtle family in general. The clove tree in its youth has a pyramidal shape; with age, the branches protrude and even hang down.

The leaves are leathery, ovate, 5-15 cm long, glabrous, opposite, entire, covered with dots when exposed to light. The terminal three-membered umbellate inflorescences contain yellowish-white flowers with a red tube-shaped calyx.

Collection and preparation. The inflorescences are harvested whole when they are fully developed, but the flowers in them have not yet opened. Sometimes they are simply knocked down with a pole, but usually the harvest is carried out more carefully and the inflorescences are picked from special platforms. The buds are torn off and air dried.

Products vary in where they are harvested (for example, Zanzibar cloves, Madagascar cloves or Pennang Amboina cloves) and in their quality. To obtain essential clove oil, not only the flowers are used, but also the leaves and bark.

Active ingredients. Depending on the origin and quality, clove buds contain from 15 to 22% essential oil and from 8 to 14% tannins, as well as flavonoids, sterols and almost 10% fatty oil. The essential oil consists mainly of eugenol. Both of these main components - essential oil and tannins - are the main active ingredients.

Healing action and application. The aroma of cloves and the taste of the raw material determine its use in medicine. Clove tree is used in the manufacture of medicines to improve their taste and as a tonic. In tincture form, it is prescribed primarily as a disinfectant for the mouth and throat, and also as a gastric stimulant.

The disinfectant effect of cloves was known already in the Middle Ages. During epidemics of plague and cholera, doctors wore clove beads around their necks, put cloves in their mouths and chewed them when visiting the sick. Essential oil is an integral part of a complex alcoholic lemon balm tincture, as well as various appetite stimulants and restoratives.

Use as a seasoning. Was