Clove is a warming herbal medicine; it consists of the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb., a plant in the Myrtaceae family. It has the effects of warming the middle burner, alleviating counterflow, tonifying the kidneys, and assisting yang. It is primarily used to treat spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, hiccups and vomiting, poor appetite with vomiting and diarrhea, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, and kidney deficiency-induced impotence.
Clove
Clove is a warming herbal medicine; it consists of the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb., a plant in the Myrtaceae family. It has the effects of warming the middle burner, alleviating counterflow, tonifying the kidneys, and assisting yang. It is primarily used to treat spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, hiccups and vomiting, poor appetite with vomiting and diarrhea, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, and kidney deficiency-induced impotence.
Chinese Name : 丁香
Latin Name : Caryophylli Flos
Aliases : Clove, Zhijiexiang, Shouxiangjiao, Male Clove, Gongdingxiang, Ruyuxiang, Suoquxiang, Bailixin
Authentic Producing Area : Mainly produced in Zanzibar, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent in taste, warm in nature; enters the Spleen, Stomach, Lung, and Kidney meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
This herb has the effects of warming the middle burner and alleviating counterflow, as well as tonifying the kidneys and assisting yang.
Indications
It is primarily used to treat spleen and stomach deficiency-cold, hiccups and vomiting, poor appetite with vomiting and diarrhea, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, and impotence due to kidney deficiency.
Usage and Dosage
1–3 g; take orally or grind into a powder for external application.
Precautions
1. Clove is contraindicated with Curcuma; they should not be used together. 2. Clove should not be used in combination with drugs such as histamine, barium chloride, acetylcholine, or lisopam.
Chemical Constituents
Contains 16%–19% essential oil; the main components of the oil are eugenol and acetyleugenol, with trace components including eugenol alcohol, heptanone, methyl salicylate, α-eugenol, piperone, benzyl alcohol, and benzaldehyde.
Pharmacological Actions
This product possesses pharmacological effects including regulation of gastrointestinal motility, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, and improvement of learning and memory.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances*: “Treats abdominal pain caused by cold qi.”
2. *Rihua Zi*: “Treats bad breath, regurgitation, ghost-induced poisoning, and kidney qi disorders such as ‘ben-tun’ qi; alleviates pain in the genital area; enhances virility; warms the lower back and knees; treats cold qi; neutralizes alcohol toxicity; eliminates abdominal masses; and relieves cold-induced fatigue.”
3. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats deficiency-induced hiccups, vomiting and diarrhea in children, and smallpox with gastric deficiency characterized by grayish-white lesions that fail to erupt.”
4. *Correct Materia Medica*: “Warms the middle burner and regulates qi; treats hiccups in the upper burner; eliminates cold-induced diarrhea and dysentery; strengthens teeth; and alleviates emotional disturbances and pent-up emotions in women.”
5. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats chest bi syndrome and genital pain; warms the genital area.”
6. *Essentials of Medical Literature: Properties of Medicinal Herbs*: “Tonifies the liver and moistens the Gate of Life; warms the stomach and dispels cold from the middle burner; drains the lungs and dispels wind-dampness.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. To treat hiccups caused by deficiency-cold, combine with persimmon peduncle, ginseng, and ginger, as in the Clove and Persimmon Peduncle Decoction from *Zheng Yin Mai Zhi*.
2. To treat vomiting caused by cold in the stomach and retained fluid, combine with Pinellia to transform fluid, descend rebellious qi, and stop vomiting.
3. To treat spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, vomiting, diarrhea, and poor appetite, combine with Amomum and Atractylodes to warm the middle burner and strengthen the spleen.
4. To treat cold-dampness injuring the middle jiao, where clear qi fails to rise and turbid qi fails to descend, leading to vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied by cold pain in the chest and abdomen, a pale face, and cold limbs; combine with Alpinia officinarum, Cinnamomum cassia, and Piper nigrum to enhance the effects of warming the interior, dispelling cold, and relieving pain.
5. To treat impotence and cold semen caused by kidney yang deficiency, as well as soreness and coldness in the lower back and knees, it is combined with Aconite, Cinnamon Bark, and Morinda root.
