Ground Cloves
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
A tiny dried flower bud that packs enough eugenol to be used in dental clinics, not just spice racks.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Eugenol-rich oil released): Chewing or grinding releases cloves’ essential oil, dominated by eugenol.
- Stomach (Digested with the meal): Cloves move through digestion along with the rest of the food.
- Small intestine (Partial absorption): A portion of eugenol and related compounds is absorbed into the bloodstream.
- Liver (Eugenol metabolized): The liver processes absorbed eugenol and related compounds.
Timing
Used sparingly, cooked into a dish or as whole cloves in slow cooking.
Time to effect
- Minutes: Any local numbing effect from concentrated clove oil is immediate.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Pricey — roughly £18 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 332
- Protein: 6g
- Carbohydrate: 31.6g
- of which sugars: 2.4g
- Fat: 13g
- of which saturated: 5.5g
- Fibre: 33.9g
- Sodium: 277mg
Food vs. supplement
Cloves are eugenol-concentrated enough to have real dental uses in oil form, but a pinch in cooking is a trivial dose — and its impressive calcium/iron figures per 100g don’t translate to a real serving.
Kitchen tip
Use cloves sparingly and store them airtight — ground cloves lose potency faster than most other ground spices.
Common myth
"Clove oil is a safe home remedy for toothache in any amount." In reality: Clove oil’s dental use is genuine, but it’s a concentrated extract used carefully and topically. Undiluted clove oil swallowed or overused, especially in children, has documented toxicity risk — a different matter entirely from the small amount of ground clove used in cooking.
Recipes that use it
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In the glossary
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