Syzygium aromaticum are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world. Cloves are harvested primarily in Indonesia, India, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They have a numbing effect on mouth tissues.
Cloves are used as a carminative, to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach and to improve peristalsis. Cloves are also said to be a natural anthelmintic. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed.
The clove species have been demonstrated to produce a wide variety of potentially useful chemical compounds that include sesquiterpenes, tannins, and triterpenoids. It is well-known that clove possesses a phenolic compound, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, commonly called eugenol. Eugenol acts as an antioxidant on oleogenous foods, as an anticarminative, antispasmodic, and also as an antimicrobial agent.