Medicine Traditions
  • Home
  • Materia Medica
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine FREE
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica FREE
    • Mineral Materia Medica PRO
    • Mineral Materia Medica FREE
  • About
  • Formulas
  • Treatment
    • Types of Treatment in Traditional Medicine
    • Treatment of Specific Conditions
    • Diseases and Formulas
  • Resources
    • Brief Overview of Traditional Medicine
    • Theory
    • Timeline
    • Authors and Sources
    • Glossaries
    • Articles on Traditional Medicine
    • Photos
    • Medicine Pictures
    • Substitute Medicines
  • Patient Resources
  • Links & Texts
  • Contact Us
  • Blog

Eugenia, Clove, Ding Xiang 丁香

Caryophyllatus aromaticus
Anthophyllum: Mother Cloves: Mature Cloves
Lavanga (Ayurveda)
Kirambu (Siddha)
Ding Xiang (TCM); Mother Clove is Mu Ding Xiang (literally "Mother Clove")
Li Shi  ལི་ཤི  (Tibetan)
Qaranful (Unani)

Picture
Picture
Picture
Krauterbuch, Lonitzer, 1578

Medical Botany, Woodville, Hooker, Vol. 3, 1832

Picture
Botanische wandplaten, 1904–1914


Picture
Anthophyllum or 'Mother Clove'
Notes on Pharmacognosy, Otto Augustus Wall, 1902

Picture
Picture
Above: Clove (Adam, 2016)

1, Zanzibar Cloves.  2, Amboyna Cloves.  3, Penang Cloves.
Squibb's Atlas of the Official Drugs, Mansfield, 1919

Picture
Members CLICK HERE for the PRO VERSION

Botanical name:
Eugenia caryophyllus (syn. Caryophyllatus aromaticus)

Parts used:
dried flower bud; 'Mother Cloves' are the dried mature Clove

Temperature & Taste:
Hot, dry. Pungent

Classification:
2A APERIENT MEDICINES.   2B ATTENUATER.   2H. CARMINATIVE.   2I. ANTISPASMODIC.   2Q. ANODYNE
3A. SUDORIFICS & DIAPHORETICS.   3C. ALEXIPHARMIC.   3D. CORDIALS & CARDIACS.   3I. APHRODISIAC.  
3J. INCREASE SEMEN
4a. CEPHALIC.   4b. OPTHALMIC.   4c. CARDIAC.   4e. STOMACHIC.   4g. HEPATIC.   4h. NEPHRITIC.   4i. UTERINE.  
4j. NERVINE

Uses:
1. Stops Wind, Opens Obstructions, Eases Pain:

2. Warms the Stomach, Clears Cold:


3. Warms the Lungs, clears Cold Phlegm, stops Cough:

4. Warms the Kidneys, clears Cold and Damp:

5. Resists Poison:

6. Kills Worms:


Comment:
1. Occasionally, 'Mother Cloves' (Anthophyllum) is called for in classical formulas. These are Cloves that have fully ripened and can be as large as a thumb, our regular Cloves being buds. The have a fragrant gum in them and were generally regarded as stronger, but similar, to normal Cloves. The main formula that listed them was Diacameron (Diathamaron) of Nicholas.
2. Confected Cloves "warm and strengthen the Stomach, clear crudities from it, expel Wind, and strengthen Nature".

Dose:
 ... available in PRO version

Correctives:
 ... available in PRO version

Substitutes:
 ... available in PRO version
Picture

Main Combinations:
Clove & Nutmeg
Cinnamon, Clove & Nutmeg

1. Indigestion, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
2. Indigestion, Diarrhea, Colic, Anorexia; Fevers (from Wind and Phlegm); Cough, Whooping Cough, Asthma, Bronchitis; and Lumbago: combine Clove with  ... available in PRO version
3. Nausea and Vomiting, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
4. Wind diseases, combine Clove with  ... available in PRO version
5. Lung Heat, inflammation and pain of the Lungs, Cough, sore Throat, Hoarseness, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
6. Cough, Asthma from excess Phlegm, Clove,  ... available in PRO version
7. Bronchial Asthma, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
8. Cold, weak Kidneys, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
9. Impotence, Sexual dysfunction, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
10. Trauma, Bruising, Lumbar strain, Tendon pain, Clove with  ... available in PRO version
11. Toothache:
i. Clove with  ... available in PRO version
ii. Clove oil with  ... available in PRO version
12. Cold Joint pain, Sciatica:
i. Clove,  ... available in PRO version

