Recipe
Clove mouth rinse
- Herb:
- Clove Syzygium aromaticum
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Flower
About 15 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Lightly crush 4–5 whole cloves and pour on 200 ml of boiling water.
- Cover and steep 10 minutes, then strain and let cool to lukewarm.
- Rinse the mouth for 30 seconds 2–3 times a day and spit the infusion out.
- For toothache a whole clove can be held against the tooth and bitten gently; if the pain lasts more than 2 days, see a dentist.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 4–5 whole cloves (about 1 g) per 200 ml
- Solvent:
- boiling water, 10 minutes, covered; use lukewarm as a mouth rinse
- Shelf life:
- use within 24 hours, keep in the fridge
- Target compounds:
- eugenol (70–90 % of the essential oil) enters hot water partly; the infusion has a mild numbing effect
Notes
A traditional preparation per EMA HMPC for mild gum inflammation and as first aid for toothache until the dentist. Spit out, do not swallow in quantity; not for children under 12. Never put undiluted oil on the gum — it burns and damages the mucosa.
Why it works
Clove oil makes up 15–20 % of the buds' weight and is 70–90 % eugenol, which numbs locally and acts against oral bacteria — the review by Cortés-Rojas et al. 2014 summarises these mostly laboratory data. EMA HMPC recognises the oil for traditional use in the mouth; a weak water infusion is the safer home counterpart, because eugenol dissolves only sparingly in water and the dose stays small.
Literature
- EMA HMPC: Caryophylli flos — European Union herbal monograph — Traditional use of clove essential oil in the mouth for mild inflammation and locally for toothache.
- Cortés-Rojas DF, de Souza CRF, Oliveira WP (2014): Clove (Syzygium aromaticum): a precious spice. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 4(2):90–96 — Review of composition and predominantly laboratory data on the antimicrobial and anaesthetic effects of eugenol.
Related
Clove — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail