Boosting Creativity Just One of Many Benefits Cloves Provide

A few months ago, one of my readers commented that as an artist, she wondered if there was an herb that stimulated creativity. So I did a bit of research and I was surprised to find out that cloves are quite effective for this purpose.  

I've always liked the aroma of cloves, probably because I associate them with holiday foods and making pomander balls in Girl Scouts. Bleeding fingers aside, the spicy scent of oranges studded with these prickly little buds is one of my favorites and I still throw a couple in a musty closet and hang them around places I forbid my curious cats. Cloves are the immature buds of the Syzygium Aromaticum tree, a relative of the Magnolia.   

Once only found in, appropriately, the Spice Islands, demand for these pungent pods became so great, that they were soon imported into India, and other South Asian countries. They are used medicinally and in cooking. 

Cloves are now grown in Mauritania and Brazil and virtually every cuisine on Earth uses cloves in some form, either as a savory or as a sweet. The ancient Romans so lusted after cloves that Pliny the Elder was led to complain that India was draining the Roman treasury!  

During the Han Dynasty in China, one Emperor demanded that anyone wishing an audience with him must first chew on a handful of costly cloves in order not to offend him with their stinky breath! It's quite possible that Columbus might not have discovered America when he did, had the Spanish not been  so greedy for cloves and other rich spices. 

Remember, he was seeking a shortcut to India when he stumbled upon Santo Domingo instead. Portugal actually signed a treaty with the Turks guaranteeing the market on cloves and wars have been fought to keep a supply of the tiny brown buds flowing. Cloves are great for keeping the gums and mouth healthy and are a main ingredient in many toothpastes and mouthwashes.  

Oil of clove is a toothache remedy that really works. Cloves are beneficial to the heart and circulation of the blood, and are widely used in Ayurvedic medicine to increase heat in the body. The Chinese, Japanese and Jews  all prize cloves as a form of holiday incense.  As incense it is believed to cleanse the air of bacteria and foul odors. It chases away evil spirits as a bonus.  

Oil of Clove is used as an anesthetic for fish! In Naturopathic practice, cloves are used as soothing digestive teas and antiseptics for wounds as well as pain relievers. The list of beneficial uses for cloves is almost endless, but how do they increase your creative inspiration?  

It seems the volatile oils in cloves stimulate the right side of the brain, and when combined with citrus oils , as in those pomanders, the effect is doubled.

Keeping a few sticks of clove incense burning might just boost your imagination to new heights, not to mention stimulating your appetite! So, dear reader, thank you for your question and for piquing my curiosity about the effect of herbs on our artistic abilities.

Dr. Kleine regrets she cannot give advice by phone or e-mail.  To make an appointment, please call 631.472.8139 or e-mail us at Drfootsi@myway.com