Table of contents:
- Important nutritional content in cloves
- Benefits of cloves for health
- 1. Protect against cancer
- 2. Kills disease-causing bacteria
- 2. Improve liver health
- 3. Maintain healthy bones
- 4. Treating heartburn
- 5. Controlling blood sugar levels
Cloves are a versatile spice with a sweet taste and a distinctive aroma. Cloves are usually used as a marinade for baking, add flavor to warm drinks, to enhance the aroma of cakes. However, it turns out that the nutritional content in cloves is also beneficial for the health of the body. What are the benefits of cloves that you can get?
Important nutritional content in cloves
Even though they are small in stature, do not underestimate the nutritional content in cloves. One teaspoon of cloves (2 grams) contains 21 calories of energy, 1 gram of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of fiber. One teaspoon of cloves is also able to meet 30% of manganese needs, 4% of vitamin K, and 3% of vitamin C of the body's daily needs. Cloves also contain calcium, magnesium and vitamin E, although in small amounts.
These various important vitamins and minerals support the benefits of cloves for the health of your body.
Benefits of cloves for health
1. Protect against cancer
Cloves are enriched with the antioxidant eugenol to fight free radicals in the body that can trigger cancer development. Apart from eugenol, cloves also contain vitamin C as an antioxidant to help neutralize free radicals. The antioxidant power in cloves is even reported to be five times more effective than vitamin E and other types of antioxidants.
The buildup of free radicals in the body can damage the DNA code and cause oxidative stress, which can lead to various chronic diseases. Starting from arthritis, heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, hypertension, stomach ulcers, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cancer, to cause aging.
2. Kills disease-causing bacteria
Cloves have antibacterial properties that can stop infections. A study shows that clove essential oil is effective at killing E. coli bacteria which can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, and fatigue.
Cloves also help maintain oral health by stopping the growth of two types of bacteria that cause dental plaque and gum disease (gingivitis). If you don't want to chew cloves, use a mouthwash that contains clove extract to get this one benefit.
2. Improve liver health
Not only protects the body from cancer, the eugenol in cloves can help improve liver health.
An animal study conducted on mice reports that clove oil can improve liver function and reduce inflammation. Other studies have shown that eugenol helps relieve symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver. Another study conducted on humans found that taking eugenol supplements for one week decreased levels of GST, an enzyme that is often a sign of liver disease.
However, keep in mind that eugenol can turn toxic to the liver if consumed in high doses. One case study showed that 5-10 ml of clove oil in children can cause serious liver damage.
3. Maintain healthy bones
Bone loss can increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. Well, a study conducted on animals reported that the active compounds in cloves have been shown to help maintain and increase bone mass density
The manganese content in cloves also helps the bone formation process, and is very important for bone health.
4. Treating heartburn
Heartburn is most often caused by thinning of gastric mucus which is influenced by a variety of factors, such as stress and infection.
An animal study shows that clove essential oil can increase the production of gastric mucus which acts as a barrier to the effects of stomach acid, while preventing erosion of the stomach wall due to gastric acid.
5. Controlling blood sugar levels
Research shows that the compounds found in cloves can help control blood sugar. Another study looked at the effects of clove extracts and nigericin, compounds found in cloves, on both human muscle cells and in mice with diabetes.
Cloves and nigericin were found to increase the absorption of sugar from the blood to the cells, increase insulin secretion and improve the function of cells that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for moving sugar from the blood to the cells. In combination with a balanced diet, the benefits of cloves can help maintain your blood sugar levels.
