Clove Bud is sweet, spicy and fruity and is good fot reducing the pain of toothache and headaches. Clove bud is also used to invigorate and uplift.

This evergreen tree grows to a height of up to 15 meters. It has green leaves and red flowers. Green buds appear at the beginning of the rainy season and before they open, they are picked from the tree and left to dry in the sun. The tree has to be 5 years old before it can produce enough essential oil for extraction.

There are three different oils obtained from the clove tree – leaf, bud and stem. Of these three, bud is the safest to use because it has the lowest Eugenol content, though it is still as high as 60-90%. Clove oil is used extensively in perfumes, cosmetics and dental preparations.

Cloves are often in Mulled wine and liqueurs to add a spicy note to the flavour!

Try adding 1 drop of Clove Bud and 1 drop of Lavender to a bowl of hand-hot water, soak a flannel in the water and wring out. Place the flannel on the affected area and leave until it loses its warmth.

To help stave off winter chills, add 1 drop of Clove Bud, 2 drops of Lavender and 2 drops of Bergamot to the water in an oil burner or diffuser and allow the aroma to fill the room.