Spice cloves: useful properties and contraindications, recipes and treatment

In the kitchen, every hostess can find seasonings. Among them, there will be a carnation. These are small dark brown sticks with a spherical shape at one end. Seasoning is loved for its bitter, spicy taste and rich flavor. It is an integral part of many culinary masterpieces.

A bit of history

Carnation is known for 1500 years BC. E. For the first time it is mentioned in the medical and Ayurvedic treatises of the time. The birthplace of the carnation is the Island of Spices. This is the name of the Moluccas Islands. It was there that grew clove trees. The buds of flowering trees that did not have time to blossom were dried in the sun and applied in medicine. With the help of cloves, rheumatism was treated, disinfected wounds and fought with parasites living in the body. 2500 years ago, it gained popularity in China. Carnation was used as a means of removing stale breath and toothache. To do this, it was enough to chew a few flowers for about 2 minutes. In Europe, a carnation hit even before the adoption of Christianity. They took her from Malaysia to Alexandria on the Red Sea. Then cloves were bought by merchants and forwarded to other cities and countries already as a seasoning. The spice was expensive, and it could be paid instead of money. In addition, it was necessary to prove their right to trade carnations. Since the 18th century, this spice has been produced on an industrial scale, and its cultural center has become Tanzania. Today cloves are grown also in Indonesia, Malaysia, Ceylon and Madagascar.

Carnation composition

If you get acquainted with the composition of this spice, it becomes clear that people do not accidentally attributed her healing properties. In the carnation there is a fair amount of B vitamins, giving vitality A and E to the youth and beauty of the skin, which helps to coagulate vitamin K. It also includes zinc, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, selenium, copper, manganese, iron. 100 g of the product contain 20 g of fat, 6 g of protein, 27 g of carbohydrates, 34 g of fiber, 6 g of water. Carnation for 20% consists of essential oil. It is often included the composition of perfume or toilet water. Looking at the composition of the spice, it can be compared with multivitamins. However, clove (spice) has useful properties and contraindications. For medicinal purposes, it must be used carefully.

Harm to the carnation

It is not necessary to doubt the sheer benefit of this spice, but not everyone can use it. As you know, has carnation (spice) useful properties and contraindications.

1. Spice can not be eaten by pregnant and lactating women, and also by children under two years of age.
2. It is contraindicated in patients with hypertension.
3. For people with gastrointestinal problems, carnation (useful properties and contraindications are discussed in the article) is not recommended. You should limit the use of seasoning to those who suffer from ulcerative diseases, gastritis with high acidity, increased fatigue, overexertion.
4. On the beneficial properties and contraindications of cloves can not be forgotten, using for medicinal purposes and clove oil. Inside it take on a full stomach no more than three drops per day, washed down with a lot of water.

Carnation in medicine

Thanks to its composition, this spice still enjoys popularity among fans of traditional medicine. But she does not tolerate negligent treatment. Like any medicine, it has carnation (spice) useful properties and contraindications. Treatment should be done carefully, clearly following the formula.

1. Arthritis. Add 5-7 drops of clove oil to a normal massage and pound them with a sick joint.
2. Ear ache. Take a glass of sesame oil, throw in it 5 buds of cloves and boil for 15 minutes. Cool down. Bury three times a day 3 drops in a sore ear.
3. Digestive problems. Add a teaspoon of honey on a pinch of ground cloves and black pepper. Take should be before meals twice a day. People who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract should use caution to use such a seasoning as cloves. Useful properties and contraindications should be taken into account equally. And it is better to get a doctor's consultation before applying the folk remedy.
4. Inflammation of the eyes. Grind 1 clove bud. Mix the powder with water in such a way that a gruel is obtained. Apply it to the sore eyes. Treatment is carried out for several days.
5. Colds, cough, runny nose. Grind the cloves to a powder and mix it with a teaspoon of honey. Eat the mixture very slowly, slowly dissolve.
6. Cholera. In Asia, this disease is treated with a nail decoction. In three liters of water, add 5 buds of spices and boil to 1 liter. The resulting broth is drunk before the recovery.
7. Toothache. Chew for a couple of minutes 1 carnation bud. This same method will help freshen your breath.

Carnation (spice): useful properties and contraindications. Recipes in cosmetology

Carnation is unique in its properties. It is often found in creams, lotions, balms. Also it can be used at home. But no matter how good the carnation, useful properties and contraindications must be taken into account when using it.

You can make a refreshing mask. Take a tablespoon of pharmacy clay and cream (you can use milk) and mix with three drops of clove and mint oil. If desired, add a teaspoon of honey. Mix the ingredients until smooth. Apply the mixture on face, soak for 5 minutes. Wash with water and oil the skin with a nourishing cream.

Get rid of pimples, blackheads, wounds will help clove oil. Dampen a cotton swab slightly in it, wipe the problem areas of the skin. Do the procedure 1 time daily. Carnation oil will help make the skin more taut. Take a portion of the day cream, sufficient for one application, and add 1 drop of oil to it.

For oily skin, mix with a teaspoon of cosmetic 2 drops of clove essential oil. Apply daily. Using spice for cosmetic purposes, it is necessary to remember that cloves have useful properties and contraindications. Recipes must be strictly observed, otherwise severe burns can be obtained.

Carnations in cooking

The traditional way of using cloves in the kitchen is cooking vegetables, meat, mushroom marinades. Spice gives the dishes a piquant taste and is an excellent preservative. It fits well with cabbage and other vegetables, meat, fish, perfectly complements soups and broths, cold snacks. It is added during the quenching whole buds. For cooking fried foods used in the ground form. Do not bypass the spice of your attention to the confectioners. It is included in the recipes of compotes, punch, mulled wine, puddings, sweets, gingerbread, cookies. It is best to combine the spice with cinnamon, so that the taste of cloves is not burning. Cloves are added during kneading the dough. For 1 kg it is enough to put 2 buds. In drinks put no more than 2 buds per 1 liter. During cooking, the cloves are added at the last minute. It can not be boiled, otherwise it will lose a wonderful scent. If you put too much cloves, then the dish can get too sweet and even bitter taste. If there is vinegar or alcohol-containing foods in the dish, then this seasoning can not be added. The taste of food will become bitter. When using several condiments in a recipe, cloves should make up a seventh of their total. Otherwise it can drown out the taste and aroma of other spices.

How to choose and store

It is better to buy it whole, the ground spice quickly spoils and is not so fragrant. The color of the carnation should be red-brown, bud - oily, twig - flexible. The drier the carnation looks, the older it is. The aroma and taste of it is not as saturated as fresh cloves, but can be used for food. To check the presence of essential oil, you need to lower the buds in a container of water. A good carnation will keep upright with the head up. If the spice lay horizontally, then it is very old. Store the cloves in a tightly closed container in a dry dark place.

Interesting Facts

Carnation is often used in perfumes. The famous composition of Paloma Picasso contains in its aroma this spicy note. Perfumers call the clove queen the spice queen.

Spice was not popular in the Soviet Union. It was replaced with a similar to the taste of tiles.

Spice cloves and clove flower are not related. Seasoning is grown from the seeds of the Myrtle family tree, which grows exclusively in the tropics. Carnation is a unique natural product, because it is used in different spheres of life: cooking, medicine, cosmetology. It is necessary to take into account all the points when using such a spice as cloves - useful properties and contraindications should be studied comprehensively.