Photo: Sanjay Acharya / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cloves (Laung) (Syzygium aromaticum): Intensely aromatic flower buds with analgesic and antiseptic properties — a dental pain remedy.
🔍 Quick Facts
| Common name | Cloves (Laung) |
| Other names | Laung, Lavang (Hindi); Kirambu (Tamil); Grampu (Malayalam) |
| Scientific name | Syzygium aromaticum |
| Plant family | Myrtaceae |
| Size | 8–12 m evergreen tree |
| Native region | Maluku Islands (Indonesia) |
| Climate | Tropical |
| Ease of growing | Slow |
| Parts used | Flower buds, Oil |
About Cloves
Cloves are the unopened flower buds of a tropical tree, hand-picked when pink and dried until dark brown. They contain eugenol, a natural anaesthetic and antiseptic still used in dentistry. Originally from the Maluku (Spice) Islands of Indonesia, cloves are now grown in India in the hills of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. A clove tree takes 6–8 years to start flowering.
Botanically known as Syzygium aromaticum, it belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is native to Maluku Islands (Indonesia) and grows best in a tropical climate. The parts most often used are the flower buds and oil.
Traditional & Ayurvedic Uses
Cloves is best known for:
- Dental pain
- Antiseptic
- Nausea
- Antioxidant
- Digestive aid
Most of these uses come from Ayurveda and folk medicine. Where we know of good clinical evidence, or of a specific safety concern, we say so in the overview, precautions and FAQs on this page.
How Cloves Is Used
- Whole cloves flavour biryani, garam masala and chai.
- A clove held against a painful tooth is a traditional toothache remedy.
- Clove oil is used in dental products and balms.
How to Grow Cloves
| ☀️ Sunlight | Partial shade when young, full sun when mature. |
| 💧 Watering | Regular rainfall or irrigation; high humidity. |
| 🪴 Soil | Deep, rich, well-drained loam. |
| 🌱 Propagation | Fresh seeds; seedlings need shade for the first few years. |
| 📅 When to plant (India) | Plant in the monsoon. Bud harvest September–February. |
| 🏡 In pots / at home | Not practical for fruiting in pots. |
Precautions & Safety
- Undiluted clove oil can burn the gums and skin.
- Clove oil is dangerous if swallowed by children.
- May increase bleeding risk in large medicinal amounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Further Reading on Cloves
Written by the WhyOnPlanet editorial team · Last updated October 2026