View source for Clove

{{short description|Spice, flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum}}
{{About|the spice}}
{{Redirect|Cloves|other uses|CLOVES syndrome|and|Cloves (singer)}}{{Distinguish|Clover}}{{speciesbox
|name         = Clove
|image        = Syzygium_aromaticum_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-030.jpg
|genus        = Syzygium
|species      = aromaticum
|authority    = ([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Elmer Drew Merrill|Merr.]] & [[L.M.Perry]]
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | name = ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry | id = 50069 | access-date = June 9, 2011}}</ref>
|synonyms     =
* ''Caryophyllus aromaticus'' <small>L.</small>
* ''Eugenia aromatica'' <small>(L.) Baill.</small>
* ''Eugenia caryophyllata'' <small>Thunb.</small>
* ''Eugenia caryophyllus'' <small>(Spreng.) Bullock & S.G.Harrison</small>
* ''Jambosa caryophyllus'' <small>(Thunb.) Nied.</small>
|}}

'''Cloves''' are the aromatic [[flower]] [[bud]]s of a tree in the family [[Myrtaceae]], '''''Syzygium aromaticum''''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|ˈ|z|ɪ|dʒ|iː|ə|m|_|ˌ|ær|ə|ˈ|m|æ|t|ɪ|k|ə|m}}).<ref>{{Cite OED|syzygium}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|aqua aromatica}}</ref> They are native to the [[Maluku Islands]], or Moluccas, in [[Indonesia]], and are commonly used as a [[spice]], [[flavoring]], or [[Aroma compound|fragrance]] in [[final good|consumer products]], such as [[toothpaste]], [[Soap|soaps]], or [[cosmetics]].<ref name="kew">{{cite web |title=''Syzygium aromaticum'' (L.) Merr. and L.M. Perry |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:601421-1 |publisher=Kew Science, Plants of the World Online |access-date=28 February 2021 |date=2021}}</ref><ref name=drugs/> Cloves are available throughout the year owing to different [[harvest]] seasons across various countries.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.tridge.com/stories/tridge-market-update-tight-stocks-of-quality-cloves-lead-to-a-price-surge |title=Tight Stocks of Quality Cloves Lead to a Price Surge |last= Yun |first= Wonjung |date= 13 August 2018 |work= Tridge |access-date= 13 August 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180814103405/https://www.tridge.com/stories/tridge-market-update-tight-stocks-of-quality-cloves-lead-to-a-price-surge |archive-date= 14 August 2018 }}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word ''clove'', first used in [[English language|English]] in the [[15th century]], derives via [[Middle English]] {{Lang|enm|clow of gilofer}},<ref name=uch/> Anglo-[[French language|French]] ''clowes de gilofre'' and Old French {{Lang|fro|clou de girofle}}, from the Latin word ''{{Lang|la|clavus}}'' "nail".<ref name="oed">{{OEtymD|clove}}</ref><ref>{{L&S|clavus|ref}}</ref> The related [[English language|English]] word ''gillyflower'', originally meaning "clove", derives<ref>{{OEtymD|gillyflower}}</ref> via said Old French {{Lang|fro|girofle}} and Latin ''{{Lang|la|caryophyllon}}'', from the [[Greek language|Greek]] {{Transliteration|grc|karyophyllon}} "clove", literally "nut leaf".<ref>{{LSJ|karuo/fullon|καρυόφυλλον|ref}}</ref><ref name="uch">{{Cite journal |last=Uchibayashi |first=M. |date=2001 |title=[Etymology of clove] |journal=Yakushigaku Zasshi |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=167–170 |issn=0285-2314 |pmid=11971288}}</ref>

==Description==
The clove tree is an [[evergreen]] that grows up to {{convert|8|–|12|m}} tall, with large leaves and [[crimson]] flowers grouped in terminal clusters. The flower buds initially have a pale hue, gradually turn green, then transition to a bright red when ready for harvest. Cloves are harvested at {{convert|1.5|–|2|cm|in|frac=8}} long, and consist of a long [[calyx (botany)|calyx]] that terminates in four spreading [[sepal]]s, and four unopened [[petals]] that form a small central ball.

