Clove tree: description, photo, distribution, properties

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Clove is scientifically called Syzýgium aromáticum, in other words, fragrant Syzygium.

The plant comes from the Moluccas, from Indonesia. It is mainly grown in the countries of Southeast Asia, including India and Malaysia, the islands of the Indian Ocean, the east coast of Africa and Brazil. In the 19th century, thanks to the progressive activities of the Sultan of Zanzibar, the clove tree was cultivated on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. In these regions, the extraction of raw materials from the plant has reached such an impressive commercial turnover that the islands are nicknamed "cloves".

The tree is best known for its buds, which are used to make a spice widely used in cooking and the food industry. Essential oil is no less famous, it is also clove oil, which has outstanding medicinal properties and is used in pharmacology, cosmetics and perfumery. It is contained in the entire tree, but the same kidneys remain its main supplier. The oil is famous for its antiseptic and analgesic properties, and the spice is loved forstimulate the digestive system and stimulate appetite.

Botanical characteristic

Clove belongs to the genus Sigizium of the Myrtle family, which consists of almost a thousand species of evergreen tropical trees and shrubs.

What does a carnation look like? You can see her photo in the article. The plant is distinguished by a smooth gray bark and a lush pyramidal crown. The trunk is thin, strongly branching. The height varies from 8 to 15 meters, on average - about 12 m. The leaves are leathery, dark green, shiny and long - up to about 15 cm long. In their upper part, glands are visible. The flowers are snow-white or pinkish, collected in inflorescences. The fruits are red berries, round in shape. The clove tree lives for about a century.

Historical background

Syzygium fragrant has been known since ancient times. Its buds were considered an important part of the ceremonial at the court of the Chinese emperor. They knew about cloves in Egypt, in Greece, even in Rome. It was revered as a drug for freshening breath and against toothache. Ancient physicians used cloves for medicinal purposes, and this tradition continued into the Middle Ages. Medieval healers included it in recipes for migraines, colds and believed in it as a remedy for the plague. In the 20th century, essential oil was first used to disinfect hands during surgical operations.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Europe for a long time plunged intoI forgot about the darkness of centuries and about spices. The crusaders re-opened the carnation to the Europeans during the campaigns. But for a very long time, Europeans could only speculate about the homeland of the clove tree. Spice was brought to them by Arab sailors. Most likely, the famous wanderer Marco Polo became the first European who saw the plant "live".

At the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, Vasco da Gama paved the way to India and returned home with ships full of cloves. A few years later, a powerful Portuguese fleet reached Calicut, and some time later - to the Maluku Islands. The clove tree was revered as a rare, expensive commodity, and the Portuguese wanted to monopolize it. They guarded the islands like watchdogs, not letting anyone but themselves near them, and not allowing trees to be grown anywhere except Ambon Island. Trees that grew elsewhere, they ruthlessly destroyed.

The Dutch became the main rivals of the Portuguese, and in the end the latter were able to win back the Moluccas. They introduced an even more brutal regime, arranging raids on the "dubious", in their opinion, the local population. It was possible to pay with your head for the export of seeds. But this state of affairs did not last long. In 1769, the French secretly entered the island and escaped with secret seeds. The clove tree was successfully cultivated in French possessions, and since then the spice has spread throughout the world, and its value has decreased.

Chemical composition

The most useful part of the syzygium is the kidneys. This is explained by theirchemical composition:

• High level of essential oil - more than 20%. It includes eugenol, acetyleusgenol, caryophyllene.
• Same amount of tannins.
• Vitamins A, B, C and K.
• Multiple minerals including potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and magnesium.

Clove: cultivation

Growing carnations is not considered difficult. It grows in tropical climates. It is planted on plantations, at a fairly large distance from each other - about 6 meters. It begins to bear fruit at the age of 6, but the most abundant crops are harvested from a tree aged from 20 years to half a century. Blooms twice a year.

Harvesting

During the harvest, the plantations begin to resemble anthills. A large number of people gather, equipped with sticks and hooks for pulling up the upper branches. Usually the fruits are harvested in two steps - from the beginning of autumn to the beginning of winter and from January to mid-spring. Unblown buds are cut off - only from them first-class spices are obtained, in blossoming buds the quality is almost halved.

