Good Eating Monday: Cloves!
The Underestimated Power of Cloves Chewing a whole clove is an old-fashioned cure for dental pain, like a toothache. The oil inside cloves is called eugenol and is a mild anesthetic. Clove oil also effective against gingivitis, periodontitis and stomatitis, which is a painful inflamation of the mucous lining of the mouth. Bet your dentist didn't tell you that! Before toothbrushes and Listerine, cloves were used to brush teeth and as breath mints. Clove oil also has healthful benefits as a bacteria & virus fighter. And as a mosquito repellent. (A common ingredient in some natural mosquito repellents you can buy nowadays.) We once tried a natural flea remedy high in eugenol that made the cat smell like cloves, but wasn't actually helpful for the fleas--and she hated it. Cats do not like smelling like a bakery, let me tell you. Cloves didn't move from dental hygiene use to cooking use until the Middle Ages. It's a key ingredient in Chinese 5 Spice , ...