Clove ''stalks'' are slender [[Plant stem|stems]] of the [[inflorescence]] axis that show opposite [[decussate]] branching. Externally, they are brownish, rough, and irregularly wrinkled longitudinally with short fracture and dry, woody texture. ''Mother cloves (anthophylli)'' are the ripe fruits of cloves that are ovoid, brown berries, [[Locule|unilocular]] and one-seeded. 
''Blown cloves'' are expanded flowers from which both [[Corolla (flower)|corollae]] and [[stamens]] have been detached. ''Exhausted cloves'' have most or all the [[oil]] removed by [[distillation]].{{cn|date=January 2023}}

== Uses ==
{{Cookbook|Clove}}[[Image:ClovesDried.jpg|left|thumb|Dried cloves]]
[[File:The flowers of clove tree in Pemba island.JPG|thumb|Clove tree flowerbuds]]{{Cookbook}}
Cloves are used in the cuisine of [[Asian cuisine|Asian]], [[African cuisine|African]], [[Mediterranean cuisine|Mediterranean]], and the [[Levantine cuisine|Near]] and [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle East]] countries, lending flavor to meats (such as [[ham|baked ham]]), [[curry|curries]], and [[marinade]]s, as well as fruit (such as apples, pears, and [[rhubarb]]). Cloves may be used to give [[aromatic]] and flavor qualities to hot beverages, often combined with other ingredients such as [[lemon]] and sugar. They are a common element in spice blends (as part of the [[Malay cuisine|Malay]] ''rempah empat beradik'' –"four sibling spices"– besides [[cinnamon]], cardamom and star anise for example<ref>{{cite news |department=Star2 |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |date=Aug 2, 2015 |page=9 |title=A spicy blend of tradition |author=Hariati Azizan }}</ref>), including [[pumpkin pie spice]] and [[speculaas]] spices. 

In [[Mexican cuisine]], cloves are best known as ''clavos de olor'', and often accompany [[cumin]] and [[cinnamon]].<ref>Dorenburg, Andrew and Page, Karen. ''The New American Chef: Cooking with the Best Flavors and Techniques from Around the World'', John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2003</ref> They are also used in Peruvian cuisine, in a wide variety of dishes such as ''[[carapulcra]]'' and ''[[Rice pudding#Latin America and the Caribbean|arroz con leche]]''. 

A major component of clove's taste is imparted by the chemical [[eugenol]],<ref name="eugenol">{{cite journal |journal=Molecules |year=2012 |volume=17 |issue=6|pages=6953–81| doi=10.3390/molecules17066953|pmid=22728369|pmc=6268661|title=Eugenol--from the remote Maluku Islands to the international market place: a review of a remarkable and versatile molecule|author=Kamatou, G. P. |author2=Vermaak, I. |author3=Viljoen, A. M.|doi-access=free }}</ref> and the quantity of the spice required is typically small. It pairs well with cinnamon, [[allspice]], [[vanilla]], [[red wine]], [[basil]], [[onion]], [[citrus peel]], [[star anise]], and [[peppercorn]]s.

=== Non-culinary uses ===
It is often added to [[Betel nut chewing|betel quids]] to enhance aroma while chewing.<ref>{{Cite book|page=26|title=Betel Chewing Traditions in South-East Asia|first=Dawn F.|last=Rooney|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1993|location=Kuala Lumpur|isbn=0-19-588620-8}}</ref> The spice is used in a type of cigarette called ''[[kretek]]'' in [[Indonesia]].<ref name="GRIN"/> Clove cigarettes were smoked throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Clove cigarettes are currently classified in the United States as [[cigar]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/FlavoredTobacco/default.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924143849/http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/FlavoredTobacco/default.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2009 |title=Flavored Tobacco |publisher=FDA |access-date=September 7, 2012}}</ref> the result of a [[ban (law)|ban]] on flavored cigarettes in September 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Tobacco Control Act's Ban of Clove Cigarettes and the WTO: A Detailed Analysis |url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R42733.html|date=17 September 2012 |access-date=2022-05-12 |publisher= Congressional Research Service Reports|language=en}}</ref>

