| Cloves and Candida albicans Candida albicans is a member of oral, intestinal and
mucous membrane microbial flora in healthy individuals, but overgrowth causes
oral, intestinal candidasis and vaginal yeast infections. In AIDS
patients, it can cause systemic candidasis. In Alternative Medicine, it
has been postulated that chronic colonization with C. albicans is associated
with allergic disease such as atopic dermatitis and food allergies. This
has not been proven as of yet, and remains only a theory. It is also
believed to be associated with various other diseases ranging from endometriosis
to multiple sclerosis. (For further information, see the following website.)
A study done by Taguchi, Y. et al looked at the
effect of clove oil on oral and intestinal candidasis in mice. The mice
were split into three groups of 5 mice each and varying doses of clove oil
(0.42mg, 2.08mg, 10.38mg) were given to them orally and compared to a control.
Ten other mice were given 41.5mg clove intragastrically and compared to a
control.
The study demonstrated that clove
oil administered orally in mice demonstrated suppression of C. albicans in the
oral cavity and decreased oral candidiasis but had no effect in the
gastrointestinal system. The dose that was most effective was 10.38mg and
it was found that a dosage below 2.08mg was less effective. Clove oil administered intragastrically showed a reduction in C. albicans found in the stomach and
feces, but had no effect on oral candidasis. This indicated that clove oil had
an effect on tissues when it was in direct contact with the tissue.
Cloves and Sexual Behavior
It is believed that cloves can help with premature
ejaculation if applied topically to the male penis and it has long been
considered an aphrodesiac. A study performed by Tajuddin, et al examined the role of cloves on the sexual behavior of normal male rats.
Varying doses of clove extract (100, 250, 500mg/kg) were given to a groups of 6
male rats each. Multiple measurements such as Mounting Frequency (number
of mounts before ejaculation), Intromission Frequency (number of intromission
before ejaculation), Intromission Latency (time from the introduction of the
female rat to the first intromission made by the male rate), Erections, Penile
Reflexes, Mounting Latency (time from the introduction of the female rat to the
first mount) and Post Ejaculatory Interval (time from the first ejaculation up
until the next intromission) were made. The study also looked at the side
effects of gastric ulceration and other adverse effects.
The groups were compared to placebo and also to 5mg/kg of
sildenafil citrate. It was found that oral administration of the clove
extract had profound effects on the sexual behavior of the male rats when
compared to placebo. When compared to sildenafil citrate, cloves were less
effective. The most appreciable effect was observed at 500mg/kg
of clove extract. It was also found that there were no side effects such
as gastric ulceration or other adverse effects.
Cloves and Premature ejaculation
There has been a small
amount of human research that reported a combination cream with cloves and other
herbs may be helpful in treating premature ejaculation. However, the study
was limited because the cream used contained eight other herbs in addition to
cloves and it was not possible to distinguish between the effects of the clove vs the other herbs in the preparation.
Cloves and Dry socket after tooth removal
There is
preliminary research on the use of clove oil combined with zinc oxide paste in
the treatment of dry socket as an effective treatment, but the benefits of clove
oil alone is yet to be studied.
Cloves and Fever reduction
Studies in laboratory animals
suggest cloves help reduce fevers, but there is no such study in humans as of
yet.
***There is much more research left to be done on the use of
cloves and its safety, effectiveness and dosage requirements. It is the
opinion of this author that these studies are not entirely conclusive and the
dosages of cloves used in the first two studies much exceed the recommendation
that adults aged 18 or over not exceed 2.5mg/kg orally because of risk of side
effects. |
