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TCM Treasures - Clove 丁香
By Liu Xiaolin |
August 19, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BREATH-FRESHENING clove, one of the world's most famous spices, is an aromatic dried flower bud known as ding xiang in Chinese. It is named for its nail-like shape (ding) and strong aroma (xiang).
Clove has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times as a breath freshener and chewing gum. Its essential oil is used to reduce inflammation, kill pain, especially dental pain, and to treat nausea and vomiting. It's a warming or yang-energy herb and warms the stomach.
Officials in the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220) often chewed clove to reduce bad breath caused by stomach "fire" and gum disease, before going to court to counsel the emperor, according to reports of the time.
Legend has it that Tang Dynasty court poet Song Zhiwen (AD 656-712) was excluded by Empress Wu Zetian (AD 624-705) despite his good looks and literary gifts. Distraught over being ignored, he wrote the empress a flattering poem to which she replied, "Song is excellent in all respects, except for his bad breath." From then on, he chewed cloves and was again in favor in court.
Nausea, vomiting caused by stomach 'cold':
? Grind equal amounts of clove, persimmon calyx (shi di), green orange peel (qing pi), dried orange peel (chen pi) into coarse powder.
? Cook 150ml decoction with 9g powder and 220ml water. Strain. Drink often.
Diarrhea, vomiting in children:
? Grind 2.5g clove, 2.5g Chinese bellflower, 2.5g ginseng, 2.5g largehead atractylodes rhizome (bai shu), officinal magnolia bark (hou po), 0.5g licorice root into coarse powder.
? Cook decoction with 5g powder in soup bowl-amount of water. It's ready when half evaporates. Strain. Drink often.
Psoriasis:
? Soak 16g clove in 100ml 70 percent alcohol for 48 hours. Strain.
? Apply to affected area three times daily.
Clove has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times as a breath freshener and chewing gum. Its essential oil is used to reduce inflammation, kill pain, especially dental pain, and to treat nausea and vomiting. It's a warming or yang-energy herb and warms the stomach.
Officials in the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220) often chewed clove to reduce bad breath caused by stomach "fire" and gum disease, before going to court to counsel the emperor, according to reports of the time.
Legend has it that Tang Dynasty court poet Song Zhiwen (AD 656-712) was excluded by Empress Wu Zetian (AD 624-705) despite his good looks and literary gifts. Distraught over being ignored, he wrote the empress a flattering poem to which she replied, "Song is excellent in all respects, except for his bad breath." From then on, he chewed cloves and was again in favor in court.
Nausea, vomiting caused by stomach 'cold':
? Grind equal amounts of clove, persimmon calyx (shi di), green orange peel (qing pi), dried orange peel (chen pi) into coarse powder.
? Cook 150ml decoction with 9g powder and 220ml water. Strain. Drink often.
Diarrhea, vomiting in children:
? Grind 2.5g clove, 2.5g Chinese bellflower, 2.5g ginseng, 2.5g largehead atractylodes rhizome (bai shu), officinal magnolia bark (hou po), 0.5g licorice root into coarse powder.
? Cook decoction with 5g powder in soup bowl-amount of water. It's ready when half evaporates. Strain. Drink often.
Psoriasis:
? Soak 16g clove in 100ml 70 percent alcohol for 48 hours. Strain.
? Apply to affected area three times daily.
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