Crop processing

The crop is sorted and processed by manually removing the pedicels. Then they are left to dry in the sun for four days or sent to special ovens for drying. After such a procedure, the buds of the clove tree turn brown and become brittle, but after a while they gradually restore their former elasticity due to the accumulation of oil. The dried bud resembles a carnation, which is how the name of the plant was coined.

Afterlong-term storage of the spice, the essential oil leaves it, so that the quality of the product can be determined. Signs of a good clove: oiliness and flexibility. The amount of oil can be checked by dropping a bud into water: the secret is that since oil is heavier than water, the best bud will become and stay upright. If it lies horizontally, it is less useful.

What part of the clove becomes the spice? Dried buds and ground fruits go into spices.

Clove oil: both reader and reaper

Clove oil is extracted by hydro- or steam distillation during the day. They make it from all its parts - from buds, branches, leaves and roots.

High quality oil comes only from kidneys. It is transparent, often completely colorless or pale yellowish in color. Over time, it "gets old" - it turns brown, or even reddens. Useful properties retains for five years. Its aroma is unforgettable - tart, spicy, with fruity notes and a burning woody aftertaste. The oil obtained from the fruits before they are ripe will be almost indistinguishable from the oil from the buds.

Product made from recycled leaves, twigs and roots is much cheaper, but not nearly as high quality. Firstly, it lacks acetyleusgenol, secondly, it is more allergenic, and thirdly, its smell is seriously affected - it seems insipid, uninteresting, even unpleasant. Brown.

Fake clove oil is made using these ingredients. Its use can have the most unfortunate consequences.

Clove, the photo of which you see in the article, is a well-known ingredient in medicinal and cosmetic preparations. It is used in folk medicine, perfumery, soap making, cooking and as an aphrodisiac. Clove flavored chewing gum, and in Indonesia - cigarettes.

Medical applications

The widespread use of cloves in medicine - official and folk - is justified by the presence of evengol in its composition. Some of the beneficial properties of the plant:

• Stimulation of digestion, fight against flatulence, gastritis, indigestion, nausea and intestinal infections.
• The true glory of the oil has acquired for its antibacterial properties, it works great against tubercle bacilli; and extract from flowers showed itself perfectly against anthrax, cholera, plague and influenza.
• Strengthening the immune system.
• Anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Clove oil copes with wounds, bruises, burns.
• It is used for toothache, caries, inflammation of the gums. Clove is an ingredient in many oral care products.
• As in the Middle Ages, the plant is used as a remedy for headaches and migraines.
• Treats skin problems - warts, acne, boils and scabies.
• Soothes muscle spasms.
• Combats women's ailments such as infertility and delayed or excessive periods.
• Thanks to the beneficial effect on the emotionalcondition it can be used to calm nervousness, especially after operations.

Use in cosmetology

Syzygium essential oil is used in cosmetology on an unsurpassed scale. It is added to face masks to improve skin tone, add elasticity to it and prevent early aging. Cosmetologists advise using it for people with oily skin - the oil slightly dries the skin. Carnation is an ingredient in many perfumes.

Contraindications

Clove oil is very saturated, its use in large quantities in undiluted form threatens to irritate the skin, in such cases take tiny doses. Most often, it is diluted with ordinary vegetable oil.

Clove is not recommended during pregnancy due to hormonal effects.

Cooking: spices

Dried unopened cloves are a world famous spice. They are added whole or ground. Cloves (spice) are widely used in food production, including sausage, confectionery and wine production.

Most often, cloves are used in pickling and preserving food, they are put in jam and compotes. Small amounts are added to hot alcoholic drinks: punch, grog, mulled wine. And also in meat and fish dishes, in cereals, in broths, in sweet desserts, starting with confectionery and ending with all kinds of mousses, puddings.

Clove is a spice, the peculiarity of whichnot only in a burning aftertaste, but also in an original, deep aroma. It is so strong that it can easily drown out the smell of other products. For this reason, the spice is added in doses. Because of the fair share of aromatic substances, clove caps are put in sweets, and bitter petioles are used in marinade.

At high temperatures, the taste of cloves intensifies to intolerance. In order not to spoil the food, the cloves are put as late as possible: the laying time varies depending on the dish, with the exception of marinades - it is added here immediately along with the rest of the ingredients.

Carnation symbolizes love. And this spice is really loved all over the world, it was extolled even before our era. Spices and oil, which it gives us, have firmly entered everyday life. Aroma oils, perfumes, food additives, medicines. It is unbelievable that a single plant has such pleasant qualities.