Clove [[essential oil]] may be used to inhibit [[mold]] growth on various types of foods.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ju |first1=Jian |last2=Xu |first2=Xiaomiao |last3=Xie |first3=Yunfei |last4=Guo |first4=Yahui |last5=Cheng |first5=Yuliang |last6=Qian |first6=He |last7=Yao |first7=Weirong |date=2018 |title=Inhibitory effects of cinnamon and clove essential oils on mold growth on baked foods |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0308814617312736 |journal=Food Chemistry |language=en |volume=240 |pages=850–855 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.07.120|pmid=28946351 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In addition to these non-culinary uses of clove, it can be used to protect wood in a system for [[cultural heritage]] conservation, and showed the efficacy of clove essential oil to be higher than a [[boron]]-based wood preservative.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pop |first1=Dana-Mihaela |last2=Timar |first2=Maria Cristina |last3=Varodi |first3=Anca Maria |last4=Beldean |first4=Emanuela Carmen |date=December 2021 |title=An evaluation of clove (''Eugenia caryophyllata'') essential oil as a potential alternative antifungal wood protection system for cultural heritage conservation |journal=Maderas. Ciencia y tecnología |language=en |volume=24 |doi=10.4067/S0718-221X2022000100411 |s2cid=245952586 |issn=0718-221X|doi-access=free }}</ref> Cloves can be used to make a fragrant [[pomander]] when combined with an orange. When given as a gift in Victorian England, such a pomander indicated warmth of feeling.

[[File:Seasonal clove buds drying on Pemba1.jpg|thumb|Cloves drying in sun]]

=== Adverse effects and potential uses===
The use of clove for any medicinal purpose has not been approved by the US [[Food and Drug Administration]], and its use may cause [[adverse event|adverse effects]] if taken orally by people with [[liver disease]], [[blood clotting]] and [[immune system]] disorders, or [[food allergy|food allergies]].<ref name=drugs/>

Cloves are used in [[traditional medicine]] as an [[Oil of cloves|essential oil]], which is intended to be an [[anodyne]] ([[analgesic]]) mainly for dental emergencies.<ref>Balch, Phyllis and Balch, James. ''Prescription for Nutritional Healing'', 3rd ed., Avery Publishing, 2000, p. 94</ref> There is evidence that clove oil containing [[eugenol]] is effective for [[toothache]] pain and other types of pain.<ref name="drugs">{{cite web |title=Clove |url=https://www.drugs.com/mtm/clove.html |publisher=Drugs.com |access-date=25 December 2024 |date=22 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="nih">{{cite web |url=https://www.medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/251.html|title=Clove|publisher=MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health |date=28 March 2024 |access-date=25 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eugenol - COLCORONA Clinical Trial |url=https://www.colcorona.net/de/haarausfall-nach-corona |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=www.colcorona.net}}</ref> Clove essential oil may prevent the growth of ''[[Enterococcus faecalis]]'' bacteria which may be present in an unsuccessful [[root canal]] treatment.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2022 |title=Effectiveness of Mixed Clove Flower Extract (Syzygium Aromaticum) And Sweet Wood (Cinnamon Burmanni) on the Growth of Enterococcus Faecalis |url=https://medicopublication.com/index.php/ijfmt/article/view/17639 |journal=Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology |volume=16 |issue=1 |doi=10.37506/ijfmt.v16i1.17639|s2cid=245045753 |doi-access=free |last1=Sarahfin Aslan |last2=Masriadi |last3=Nur Rahmah Hasanuddin |last4=Andi Tenri Biba Mallombasang |last5=Nur Azizah a.r |pages=1089–1094 }}</ref> 

One review reported the efficacy of eugenol combined with [[zinc oxide]] as an [[analgesia|analgesic]] for [[alveolar osteitis]].<ref>{{cite journal |pmc=4598935 |year=2015 |last1=Taberner-Vallverdú |first1=M. |title=Efficacy of different methods used for dry socket management: A systematic review |journal=Medicina Oral Patología Oral y Cirugia Bucal |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=e633–e639 |last2=Nazir |first2=M. |last3=Sanchez-Garces |first3=M. Á. |last4=Gay-Escoda |first4=C. |doi=10.4317/medoral.20589 |pmid=26116842}}</ref> Studies to determine its effectiveness for fever reduction, as a [[mosquito]] repellent, and to prevent [[premature ejaculation]] have been inconclusive.<ref name=drugs/><ref name=nih/> It remains unproven whether [[blood sugar]] levels are reduced by cloves or clove oil.<ref name=nih/> The essential oil may be used in [[aromatherapy]].<ref name="drugs" />

