The efficacy, effects and contraindications of Chinese medicine clove

Effects of Cloves

There are many varieties of lilac. The lilac with real medicinal value belongs to the Myrtaceae plant (the ordinary ornamental flower lilac belongs to the Oleaceae plant, which should be distinguished), and its flower buds and fruits are used as medicine. People call the unopened buds male cloves or male cloves, and the unripe fruits female cloves or female cloves. Their usage and dosage are basically the same. Cloves are commonly used. The buds of male cloves are milky white at first, gradually turn green, and can be collected when they finally turn red. Remove the pedicels from the collected flower buds and dry them. It is preferred to choose those with large flowers that have not yet opened, a strong fragrance, and the ability to sink in the water.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, cloves are pungent and warm in nature, and have the effects of warming the middle and relieving adverse reactions, nourishing the kidney and strengthening yang, and warming and nourishing the kidney yang. It is also a very good warming stomachache medicine. It has a good effect on stomachache, vomiting, hiccups, abdominal pain, diarrhea caused by dampness, and cold menstrual pain in women. It can also relieve gastrointestinal bloating, improve digestion and absorption capacity, relieve nausea and retching, especially morning sickness in pregnant women. Lilac contains clove oil, which has an inhibitory effect on highly pathogenic bacteria and staphylococcus, dysentery and Escherichia coli. It can also be used for external application, and has a very good effect on tinea corporis and tinea pedis.

In ancient times, lilac flowers were often used as a breathalyser. The hilarious story about Song Zhiwen, a court writer in the Tang Dynasty, who often held lilac flowers in his mouth to cover up his bad breath in the hope of pleasing Wu Zetian is an example. The method of taking 1-2 clove flowers and holding them in your mouth to remove bad breath is still available today and is very effective. People with bad breath may want to give it a try.

The main ingredients include volatile oil clove oil and other ingredients.

Benefits of Clove

1. Impact on the digestive tract

Anti-gastric ulcer: Can inhibit the occurrence of experimental gastric ulcers in rats. Clove volatile oil and eugenol can significantly enhance the metabolism of gastric mucus without increasing the acid value. Eugenol may be a specific anti-ulcer ingredient.

Strengthens the stomach and helps digestion: It can relieve gastrointestinal bloating, improve digestion and absorption capacity, and relieve nausea and retching.

Inhibit intestinal excitation: Its decoction can inhibit the spontaneous contraction of paraffin-sectioned rabbit intestines, and can resist the excitatory effects of acetylcholine, nitrosamines, etc. on paraffin-sectioned intestines.

Anti-diarrhea: Its water extract and eugenol can antagonize intestinal diarrhea and intestinal hemorrhage caused by senna or castor oil.

(ii) Anesthesia, analgesia, antipyretic, and anti-infection

Anesthesia: Eugenol has anesthetic effects on young grass shrimp, crucian carp, etc. Eugenol can inhibit the compound action potential of A, B, and C fibers of the sympathetic nerves of rats, which may be one of the mechanisms by which lilac prevents tooth decay. Eugenol can block the transmission of frog lumbar vertebral compression nerves, but does not affect the postsynaptic membrane reaction, showing the effect of selective anesthesia of sympathetic nerves.

Although intravenous injection of eugenol in rabbits can produce anesthetic and anticonvulsant effects, it can also inhibit breathing and reduce blood pressure. Therefore, in clinical medicine, eugenol is only used for local anesthesia but not for general anesthesia.

Analgesia: The decoction of the drug has analgesic effect when administered orally to mice.

Antipyretic: Oral administration of eugenol to rabbits has an antipyretic effect that is stronger than acetaminophen. Its mechanism of action is to produce an antipyretic effect through the production of PG in the brain.

Anti-infection: Gavage of lilac ether extract and water extract into mice can inhibit ear swelling and increase in capillary permeability. Oral administration of the drug to rats can inhibit experimental plantar swelling.

Its analgesic, antipyretic and anti-infection effects may be related to its antioxidant properties, cholesterol-lowering and inhibition of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase activities.

(III) Anti-aggregation, anti-coagulation and anti-thrombosis

Anti-aggregation: Eugenol and acetyleugenol can inhibit arachidonic acid-induced rabbit and human platelet aggregation and whole blood aggregation, and inhibit the release of ATP. Its anti-aggregation mechanism is to inhibit the production of TXB in platelets.

Anticoagulation: Oral administration of its water extract to mice can prolong the blood prothrombin time, thrombin time, factor VIII time, and reduce the prothrombin consumption time and factor V time.

Anti-thrombosis: Oral administration of its water extract to mice can prolong the time of thrombosis in the electrically stimulated common carotid artery.