Cloves / Absinthe

Cloves is also known by the names Clavos, Clovos, Carophyllus, Caryophyllus, Ding Xiang, and Lavanga. This herb is native to the Spice Islands and the Philippines, but also grown in India, Sumatra, Jamaica, the West Indies, Brazil, and other tropical areas. The word Clove is from the Latin word "clavus", meaning "nail", in reference to the shape of the buds. The genus name Eugenia is named after Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736). The first recorded use of Cloves is by the Chinese in the first century B.C. During the Han Dynasty (207 B.C. - 220 A.D.), court visitors were required to hold Cloves in their mouths when addressing the emperor, so as not to offend with bad breath. Folklore says that sucking on two whole Cloves without chewing or swallowing them helps to curb the desire for alcohol. Traditional Chinese physicians have long used the herb to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia, and ringworm, as well as athlete's foot and other fungal infections. India's traditional Ayurvedic healers have used Cloves since ancient times to treat respiratory and digestive ailments. The medieval German herbalists used Cloves as part of anti-gout mixture. Early American Eclectic physicians used Cloves to treat digestive complaints, and they added it to bitter herbal medicines to make them more palatable. They were also the first to extract Clove oil from the herbal buds, which they used on the gums to relieve toothache. A few drops of the oil in water will stop vomiting, and an infusion will relieve nausea. Essential oil of Clove is effective against strep, staph and pneumomocci bacterias. Contemporary herbalists recommend Cloves for digestive complaints and its oil for toothache. Cloves is used to make vanillin, which is artificial vanilla. Much of the world's production of Cloves goes to making Clove cigarettes, such as Indonesian Kretaks for their stimulant action. The familiar Cloves used in the kitchen is the dried flower bud. The primary chemical constituents include eugenol, caryophyllene, and tannins. Cloves are said to have a positive effect on stomach ulcers, vomiting, flatulence, and to stimulate the digestive system. It has powerful local antiseptic and mild anesthetic actions. Cloves contain sesquiterpenes which have been shown to have significant activity in inducing the detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase in mouse liver and small intestine. Japanese researchers have discovered that like many spices, clove contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent the cell damage that scientists believe eventually causes cancer. On the other hand, in laboratory tests, the chemical eugenol, has been found to be a weak tumor promoter, making clove one of many healing herbs with both pro- and anti-cancer effects. At this point, scientists aren't sure which way the balance tilts. Until they are, anyone with a history of cancer should not use medicinal amounts of Clove. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, powdered clove is considered nontoxic. Additionally, dentists have used Clove oil as an oral anesthetic. They also used it to disinfect root canals. Clove oil still is an active ingredient in several mouthwash products and a number of over-the-counter toothache pain-relief preparations. Cloves kills intestinal parasites and exhibits broad anti-microbial properties against fungi and bacteria, thus supporting its traditional use as a treatment for diarrhea, intestinal worms, and other digestive ailments.

Absinthe is also known by the names Green Ginger, Southernwood, Old Woman, Wormwood, and Absinthium. Native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, this herb is now cultivated in the United States and elsewhere. The plant grows from 2-4 feet in height. The part of this plant used medicinally is the above ground portion. Absinthe's other common name, Wormwood, is obviously derived from its medicinal property of expelling intestinal worms for which it has been well known since ancient times. An Egyptian papyrus dated 1,595 years before Christ describes this bitter herb in detail. Legend has it that this plant first sprang up on the impressions that marked the serpent's tail as he slithered his way out of the Garden of Eden. Wormwood is from the Anglo Saxon "wermode", meaning, "mind preserver". Its alternate name Absinthium is Latin for "without sweetness". It got its generic name Artemisia from Artemis, the Greek name for Diana, because she discovered the plant's virtues and gave them to mankind. Another story has it that it is named for Artemisia, Queen of Caria, who gave her name to the plant after she had benefited from its treatments. Wherever its name came from, it is one of the bitterest herbs known, even today. One of its common names, Wormwood, comes from its ability to act as a wormer in children and animals. It was used in granaries to drive away weevils and insects, and was used as a strewing herb to drive away fleas. In traditional folk medicine, Absinthe preparations were used internally for gastric insufficiency, intestinal atonia, gastritis, stomach ache, liver disorders, bloating, anemia, irregular menstruation, intermittent fever, loss of appetite, and worm infestations. The primary chemical constituents of Absinthe include essential oil (absinthol, azulenes, camphene, cineol, isovaleric acid, pinene, thujone, sesquiterpene lactones, absinthin), bitters (absinthium), flavonoids (Quercetin), and polyacetylenes. Absinthin is a narcotic analgesic that affects the medullary portion of the brain concerned with pain and anxiety, inducing a dreamy creative state. It gives people a different view of reality. When used in small amounts, the constituent thujone works as a brain stimulant. Absinthe is perhaps best known because of the use of its oil to prepare certain alcoholic beverages, most notably vermouth and absinthe, popular in the late 1880's and early 1900's with artists such as Baudlaire, Degas, Gaugin, Manet, Toulouse Lautrec, Van Gogh and Verlaine. Absinthe caused several cases of brain damage, and even death, and was banned in most places in the early 20th century, although part of the beverage's dangerous properties may have come from copper salts used to give the drink its color. Today, Absinthe is primarily used as a bitter; it has the effect of stimulating and invigorating the whole of the digestive process. It is used for indigestion, especially when due to a deficient quantity or quality of gastric juice. It is also a powerful remedy in the treatment of worm infestations, especially roundworm and pinworm. Absinthe may also be used to help the body deal with fever and infections. Wormwood helps increase secretions of the liver and gall bladder. Topical uses of this herb include its use as a liniment or compress for bruises, sore muscles, bites and pain. It is often used as an insect repellent, and made into a spray to deter pests in organic gardening. A sachet of Absinthe can be used to keep moths away from clothes.