Major Formulas
Aromatic Clove Powder (Aromaticum Caryophyllatum) (Mesue)
Electuary of Clove and Costus (Caryocostinum)
Aromatic Powder (Mesue)
Diacameron Minus (Nicholas)

Powder of Clove (Ayurveda)
Six Excellent Medicines (Tibetan Medicine)
Clove 6 (Li shi drug pa) (Tibetan Medicine)
Clove 22 (Tibetan Medicine)

Cautions:
Not used in Yin deficient Heat

Main Preparations used:
Confection, Distilled Water, Distilled Oil, Extract

Other Parts of Clove
1. Clove Stalks— Festucoelvel Stipites Caryophylli, in French Griffes de Girofle, in German Selkenstiele, were an article of import into Europe during the middle ages, when they were chiefly known by their low Latin name of fusti, or the Italian bastaroni. Thus under the statutes of Pisa, A.D. 1305, duty was levied not only on cloves (garofali), but also on Folia et fusti garofalorum. Pegolotti a little later names both as being articles of trade at Constantinople. Clove Leaves are enumerated as an import into Palestine in the 12th century; they are also mentioned in a list of the drugs sold at Frankfort about the year 1450; we are not aware that they are used in modern times.

As to Clove Stalks, they are still a considerable object of trade, especially from Zanzibar, where they are called by the natives Vikunia. They taste tolerably aromatic, and yield 4 to 6.4 per cent. of volatile levogyre oil; they are used for adulterating the Ground Cloves sold by grocers. Such an admixture may be detected by the microscope, especially if the powder after treatment with potash be examined in glycerin. If clove stalks have been ground, thick-walled or stone-cells will be found in the powder; such cells do not occur in cloves. Powdered allspice is
also an adulterant of powdered cloves; it also contains stone-cells, but in addition numerous starch-granules which are entirely wanting in cloves.

2. Mother Cloves, Anthophylli— are the fruits of the clove-tree, and are ovate-oblong berries about an inch in length and much less rich in essential oil than cloves. Though occasionally seen in the London drug sales in some quantity, they are not an article of regular import.

As they contain very large starch-granules, their presence as an adulteration of ground cloves would be revealed by the microscope.

3. Royal Cloves— Under this name or Caryophyllum regium, a
curious monstrosity of the clove was formerly held in the highest reputation, on account of its rarity and the strange stories told respecting it. Specimens in our possession show it to be a very small clove, distinguished by an abnormal number of sepals and large bracts at the base of the calyx-tube, the corolla and internal organs being imperfectly developed. (Pharmacographia, Fluckiger & Hanbury, 1879)

Home
ABOUT
Brief Overview
RESOURCES
Timeline

materia medica – FREE
Materia Medica – PRO
Chinese Classification
Western Classification

Humoral Medicine

Diseases & Formulas
Resources
Theory
Links & Texts
Patient Resources

Shop
Texts for Sale
Contact us

TERMS OF USE
PRIVACY POLICY


© MedicineTradition 2015–2023
  • Home
  • Materia Medica
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine FREE
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica FREE
    • Mineral Materia Medica PRO
    • Mineral Materia Medica FREE
  • About
  • Formulas
  • Treatment
    • Types of Treatment in Traditional Medicine
    • Treatment of Specific Conditions
    • Diseases and Formulas
  • Resources
    • Brief Overview of Traditional Medicine
    • Theory
    • Timeline
    • Authors and Sources
    • Glossaries
    • Articles on Traditional Medicine
    • Photos
    • Medicine Pictures
    • Substitute Medicines
  • Patient Resources
  • Links & Texts
  • Contact Us
  • Blog