6. To treat yin-syndrome swellings and abscesses, as well as cold pain in the abdomen, Cinnamon Bark is ground into powder, mixed into a plaster, and applied to the affected area to warm and unblock the meridians, promote blood circulation, and reduce swelling.
Related Compatibility
1. Clove Combined with Ginseng: Clove is pungent, warm, and aromatic, primarily entering the Spleen and Stomach meridians; its specialties are warming the middle burner, dispelling cold, descending rebellious qi, and stopping vomiting. Ginseng is sweet and warm, entering the Spleen and Lung meridians; it excels at tonifying the spleen, regulating the middle burner, invigorating spleen qi, and supporting the source of generation and transformation, making it a key herb for tonifying the spleen. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of tonifying qi, strengthening the spleen, regulating the middle burner, and stopping vomiting. This combination is suitable for hiccups due to spleen deficiency.
2. Clove combined with Amomum: Clove is pungent, warm, and aromatic, primarily entering the Spleen and Stomach meridians; it excels at warming the middle burner, dispelling cold, descending rebellious qi, and stopping vomiting. Amomum excels at transforming dampness, regulating qi, warming the middle burner, and stopping diarrhea. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of warming the middle burner, regulating qi, and stopping vomiting and diarrhea.It is indicated for cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, as well as poor appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by spleen-stomach deficiency-cold and dampness obstruction with qi stagnation.
3. Clove combined with Pinellia: Clove excels at warming the middle burner and descending rebellious qi, making it a key herb for descending rebellious qi and stopping hiccups; Pinellia excels at descending rebellious qi, harmonizing the stomach, and stopping vomiting. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of warming the middle burner, descending rebellious qi, harmonizing the stomach, and stopping vomiting. It is indicated for vomiting due to stomach cold.
5. Clove combined with Evodia: Clove excels at warming the middle burner, dispelling cold, descending rebellious qi, and stopping vomiting; Evodia excels at regulating the liver, relieving depression, warming the middle burner, and descending qi. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of warming the middle burner, dispelling cold, descending qi, and stopping vomiting. This combination is suitable for conditions such as hiccups due to stomach cold and cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen.
6. Clove combined with Cinnamon Bark: Clove excels at warming the middle burner and descending rebellious qi; it is a key herb for descending rebellious qi and stopping hiccups. It also enters the Kidney meridian, where it has the effect of tonifying the Kidneys and assisting yang. Cinnamon Bark, which is pungent, sweet, and extremely hot, has the effect of warming and tonifying the Liver and Kidneys, as well as supplementing fire and assisting yang; it is a key herb for supplementing fire and assisting yang.When combined, these two herbs enhance the effect of warming the kidneys, assisting yang, and treating impotence. They are indicated for kidney yang deficiency, decline of Mingmen fire, impotence, uterine cold, and cold pain in the lower back and knees.
7. Clove combined with Morinda root: Clove enters the Kidney meridian and has the effect of tonifying the Kidneys and assisting yang; Morinda root is sweet and warm, primarily enters the Kidney meridian, and excels at tonifying the Kidneys, assisting yang, and nourishing essence, with the function of tonifying the Kidneys and strengthening yang. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effect of tonifying the Kidneys and assisting yang. They are suitable for conditions such as erectile dysfunction, uterine cold, and cold pain in the lower back and knees.
Medicinal Identification
1. Clove and Fennel: Both are pungent, aromatic, and warming in nature, capable of dispelling cold, regulating qi, and relieving pain, and are used to treat cold pain and distension in the epigastrium and abdomen.However, Fennel excels at warming the liver, warming the kidneys, and harmonizing the middle jiao; it is particularly effective for treating cold hernia-related abdominal pain, testicular torsion, cold pain in the lower abdomen, and cold-induced dysmenorrhea. Clove, on the other hand, excels at warming the middle jiao and descending counterflow, while also warming the kidneys and supporting yang; it is particularly effective for treating hiccups caused by deficiency-cold, as well as erectile dysfunction and uterine cold due to kidney deficiency.