== History ==
[[File:Austronesian maritime trade network in the Indian Ocean.png|thumb|[[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] [[Spice trade|proto-historic]] and [[Maritime Silk Road|historic]] maritime trade network in the [[Indian Ocean]]<ref name="Manguin2016">{{cite book|first1=Pierre-Yves |last1=Manguin|editor1-first=Gwyn |editor1-last=Campbell|title =Early Exchange between Africa and the Wider Indian Ocean World |chapter =Austronesian Shipping in the Indian Ocean: From Outrigger Boats to Trading Ships|publisher =Palgrave Macmillan|year =2016|pages=51–76|isbn =978-3-319-33822-4|chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=XsvDDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA50}}</ref>]]
Until the [[Colonial Era|colonial era]], cloves only grew on a few islands in the [[Moluccas]] (historically called the [[Maluku Islands|Spice Islands]]), including [[Bacan]], [[Makian]], [[Moti Island|Moti]], [[Ternate]], and [[Tidore]].<ref name="Turner">{{Cite book |author=Turner, Jack |title=Spice: The History of a Temptation |publisher=Vintage Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-375-70705-6 |pages=xxvii–xxviii}}</ref>

Cloves were first traded by the [[Austronesian peoples]] in the [[Austronesian maritime trade network]] (which began around 1500&nbsp;BC, later becoming the [[Maritime Silk Road]] and part of the [[Spice Trade]]).{{cn|date=July 2024}} The first notable example of modern clove farming developed on the east coast of [[Madagascar]], and is cultivated in three separate ways, a [[monoculture]], agricultural parklands, and [[agroforestry]] systems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Arimalala |first1=Natacha |last2=Penot |first2=Eric |last3=Michels |first3=Thierry |last4=Rakotoarimanana |first4=Vonjison |last5=Michel |first5=Isabelle |last6=Ravaomanalina |first6=Harisoa |last7=Roger |first7=Edmond |last8=Jahiel |first8=Michel |last9=Leong Pock Tsy |first9=Jean-Michel |last10=Danthu |first10=Pascal |date=August 2019 |title=Clove based cropping systems on the east coast of Madagascar: how history leaves its mark on the landscape |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10457-018-0268-9 |journal=Agroforestry Systems |language=en |volume=93 |issue=4 |pages=1577–1592 |doi=10.1007/s10457-018-0268-9 |bibcode=2019AgrSy..93.1577A |s2cid=49583653 |issn=0167-4366|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Archaeologist [[Giorgio Buccellati]] found cloves in [[Terqa]], Syria, in a burned-down house which was dated to 1720&nbsp;BC during the [[kingdom of Khana]]. This was the first evidence of cloves being used in the west before Roman times. The discovery was first reported in 1978.<ref>Buccellati, G., M. Kelly-Buccellati, The Terqa Archaeological Project: First Preliminary Report., Les Annales Archeologiques Arabes Syriennes 27–28, 1977–1978, 71–96.</ref><ref>Buccellati, G., M. Kelly-Buccellati, Terqa: The First Eight Seasons, Les Annales Archeologiques Arabes Syriennes 33(2), 1983, 47–67.</ref><ref>[https://www.terqa.org/pages/10.html Terqa – A Narrative]. terqa.org.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Monica |title=Between Syria and the Highlands: Studies in Honor of Giorgio Buccellati & Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati |date=2019 |publisher=Arbor Sapientiae Editore |isbn=978-88-31341-01-1 |editor-last=Valentini |editor-first=Stefano |location=Rome |pages=373–377 |chapter=The Terqa Cloves and the Archaeology of Aroma |editor-last2=Guarducci |editor-first2=Guido |editor-last3=Buccellati |editor-first3=Giorgio |editor-last4=Kelly-Buccellati |editor-first4=Marilyn |chapter-url=https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/smith/2019SmithArchaeologyofAroma.pdf}}</ref> They reached [[Rome]] by the first century AD.<ref name="Mahdi">{{cite book |last1=Mahdi |first1=Waruno |editor1-last=Blench |editor1-first=Roger |editor2-last=Spriggs |editor2-first=Matthew |title=Archaeology and Language IV: Language Change and Cultural Transformation |date=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-81624-8 |pages=160–240 |chapter=Linguistic and philological data towards a chronology of Austronesian activity in India and Sri Lanka}}</ref><ref name="Ardika">{{cite book |last1=Ardika |first1=I Wayan |editor1-last=Prasetyo |editor1-first=Bagyo |editor2-last=Nastiti |editor2-first=Titi Surti |editor3-last=Simanjuntak |editor3-first=Truman |title=Austronesian Diaspora: A New Perspective |date=2021 |publisher=UGM Press |isbn=978-602-386-202-3 |page=196 |chapter=Bali in the Global Contacts and the Rise of Complex Society}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Cloves |url=https://iwp.uiowa.edu/silkroutes/cloves |website=Silk Routes |publisher=The University of Iowa |access-date=24 January 2022 |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614120142/https://iwp.uiowa.edu/silkroutes/cloves }}</ref>

