Oil of clove

Oil of clove is an essential oil extracted from the clove plant Syzygium aromaticum. Clove oil is mainly (90%) eugenol, a phenolic compound widespread in nature. It is for flavoring food, tea, and toothpaste. In alternative medicine, it may be used as a topical medication to relieve toothache. There is insufficient medical evidence to support its use as an analgesic for treating pain.

Madagascar and Indonesia are the main producers of clove oil.

Types and phytochemicals

Clove oil is obtained by steam distillation of various parts of the clove tree. There are three types of clove oil:

Bud oil is derived from the flower-buds of S. aromaticum. It consists of 60–90% eugenol, eugenol acetate, caryophyllene and other minor constituents.
Leaf oil is derived from the leaves of S. aromaticum. It consists of 70–82% eugenol, and some amounts of beta Caryophyllene and alpha Humulene.
Stem oil is derived from the twigs of S. aromaticum. It consists of 85–92% eugenol, with other minor constituents. Stem oil is closer in olfactive and flavor profile to bud oil.

Distilled clove oil from buds contains mixed phytochemicals, including as main constituents phenylpropanoids (primarily eugenol), carvacrol, thymol, and cinnamaldehyde, with smaller quantities of polyphenols, carbohydrates, lipids, oleanolic acid, and rhamnetin.

Toothache

Particularly in South Korea and India, eugenol, an aromatic compound extracted from clove oil, is used in alternative medicine to relieve toothache. Applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth or tooth socket remaining after extraction, eugenol or clove oil may relieve toothache temporarily. There is insufficient scientific evidence that eugenol is effective for treating dental pain.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, clove oil was a popular ingredient in European toothache medications. Examples of such preparations included Stoffels Zahnschmerzstille, Odontine and Jehnol.

Other uses

Clove oil is commonly used to anesthetize or euthanize laboratory or pet fish.

Clove oil is a component of choji oil (Japanese: 丁子油), which was traditionally used for the maintenance of Japanese swords.

Regulation

In Germany, Commission E permits the sale and administration of clove oil for use in alternative medicine.

Notes

References

1 2 3 4 "Clove". Drugs.com. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
1 2 3 "Eugenol (clove oil)". LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 28 October 2019. PMID 31869191.
1 2 3 4 "Clove". MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
↑ "Clove Oil BP". Electronic Medicines Compendium, UK. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
1 2 Lawless, J. (1995). "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherapy and Herbalism". The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Essential Oils. ISBN 978-1-85230-661-8.
↑ Panten, Johannes; Surburg, Horst (2015). "Flavors and Fragrances, 4. Natural Raw Materials". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. pp. 1–58. doi:10.1002/14356007.t11_t03. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.
1 2 Chung G, Oh SB (2013). "Eugenol as Local Anesthetic". Natural Products. Springer-Verlag Berlin; In: Natural Products - Phytochemistry, Botany and Metabolism of Alkaloids, Phenolics and Terpenes; Part XIV. pp. 4001–4015. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_171. ISBN 978-3-642-22144-6.
↑ Smakosz, Alexander (2026). "Between medicine and cosmetic: Borderline products in early 20th-century Germany - the case of Jehnol, 1908". Pharmaceutical Historian. 56 (2): 57–61. doi:10.57747/PHARMRXIV-2026051250651-000.
↑ Gary Kent Ostrander (2000). The Laboratory Fish. Elsevier. pp. 508–. ISBN 978-0-12-529650-2.
↑ Gary West; Darryl Heard; Nigel Caulkett (21 July 2014). Zoo Animal and Wildlife Immobilization and Anesthesia. Wiley. pp. 249–. ISBN 978-1-118-79286-5.
↑ Nagayama, Kōkan (1997). The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords. Kodansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-2071-0.
↑ "Glossary". Samurai Museum. 6 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
↑ Rister, R.; Klein, S.; Riggins, C. (1998-08-15). The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines (1st ed.). American Botanical Council. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-9655555-0-0.

[drugs-1] 1 2 3 4 "Clove". Drugs.com. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.

[livertox-2] 1 2 3 "Eugenol (clove oil)". LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 28 October 2019. PMID 31869191.

[mp-3] 1 2 3 4 "Clove". MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.

[BritishPharmacopea-4] "Clove Oil BP". Electronic Medicines Compendium, UK. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

[Lawless-5] 1 2 Lawless, J. (1995). "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherapy and Herbalism". The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Essential Oils. ISBN 978-1-85230-661-8.

[Ull-6] Panten, Johannes; Surburg, Horst (2015). "Flavors and Fragrances, 4. Natural Raw Materials". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. pp. 1–58. doi:10.1002/14356007.t11_t03. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.

[chung-7] 1 2 Chung G, Oh SB (2013). "Eugenol as Local Anesthetic". Natural Products. Springer-Verlag Berlin; In: Natural Products - Phytochemistry, Botany and Metabolism of Alkaloids, Phenolics and Terpenes; Part XIV. pp. 4001–4015. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_171. ISBN 978-3-642-22144-6.

[8] Smakosz, Alexander (2026). "Between medicine and cosmetic: Borderline products in early 20th-century Germany - the case of Jehnol, 1908". Pharmaceutical Historian. 56 (2): 57–61. doi:10.57747/PHARMRXIV-2026051250651-000.

[Ostrander2000-9] Gary Kent Ostrander (2000). The Laboratory Fish. Elsevier. pp. 508–. ISBN 978-0-12-529650-2.

[WestHeard2014-10] Gary West; Darryl Heard; Nigel Caulkett (21 July 2014). Zoo Animal and Wildlife Immobilization and Anesthesia. Wiley. pp. 249–. ISBN 978-1-118-79286-5.

[11] Nagayama, Kōkan (1997). The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords. Kodansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-2071-0.

[12] "Glossary". Samurai Museum. 6 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-20.

[Commission_E-13] Rister, R.; Klein, S.; Riggins, C. (1998-08-15). The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines (1st ed.). American Botanical Council. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-9655555-0-0.