2. Cloves and Evodia: Both herbs are pungent and warm, entering the Spleen, Stomach, and Kidney meridians. They share the functions of warming the middle burner to dispel cold and warming the kidneys to support yang, and can both be used to treat cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by deficiency-cold in the middle jiao.The difference lies in the fact that Evodia fruit also enters the Liver meridian, is slightly toxic, and can dispel cold pathogens from the Liver meridian and resolve stagnation of Liver qi; it is a key herb for treating various types of pain caused by cold in the Liver and stagnation of Liver qi. It can also assist yang and stop diarrhea, and is particularly effective for treating spleen and kidney yang deficiency and early-morning diarrhea.Clove excels at warming the middle burner and descending counterflow, and is particularly effective for treating hiccups caused by deficiency-cold, as well as symptoms of kidney deficiency such as impotence and uterine cold.
3. Clove and Galangal: Both can warm the middle burner to stop vomiting, dispel cold to relieve pain, and treat vomiting due to stomach cold as well as cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen caused by stomach cold. However, clove has a pungent and warm nature, enters the Kidney meridian, and has the function of warming the Kidney, assisting yang, and treating impotence; it can also treat impotence due to Kidney deficiency and uterine cold. Galangal has a stronger ability to dispel cold and relieve pain and is particularly effective for treating pain caused by stomach cold.
Related Medicines
1. Dingkou Lizhong Pills (from *Essentials of Clinical Medication: Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulations*, 2020 Edition)
(1) Composition: Codonopsis, Dried Ginger, Atractylodes (roasted), Clove, Cardamom, Fried Licorice.
(2) Functions and Indications: Warms the middle burner and dispels cold; tonifies the spleen and strengthens the stomach. Indicated for spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, cramping pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea, and indigestion.
2. Liu Ying Pills (from *Essentials of Clinical Medication: Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulations*, 2020 Edition)
(1) Composition: Ox bile, toad venom, realgar, borneol, pearl, cloves.
(2) Functions and Indications: Clears heat, detoxifies, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. Indicated for laryngeal obstruction and tonsillitis caused by internal excess of fire-toxin, manifested as swelling and pain in the throat, a bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and redness and swelling of the tonsils; also indicated for pharyngitis and tonsillitis presenting with the aforementioned symptoms.It is also used for boils, abscesses, sores, and swellings and pain caused by insect bites.
3. Sha Medicine (from *Essentials of Clinical Medication: Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulations*, 2020 Edition)
(1) Composition: Synthetic musk, processed toad venom, borneol, rhubarb, realgar, Atractylodes, cloves, Gastrodia, cinnabar, ephedra, licorice.
(2) Functions and Indications: Dispels summer-heat and detoxifies; clears pathogenic factors and opens the orifices. Indicated for conditions arising from excessive consumption of cold foods and beverages during summer, leading to invasion by summer-heat and dampness, manifested as sudden confusion, restlessness, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, clenched jaws, and cold extremities.
4. Xie Ding Capsules (from *Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Formulated Preparations*, 2020 Edition)
(1) Composition: Iron amaranth, pomegranate peel, clove, processed ginger, hawthorn (charred).
(2) Functions and Indications: Warms the middle burner, dries dampness, astringes the intestines, and stops diarrhea. Indicated for diarrhea in children caused by an excess of cold and dampness internally, presenting with loose, watery stools (sometimes even watery in consistency), rumbling bowel sounds, cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, and poor appetite with difficulty in food intake.
Related Prescriptions
1. Clove Powder (from *Shenghui Fang*)
(1) Composition: Cloves, Magnolia Bark, Coptis, Angelica Root, Chebulic Myrobalan Peel, Atractylodes, Stove-Heart Soil, Wood Fragrance, and Red Ocher.
(2) Functions and Indications: Regulates qi to stop dysentery, harmonizes the stomach, and strengthens the spleen. Indicated for chronic dysentery due to spleen-stomach deficiency, presenting with emaciation, a pale complexion, mental fatigue, poor appetite, dull abdominal pain, tenesmus and a sensation of incomplete evacuation, or stools mixed with sticky phlegm; the condition has persisted for a long time without resolution; the tongue is pale-red with a greasy coating; and the pulse is weak and rapid.
2. Clove Spleen-Accumulation Pills (from *Formulas of the Bureau of Harmonious Preparations*)
(1) Composition: Clove, Wood Fragrance, Galangal, Soapberry, Green Tangerine Peel, Tangerine Peel, Curcuma, Sanleng, Croton Seed, and Hundred-Grass Ash.