Other archeological finds of cloves include: At the [[Batujaya]] site a single clove was found in a waterlogged layer dating to between the 100s BC to 200s BC corresponding to the [[Buni culture]] phase of this site.<ref name=":2">{{Citation |last=Cobb |first=Matthew Adam |title=Spices in the Ancient World |date=2024-07-17 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Food Studies |url=https://oxfordre.com/foodstudies/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780197762530.001.0001/acrefore-9780197762530-e-43 |access-date=2024-07-26 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780197762530.013.43 |isbn=978-0-19-776253-0|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A study at the site of [[Óc Eo]] in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam found starch grains of cloves on stone implements used in food processing. This site was occupied from the first to eighth century BC, and was a trading center for the [[Funan|kingdom of Funnan]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Weiwei |last2=Nguyen |first2=Khanh Trung Kien |last3=Zhao |first3=Chunguang |last4=Hung |first4=Hsiao-chun |date=2023-07-21 |title=Earliest curry in Southeast Asia and the global spice trade 2000 years ago |journal=Science Advances |language=en |volume=9 |issue=29 |article-number=eadh5517 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.adh5517 |issn=2375-2548 |pmc=10361603 |pmid=37478176|bibcode=2023SciA....9H5517W }}</ref> Two cloves were found during archaeological excavations at the [[Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan]] city of [[Manthai|Mantai]] dated to around 900–1100 AD.<ref name="Kingwell-Banham">{{cite web |last1=Kingwell-Banham |first1=Eleanor |date=15 January 2019 |title=World's oldest clove? Here's what our find in Sri Lanka says about the early spice trade |url=http://theconversation.com/worlds-oldest-clove-heres-what-our-find-in-sri-lanka-says-about-the-early-spice-trade-109686 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kingwell-Banham |first1=Eleanor |last2=Bohingamuwa |first2=Wijerathne |last3=Perera |first3=Nimal |last4=Adikari |first4=Gamini |last5=Crowther |first5=Alison |last6=Fuller |first6=Dorian Q |last7=Boivin |first7=Nicole |date=December 2018 |title=Spice and rice: pepper, cloves and everyday cereal foods at the ancient port of Mantai, Sri Lanka |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003598X18001680/type/journal_article |journal=Antiquity |language=en |volume=92 |issue=366 |pages=1552–1570 |doi=10.15184/aqy.2018.168 |issn=0003-598X}}</ref>

Cloves are mentioned in the ''[[Ramayana]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shastri |first=Hariprasad |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.536335/page/n3/mode/2up |title=The Ramayana of Valmiki |publisher=Burleigh Press |orig-date=1st Pub. 1952 |isbn=978-93-331-1959-7 |location=Bristol |pages=354, Book 2 Chapter 91 |language=English}}</ref> Cloves are also mentioned in the ''[[Charaka Samhita]]''.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/essay/charaka-samhita-and-sushruta-samhita |title=Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita |year=2015 |publication-date=2015 |chapter=Personal Hygiene |language=English |translator-last=Sharma |translator-first=Nayana |chapter-url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/essay/charaka-samhita-and-sushruta-samhita/d/doc1147016.html}}</ref> One of the earliest examples of literary evidence of cloves in China is from the book the ''Han Guan Yi'' (Etiquettes of the Officialdom of the Han Dynasty, dating to around 200 BC). The book states a rule that ministers should suck cloves to sweeten their breath before speaking to the emperor.{{cn|date=July 2024|reason=The book referenced here is only mentioned in "Earliest curry in Southeast Asia and the global spice trade 2000 years ago" In this article the citation "R. S. Bown, Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600–1900 (St. Martin's Press, 2010)" is given as the source. I would like to track down the original book and cite that.}} From Chinese records during the [[Song dynasty|Song Dynasty]] (960 to 1279 AD) cloves were primarily imported by private ventures, called Merchant Shipping Offices, who bought goods from middlemen in the Austronesian polities of [[Java]], [[Srivijaya]], [[Champa]], and [[Rajahnate of Butuan|Butuan]]. During the [[Yuan dynasty]] (1271 to 1368 AD) Chinese merchants began sending ships directly to the Moluccas to trade for cloves, and other spices.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Ptak" />

The ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'' records an endowment made by Passinopolis under [[Pope Sylvester I]]. This endowment included an Egyptian estate, its annual revenues, 150 [[Ancient Roman units of measurement#Weight|libra]] (around 50 kg or 108 lb) of cloves, and other amounts of spices and papyrus.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://ia801907.us.archive.org/8/items/LiberPontificalis/Liber%20pontificalis.pdf |title=The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis): To the Pontificate of Gregory I |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=1916 |location=New York |pages=56–57 |language=English |translator-last=Loomis |translator-first=Louise Ropes}}</ref> [[Cosmas Indicopleustes|Cosmas Indicopleustis]] in his book [[Christian Topography|''Topographia Christiana'']] outlined his travels to Sri Lanka, and recounted that the Indians said that cloves, among other products, came in from unspecified places along sea trade routes.<ref name=":2" />{{cn|date=July 2024|reason=I would like to cite the Topographia Christiana}}

Cloves were also present in records in [[China]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Southern India]], [[Persia]], and [[Oman]] by around the third century to second century BC.<ref name="Mahdi" /><ref name="Ardika" /><ref name=":0" /> These mentions of "cloves" reported in China, South Asia, and the Middle East come from before the establishment of Southeast Asian maritime trade. But all of these are misidentifications that referred to other plants (like [[Cinnamomum cassia|cassia]] buds, [[cinnamon]], or [[nutmeg]]); or are imports from [[Maritime Southeast Asia]] mistakenly identified as being natively produced in these regions.<ref name="Ptak">{{cite journal |last1=Ptak |first1=Roderich |title=China and the Trade in Cloves, Circa 960–1435 |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |date=January 1993 |volume=113 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.2307/604192|jstor=604192 }}</ref>

Archaeologists recovered the earliest known example of macro-botanical cloves in northwest Europe from the wreck of the Danish-Norwegian flagship, [[Gribshunden]]. The ship sank near [[Ronneby]], Sweden in June 1495 while [[John, King of Denmark|King Hans]] was sailing to political summit at Kalmar, Sweden. Exotic luxuries including cloves, ginger, peppercorns,  and saffron would have impressed the noblemen and high church officials at the summit.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Larsson |first1=Mikael |last2=Foley |first2=Brendan |date=2023-01-26 |title=The king's spice cabinet–Plant remains from Gribshunden, a 15th century royal shipwreck in the Baltic Sea |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=18 |issue=1 |article-number=e0281010 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0281010 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=9879437 |pmid=36701280|bibcode=2023PLoSO..1881010L }}</ref>

