Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry (= Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 127

Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry (= Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb.)

Names.

Myanmar: lay-hnyin. English: clove, clove tree.

Range.

The Moluccas. Widely cultivated in warm regions. Cultivated in Myanmar.

Uses.

Flower: Buds (cloves sun-dried buds) are sharp, spicy and bitter in taste; regarded as having the following properties: carminative, stomachic, antiemetic, antinauseant, febrifuge, vermifuge, emmenagogue, and tonic. They are used as an aid in treating diseases of the arteries, for lung problems, and as a general stimulant and excitant of the digestive functions.

Paste made from cloves is mixed with rock sugar syrup and licked to cure morning sickness. Cloves are crushed together with hsay-kha gyi ( Andrographis paniculata ) and taken with hot water to treat fevers and fatigue; a mixture of crushed cloves together with honey is used as eyedrops for sore eyes and cataracts; they can be crushed with water, warmed and taken for nausea, dry mouth, and loss of taste. Cloves taken together with sour pomegranate juice are used to treat vomiting during an epileptic fit as well as ordinary vomiting. An ointment for sores, such as boils, pimples, or rashes that neither erupt nor subside, is made by mixing cloves with equal amounts of turmeric powder and crushing them together. They are roasted, crushed and mixed with honey and licked to treat whooping cough. Clove oil, or a paste, is used for toothaches. The oil mixed with mustard oil is used as a rub for aching joints and can also be rubbed onto the forehead for headaches.

Notes.

The medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Medicinal uses of this species in China are discussed in Duke and Ayensu (1985). Perry (1980) notes that medicinal uses of the species "are very much in common throughout the various geographic regions" and lists some of these uses.

References.

Agricultural Corporation (1980), Perry (1980).