Organic Clove Essential Oil

Fragrance: Warm and spicy with a hint of cinnamon

Botanical Name: Syzygium aromaticum

Emotional Effect: Enlivening, empowering and warming

Method of Extraction: Steam Distillation of Buds

Clove has a distinctive aroma that many people associate with Christmas pomander - the sweet smelling oranges with clove buds stuck into their skin. Popping a few drops of clove and sweet orange essential oil into a diffuser is a quick way to recreate this aroma and I enjoy it with cinnamon added too.

This clove essential oil is extracted from the bud using steam distillation so, unlike those extracted using solvents, only contains extracts from the clove bud. The oil has traditionally been used for management of pain, particularly tooth ache. It can be applied with a small amount of a carrier oil such as jojoba oil to the painful area in your mouth using a cotton wool bud. It is also often used to relax sore and tight muscles and can be massaged into the abdomen in a carrier oil to relieve digestive problems.

This paper looks at the different biological and chemical properties of the oil and this one its ability to kill Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria found in many people's stomachs that is associated with stomach ulcers. It is often treated with antibiotics, however, I suspect that, whenever you are feeling a little overwhelmed or in need of a cheerful and empowering scent, putting a few drops of it in your diffuser with sweet orange and clove will provide you with the pick-me-up you need preventing bigger problems happening.