Cloves have been documented in the burial practices of Europeans from the late middle ages into the early modern period. During renovations on the [[Grote Kerk (Breda)|Grote Kerk]] of Breda a tomb was rediscovered that was used between 1475 and 1526 AD by eight members of the [[house of Nassau]]. These burials had to be moved, but before being re-interred these burials were studied for botanical remains. The burial of [[:de:Cimburga_von_Baden|Cimberga van Baden]] contained pollen from cloves. The Dutch Physician [[Petrus Forestus|Pieter Van Foreest]] wrote down multiple recipes for embalming some of which included cloves. One of these recipes he wrote down was that used by his fellow physicians Spierinck and Goethals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vermeeren |first1=Caroline |last2=van Haaster |first2=Henk |date=June 2002 |title=The embalming of the ancestors of the Dutch royal family |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s003340200013 |journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1–2 |pages=121–126 |doi=10.1007/s003340200013 |bibcode=2002VegHA..11..121V |issn=0939-6314|url-access=subscription }}</ref> An [[Canopic jar|embalming jar]] associated with [[Vittoria della Rovere]] also contained clove pollen. This probably came from her ingestion of clove oil as a medicine in her final days.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schrage |first=Scott |title=In case you missed it: Study reveals deathbed detail of 17th-century duchess |url=https://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/snr/8481/49117 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009002521/https://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/snr/8481/49117 |archive-date=9 October 2021 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=University of Nebraska Lincoln Newsroom}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wei-Haas |first=Maya |date=21 September 2018 |title=Noble's Embalming Jar Reveals Traces of 17th-Century Medicine |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/news-medici-family-embalming-jars-mummy-medicine |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=National Geographic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Reinhard |first1=Karl |last2=Lynch |first2=Kelsey B. |last3=Larsen |first3=Annie |last4=Adams |first4=Braymond |last5=Higley |first5=Leon |last6=do Amaral |first6=Marina Milanello |last7=Russ |first7=Julia |last8=Zhou |first8=You |last9=Lippi |first9=Donatella |last10=Morrow |first10=Johnica J. |last11=Piombino-Mascali |first11=Dario |date=October 2018 |title=Pollen evidence of medicine from an embalming jar associated with Vittoria della Rovere, Florence, Italy |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352409X18301603 |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |language=en |volume=21 |pages=238–242 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.06.039|bibcode=2018JArSR..21..238R |url-access=subscription }}</ref> When burials needed to be moved from the church of Saint Germain in [[Flers, Orne|Flers]], France they were also studied for botanical remains. The body and coffin of Philippe René de la Motte Ango, count of Flers who was buried in 1737 AD contained whole cloves.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Corbineau |first1=Rémi |last2=Ruas |first2=Marie-Pierre |last3=Barbier-Pain |first3=Delphine |last4=Fornaciari |first4=Gino |last5=Dupont |first5=Hélène |last6=Colleter |first6=Rozenn |date=January 2018 |title=Plants and aromatics for embalming in Late Middle Ages and modern period: a synthesis of written sources and archaeobotanical data (France, Italy) |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00334-017-0620-4 |journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany |language=en |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=151–164 |doi=10.1007/s00334-017-0620-4 |bibcode=2018VegHA..27..151C |issn=0939-6314}}</ref>

During the colonial era, cloves were traded like oil, with an enforced limit on exportation.<ref name="BBC" /> As the [[Dutch East India Company]] consolidated its control of the [[spice trade]] in the 17th century, they sought to gain a [[monopoly]] in cloves as they had in nutmeg. However, "unlike nutmeg and [[Nutmeg|mace]], which were limited to the minute [[Banda Islands|Bandas]], clove trees grew all over the Moluccas, and the trade in cloves was beyond the limited policing powers of the corporation".<ref>Krondl, Michael. ''The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice''. New York: Ballantine Books, 2007.</ref> One clove tree named ''Afo'' that experts believe is the oldest in the world on [[Ternate Malay|Ternate]] may be 350–400 years old.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18551857 |title=The world's oldest clove tree |publisher=BBC News Magazine |date=23 June 2012 |author=Worrall, Simon |access-date=June 24, 2012}}</ref> Tourists are told that seedlings from this very tree were stolen by a Frenchman named [[Pierre Poivre]] in 1770, transferred to the [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Isle de France]] ([[Mauritius]]), and then later to [[Zanzibar]], which was once the world's largest producer of cloves.<ref name="BBC" />

Current leaders in clove production are [[Indonesia]], [[Madagascar]], [[Tanzania]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Comoros]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Pratama |first1=Adnan Putra |last2=Darwanto |first2=Dwidjono Hadi |last3=Masyhuri |first3=Masyhuri |date=2020-02-01 |title=Indonesian Clove Competitiveness and Competitor Countries in International Market |url=https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/edaj/article/view/38075 |journal=Economics Development Analysis Journal |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=39–54 |doi=10.15294/edaj.v9i1.38075 |s2cid=219679994 |issn=2252-6560|doi-access=free }}</ref> Indonesia is the largest clove producer, but only about 10–15% of its cloves production is exported, and domestic shortfalls must sometimes be filled with imports from Madagascar.<ref name=":1" /> The modern province of [[Maluku (province)|Maluku]] remains the largest source of cloves in Indonesia with around 15% of national production, although provinces comprising the island of [[Sulawesi]] produced over 40% collectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=OUTLOOK KOMODITAS PERKEBUNAN PUSAT DATA DAN SISTEM INFORMASI PERTANIAN SEKRETARIAT JENDERAL - KEMENTERIAN PERTANIAN TAHUN 2022 CENGKEH |url=https://satudata.pertanian.go.id/assets/docs/publikasi/OUTLOOK_CENGKEH_2022.pdf |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture (Indonesia)|Ministry of Agriculture]] |access-date=15 October 2024 |language=id}}</ref>

== Phytochemicals ==
[[File:Eugenol acsv.svg|thumb|right|The compound [[eugenol]] is responsible for most of the characteristic aroma of cloves.]]

