Clou de girofle - Huile essentielle

Clove - Essential Oil

Warm and spicy, clove essential oil is known for its purifying, stimulating, and warming properties. It can be used in diffusers, for oral care, or diluted in massages to tone, cleanse, and soothe.

Avertissement

Les propriétés, indications et modes d’utilisation présentés sont tirés d’ouvrages et de sites de référence en aromathérapie, hydrolathérapie et phytothérapie. Ces données sont fournies à titre informatif et ne constituent pas un avis médical. Elles ne remplacent en aucun cas un diagnostic, une consultation ou un suivi médical et n’engagent pas notre responsabilité. Avant toute utilisation, consultez le guide des huiles essentielles pour connaître les précautions d’emploi. En cas de doute, demandez l’avis d’un médecin.

Properties

Comforting
Comforting
Purifying
Purifying
Positive energy
Positive energy

Uses

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icone-site-inhalation-utilise-born-to-bio
icone-site-voie-orale-utilise-born-to-bio

  • Properties, uses & synergies

  • Precautions for use

  • History of the plant and characteristics

Properties

Clove essential oil is particularly appreciated for its many traditional properties.
According to specialised aromatherapy literature, it is known for:

• Tonic and stimulating properties
• Broad-spectrum purifying properties
• Warming and energising effect
• Recognised action in traditional oral care
• Cleansing power for the air and the home
• Helps create a warm, soothing atmosphere
• Use in massage (diluted) for muscle comfort

These qualities make this essential oil a powerful, precious essence, used for centuries in many natural health and well-being practices.

Traditional uses

Aromatherapy

Clove essential oil is traditionally included in tonic and purifying blends. Its warm, spicy fragrance is ideal for winter diffusion, to cleanse the air and create a comforting atmosphere.

Cosmetics and natural care

Highly diluted, it is used in purifying skin preparations (targeted care for blemishes) and sometimes in mouth care (traditional mouth rinses).

Household care

Thanks to its powerful, spicy fragrance, it is used in homemade sprays and air fresheners to cleanse and scent interiors, especially in winter.

Well-being and relaxation

Its warm, enveloping aroma is appreciated for its relaxing, comforting effect, often combined with Sweet Orange or Cinnamon in diffusion to create a friendly atmosphere.

Other possible uses

In perfumery, it is used in oriental and spicy fragrances. In some culinary traditions, it is used in tiny doses (only with a certified food-grade oil).

Uses

Diffusion

For room diffusion, 1 to 2 drops are enough to cleanse and scent the air.
⚠️ Do not diffuse in the presence of children, pregnant women or sensitive animals.

Skin application

Always dilute in a vegetable oil (sesame, calendula…).
• Maximum dilution: 10% (1 drop of essential oil for 9 drops of vegetable oil).
⚠️ Never use undiluted: it is a dermocaustic oil.

Inhalation

One drop on a tissue lets you occasionally enjoy its stimulating aroma.
⚠️ Not suitable for children or sensitive people.

Aromatic bath

Rarely used on its own because of its strength. If included, it must be diluted in a dispersing base, at a very low dose.

Synergies

Clove essential oil blends with other oils to balance its olfactory strength and enhance its effects:

• Tea Tree, Lemon, Ravintsara: to freshen the air (diffusion)
• Sweet Orange, Mandarin, Benzoin: to create a warm, festive atmosphere (diffusion)
• Wintergreen, Ginger, Lavandin Super: a warming, soothing effect (massage)

⚠️ Precaution: always respect the appropriate dosages and combine it with gentler oils to balance the aromatic strength of clove.

Essential oils are powerful active ingredients that should be used with caution.

Clove essential oil is one of the most powerful and must be used with care.

Not recommended for:
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• Children under 12
• People with epilepsy or asthma
• People allergic to phenols

Specific precautions

• Dermocaustic: always dilute before applying to the skin.
• Do not use over a long period.
• Store away from light and heat.

A well-stored oil keeps its properties for around 3 years after opening.

The plant

Clove comes from Syzygium aromaticum, a tropical tree of the Myrtaceae family.
Native to the Moluccas, it is now grown in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Zanzibar.

Its dried flower buds, harvested before they open, give off a powerful, spicy fragrance that has been used for thousands of years in cooking, traditional medicine and purification rituals.

The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the cloves, concentrating all of their aromatic strength.

Anecdotes & History

Clove is one of the oldest spices in world trade.
Used since Antiquity in China and India, it was known for freshening the breath at the emperors' court.

In the Middle Ages, it was considered a rare and precious commodity, traded for its weight in gold.
Its name comes from the Latin word clavus (nail), a reference to its characteristic shape.

Even today, its powerful fragrance makes clove an essential spice in both cooking and aromatherapy.

Physical and olfactory characteristics

Clove essential oil is characterised by:

• Appearance: fluid liquid
• Colour: golden yellow to orange-brown
• Scent: warm, woody, spicy, typical of clove
• Olfactory staying power: dominant, long-lasting fragrance

Its intense, spicy fragrance makes it a powerful oil, to be handled with care and moderation.

Biochemical composition

Clove essential oil is particularly rich in eugenol (up to 80–85%).
Other constituents:

• Eugenyl acetate
• Beta-caryophyllene
• Alpha-humulene
• Traces of vanillin

This high phenol content explains its aromatic strength and its strict precautions for use.

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