(2) Functions and Indications: Promotes digestion and relieves distension; harmonizes the stomach and descends counterflow. Indicated for undigested food stagnation, manifested by distension and fullness in the chest and diaphragm, epigastric and abdominal pain, belching, and acid regurgitation.
3. Gui Xiang Wan (from *San Yin Fang*)
(1) Composition: Clove, Poria, Fried Ginger, Aconite, Nutmeg, Cinnamon Bark, and Wood Fragrance.
(2) Functions and Indications: Warms the middle burner and supports yang; astringes the intestines and stops diarrhea. Indicated for deficiency-cold diarrhea, manifested as uncontrollable cold and slippery stools.
4. Xiangling Pills (from *Jisheng Fang*)
(1) Composition: Clove, Wood Fragrance, Sanling, Curcuma, Trifoliate Orange Peel, Green Tangerine Peel, Sichuan Melia Fruit, Fennel.
(2) Functions and Indications: Promotes the flow of qi and resolves food stagnation; dispels fullness and eliminates food accumulation. Indicated for lower abdominal distension and pain, with a soft mass that can be moved upon palpation, shifting up or down, appearing and disappearing intermittently, and pain without a fixed location; accompanied by a white, moist tongue coating and a deep, taut pulse.
5. Ding-Yu Li-Zhong Decoction (*Yizong Jinjian*)
(1) Composition: Clove, Evodia Fruit, Ginseng, Atractylodes, Dried Ginger, Licorice.
(2) Functions and Indications: Warms the middle burner to dispel cold; descends rebellious qi to stop vomiting. Indicated for vomiting due to stomach cold in children, manifested by vomiting in the evening after eating breakfast, undigested milk or food, vomitus that is neither sour nor foul-smelling, cold extremities, and pale lips.
Medicinal Diet Therapy
1. Clove Duck: 5 grams of cloves, 5 grams of cinnamon, 5 grams of cardamom, 1 duck, 15 grams of ginger, 15 grams of scallions, 5 grams of salt, 3 grams of rock sugar, 3 grams of sesame oil, and an appropriate amount of braising sauce. Braise and serve. This dish warms yang, tonifies deficiency, aids digestion, and harmonizes the stomach.Suitable for patients with chronic gastritis, indigestion, and gastrointestinal dysfunction (Food Therapy).
2. Clove Pear: 1 large snow pear, 15 cloves. Insert the cloves into the pear, braise until tender, and eat. Used to treat dysphagia and regurgitation (Xian Nian Ji).
3. Clove Tea: 2 grams of cloves, 3 grams of flower tea. Brew with boiling water and drink. It can warm the middle burner, warm the kidneys, subdue counterflow, fight bacteria, expel parasites, and relieve toothaches. Used for vomiting, hiccups, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, diarrhea and dysentery, hernias, and toothaches.
4. Clove and Persimmon Peduncle Decoction: Cloves, persimmon peduncles, ginseng, and ginger; decoct and take as a soup. It warms the middle burner, subdues counterflow, tonifies qi, and harmonizes the stomach. Used for stomach deficiency with cold, persistent hiccups, or nausea and vomiting that are alleviated by warmth and aggravated by cold (*Zheng Yin Mai Zhi*).
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest when the flower buds turn from green to red, then sun-dry.
Processing Methods
Take the raw herbal material, remove impurities, sift out dust and debris, and crush it before use.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a cool, dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
1. Cross-section of the middle portion of the calyx tube: a single layer of epidermal cells with a relatively thick cuticle. Scattered on the outer side of the cortex are 2–3 rows of radially elongated elliptical oil cells, 150–200 μm in length;beneath which lie 20–50 small, double-sclerenchymatous vascular bundles arranged in a discontinuous ring; the periphery of the vascular bundles is surrounded by a few pericycle fibers with thick, lignified walls. The inner side consists of aerial tissue formed by several rows of parenchyma cells, containing large cavities. Scattered among the parenchyma cells of the central axis are numerous minute vascular bundles; the parenchyma cells contain numerous minute calcium oxalate cluster crystals.
