There are times when you’ve had a hearty meal or tea on an empty stomach and felt a burn in your stomach, which further results in acid reflux and heartburn – you all have faced the problem at some point. Irregular eating habits, eating spicy foods, lesser physical activity, stress, and consuming alcohol may cause acidity.
It happens when bile or stomach acid flows in your food pipe and irritates the lining, causing pain and irritating discomfort. While there are medicines that can relieve you from severe pain, some natural ingredients also provide quick relief, including cinnamon, basil leaves, apple cider vinegar, buttermilk, cloves, and cumin seeds.
Of these excellent natural remedies, laung (clove) tops the list. Here’s why you should keep cloves handy!
Cloves Nutrition
Cloves contain vitamins, fiber, and minerals, so using ground or whole cloves to add flavor to our food can offer some vital nutrients [1].
2 grams (One teaspoon ) of ground cloves contains :
- Calories: 6
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Carbs: 1 gram
- Vitamin K: 2% of the DV
- Manganese: 55% of the Daily Value (DV)
Manganese is an essential mineral for building strong bones and maintaining brain function [2].
Apart from being an excellent source of manganese, cloves are only used in small amounts and do not provide significant amounts of nutrients.
Cloves For Acidity
What is Acidity? And What are the Symptoms?
The food that you eat goes down the esophagus into the stomach. The gastric glands in the stomach produce acid that is required to digest the food. Acidity happens when the gastric glands produce a huge amount of acid, more than what’s required for digestion.
This condition can lead to a burning sensation just above the stomach. The condition is more common in India as we tend to binge on more oily and spicy foods regularly.
Here are some symptoms of acidity that we should be aware of:
- Burning sensation in the heart and throat
- Burning sensation in the stomach
- Indigestion
- Bad breath
- Nausea
- Prolonged sour taste in the mouth
- Constipation
- Restlessness
Tip: Don’t lie down when you are suffering from acidity, which can only aggravate the problem.
[Also Read: Home Remedies to Cure Gastric Ulcer]
How Does Clove Help Soothe Acidity?
Cloves promote the assimilation of nutrients and good digestion. When added to food and curries, they help avoid acidity. Mix an equal amount of cardamom and cloves to avert the condition. It is their carminative effect that helps dispel gas and alleviate acidity [3].
Cloves also aid digestion, improve saliva production and reduce peristalsis (muscle contractions in the digestive tract). Chewing on clove is recommended as an ayurvedic or Siddha remedy for heartburn.
[Read: 5 Amazing Cloves Benefits]
How to Use Cloves to Soothe Acidity?
Chew 2 to 3 cloves, so the juices are released into our system, giving us instant relief from acidity. Eat cardamom with the crushed cloves, which will freshen the bad breath and help reduce acid trouble that often accompanies the condition [4].
The most acceptable way to bring cloves in to use is to incorporate them into rice dishes and curries to avoid any tummy trouble. In case of severe acidity and a prolonged condition, visit a physician to ensure the proper treatment.
Side effects, risks, and considerations
According to the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), several hazards are linked with clove oil. It can cause eye, skin, and an allergic reaction on the skin or respiratory irritation. It may be fatal if it is swallowed and goes into the airway and is also flammable.
In one case report, a fifteen-month-old child experienced liver failure after consuming 10 ml (milliliters) of clove oil.
Another incident involved a two-year-old kid who drank 5 to 10 milliliters of clove oil. The kid experienced several medical problems, including liver damage, coma, and problems with blood clotting.
Cloves increase the body’s response to warfarin and can also increase the chance of bleeding. It is essential to discuss the use of any herbal products with a medical practitioner to review potential interactions and side effects.
Dosing
The appropriate clove dose depends on multiple factors, such as the user’s health, age, and various other conditions. Currently, there is no adequate scientific data to determine an appropriate range of doses for clove. You should remember that natural products are not always necessarily safe, and dosages can be significant.
Make sure to follow concerning directions on product labels and consult your physician or pharmacist, or other healthcare professional before using.
What are the other names of cloves?
Cloves have multiple names in different nations of the world. In India, this spice is known as Laung (Hindi), Clavo (Spanish), Cengkeh (Indonesia), and Ding Xiang (China).
What happens if I consume too many cloves?
Particularly men who have the habit of consuming too many cloves can suffer from the following circumstances such as:
- Itching and rashes
- Erection related problems
- Skin irritation
Swollen gums or bleeding, irritation in the mouth and sore gums, etc.
However, consuming excessive cloves can lead to liver damage and fluid imbalances. Cloves have several health benefits that you can benefit from, like blocking harmful bacteria and keeping blood sugar levels.
However, you need to add this to your regular diet. The best part is that you can add a few cloves to boiling water and prepare yourself a cup of clove tea.
Bottom Line
Clove has long been used to prevent flatulence and treat acidity. Natural carminative properties in the clove increase food’s movement down the stomach (peristalsis), aids in digestion, improves saliva production and provides quick relief from acid reflux. Clove aids to soothe damaged and inflamed stomach lining.
Therefore, it is useful for heartburns and other stomach ailments like acidity, chest burn, and indigestion. Clove has alkaline and carminative properties, which help ward off the effects of excess acid produced in the gastrointestinal tract and stomach. These properties do not let the formation of gas.
