Clove Love

Clove. You might know it as a spice, used to add warmth and flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. Its essential oil, as a fragrance, has many of the same properties. Diffusing it into a room encourages sleep and dreams, and creates a sense of protection and courage. You may be less familiar, however, with the medicinal and therapeutic properties this essential oil can have. 

Clove essential oil has many germicidal properties–it is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiseptic, and antiviral–and has been used across the world since ancient times to prevent and heal disease.

Perhaps surprisingly, the most common use of clove essential oil is in dental care–in fact, it is an important ingredient in many toothpastes, mouthwashes, and oral care medications! Eugenol, which comprises 75-87% of clove essential oil, has anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it very effective for relieving toothaches, sore gums, mouth ulcers, and even teething pain. It has been used in the dental industry for years to numb gums during procedures. To use clove essential oil for oral or dental pain, place a couple of drops of it between your thumb and index finger, and then gently massage the affected area between those two fingers. Of course, these same properties can be taken advantage in other ways, as pain relief and antiseptics throughout the body.

By Gabrielle Candes