The powder is dark reddish-brown. The fibers are fusiform with blunt, rounded apices and relatively thick walls. Pollen grains are numerous; when viewed from the polar end, they are triangular, and when viewed from the equatorial surface, they are biconvex, with three synallax grooves. Numerous calcium oxalate cluster crystals, 4–26 μm in diameter, are present in smaller parenchyma cells. Oil cells are mostly fragmented; secretory cells have indistinct boundaries and contain a yellow oily substance.
2. Take 0.5 g of the powdered sample, add 5 mL of ether, shake for several minutes, filter, and use the filtrate as the test solution.Separately, take a reference standard of eugenol, dissolve it in ether to prepare a solution containing 16 μl per mL, and use this as the reference solution. Perform thin-layer chromatography (General Chapter 0502): pipette 5 μl of each of the two solutions and apply them separately onto the same silica gel G plate. Develop with a mobile phase of petroleum ether (60–90 °C)-ethyl acetate (9:1) as the developing agent, remove the plate, allow it to air-dry, spray with a 5% vanillin-sulfuric acid solution, and heat at 105°C until the spots become clearly visible. In the test solution chromatogram, spots of the same color appear at positions corresponding to those in the reference chromatogram.
Properties of Crude Drugs
The flower buds are slightly club-shaped, 1–2 cm long. The corolla is globose, 0.3–0.5 cm in diameter, with 4 petals arranged in an imbricate manner; they are brownish or yellowish-brown. The stamens and style are located inside the petals; when crushed, numerous fine yellow granular anthers are visible.The calyx tube is cylindrical, slightly flattened, sometimes slightly curved, 0.7–1.4 cm long, 0.3–0.6 cm in diameter, reddish-brown or brownish-red, with four triangular sepals at the upper part that diverge in a cross-like pattern. It is firm in texture and rich in oil.It has a strong, aromatic scent and a pungent, spicy taste that causes a numbing sensation on the tongue. The best specimens are large and robust, with a fresh purplish-brown color, a rich aroma, and a high oil content.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
It belongs to the genus Syzygium in the Myrtaceae family.
Morphological Characteristics
It is an evergreen tree. The simple leaves are opposite, oblong or obovate, and entire. The inflorescences are terminal corymbs; the flowers are fragrant, with a long, tubular calyx that is 4-lobed at the apex, the lobes being triangular; the petals are white, slightly pale purple, and 4-lobed; and there are numerous stamens. The berries are oblong. Flowering occurs from January to February, and fruiting from June to July.
Distribution Area
Native to the Malay Archipelago and Africa. It is currently cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Yunnan in China.
Growth Habits
It thrives in a tropical island climate. Young trees prefer shade and cannot tolerate intense sunlight, growing slowly; mature trees prefer sunlight and require ample sunlight to flower early and produce abundant blooms. It is sensitive to cold and waterlogging and is not wind-resistant. It is best cultivated in deep, fertile, well-drained sandy loam with a pH of 5.0–6.0.
Propagation Methods
Currently, the primary propagation methods are seed propagation and aerial layering.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Seed Propagation: Collect ripe fruits in July–August (avoid collecting purplish-black fruits); seeds should be sown immediately after harvest (if sowing cannot be done promptly, store them in moist fine sand or coconut husk fiber).Generally, sow fresh fruit with the pulp intact; seedlings will emerge in 30–40 days. If the pulp is removed and the seed coat is stripped before sowing, seeds should be sown in furrows: place them flat with the radicle facing downward, with a row spacing of 15 cm × 10 cm. After 3 days, the radicle will penetrate the soil to a depth of 1 cm; seedlings will emerge after 10 days, with a germination rate of over 90%.
2. Propagation by aerial layering: Select vigorous, high-yielding fruiting trees under 20 years of age as layering stock. Perform the procedure in May, before new leaves emerge. Use a rooting agent solution of 50 mg/L naphthalene acetic acid and 10% sucrose, supplemented with 4–6 mg/L 6-benzylaminoadenine andindolebutyric acid at 3 g/L. The rooting rate ranges from 15% to 100%.
Pest and Disease Control
1. Diseases include brown spot disease, which primarily affects the leaves. It can be controlled by spraying a 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture or a 1,000-fold dilution of 50% wettable methyl thiophanate before or at the onset of the disease. Sooty mold is another common disease.
2. The main insect pests are scale insects.