[[Eugenol]] comprises 72–90% of the essential oil extracted from cloves, and is the compound most responsible for clove aroma.<ref name="eugenol"/><ref name="pubchem">{{cite web |title=Eugenol |url=https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/3314 |publisher=PubChem, US National Library of Medicine |access-date=10 November 2019 |date=2 November 2019}}</ref> Complete [[extract]]ion occurs at 80 minutes in pressurized water at {{convert|125|C}}.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/(SICI)1099-1026(199911/12)14:6<399::AID-FFJ851>3.0.CO;2-A |title=Extraction of clove using pressurized hot water |journal=Flavour and Fragrance Journal |volume=14 |issue=6 |date=7 February 2000 |author1=Rovio, S. |author2=Hartonen, K. |author3=Holm, Y. |author4=Hiltunen, R. |author5=Riekkola, M.-L.|pages=399–404 }}</ref> Ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction methods provide more rapid extraction rates with lower energy costs.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Khalil, A.A. |author2=ur Rahman, U. |author3= Khan, M.R. |author4=Sahar, A. |author5=Mehmood, T. |author6=Khan, M. |title=Essential oil eugenol: sources, extraction techniques and nutraceutical perspectives |journal=RSC Advances |date=2017 |volume=7 |issue=52 |pages=32669–32681 |doi=10.1039/C7RA04803C|doi-access=free |bibcode=2017RSCAd...732669K }}</ref>

Other [[phytochemical]]s of clove oil include acetyl eugenol, beta-[[caryophyllene]], [[vanillin]], [[crategolic acid]], [[tannin]]s, such as [[bicornin]],<ref name="eugenol"/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Li-Ming Bao, Eerdunbayaer |author2=Nozaki, Akiko |author3=Takahashi, Eizo |author4=Okamoto, Keinosuke |author5=Ito, Hideyuki |author6=Hatano, Tsutomu |title=Hydrolysable tannins isolated from ''Syzygium aromaticum'': Structure of a new c-glucosidic ellagitannin and spectral features of tannins with a tergalloyl group |journal=Heterocycles |year=2012 |volume=85 |issue=2 |pages=365–381 |doi=10.3987/COM-11-12392|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[gallotannic acid]], [[methyl salicylate]], the [[flavonoid]]s [[eugenin]], [[kaempferol]], [[rhamnetin]], and [[eugenitin]], tri[[terpenoid]]s such as [[oleanolic acid]], [[stigmasterol]], and [[campesterol]] and several [[sesquiterpene]]s.<ref name=drugs/> Although eugenol has not been classified for its potential [[toxicity]],<ref name=pubchem/> it was shown to be toxic to test organisms in concentrations of 50, 75, and 100&nbsp;mg per liter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gueretz |first1=Juliano Santos |last2=Somensi |first2=Cleder Alexandre |last3=Martins |first3=Maurício Laterça |last4=Souza |first4=Antonio Pereira de |date=2017-12-07 |title=Evaluation of eugenol toxicity in bioassays with test-organisms |journal=Ciência Rural |volume=47 |issue=12 |doi=10.1590/0103-8478cr20170194 |issn=1678-4596|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Djarum-blacks-kretek.jpg|[[Kretek]] clove cigarettes, [[Indonesia]]
File:Orange pomander.jpg|Cloves used in an orange as a [[pomander]]
File:Clove close up.jpg|Dried clove bud
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Syzygium aromaticum}}
{{EB1911 poster|Cloves}}
* [[Spice trade]]
* ''[[Cinnamomum cassia]]''
* [[Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia]]
* [[Gallic acid]]
* [[Insect repellent]]
* [[Medicinal plant]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{PFAF|Syzygium aromaticum}}

{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Transient receptor potential channel modulators}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q26736}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Syzygium|aromaticum]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Flora of the Maluku Islands]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine]]
[[Category:Non-timber forest products]]
[[Category:Indian spices]]
[[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]