Whole Cloves are the dried flower bud of the Clove tree, a fragrant evergreen native to South East Asia, particularly the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. This region became known as the Spice Islands in part because of the Clove trees that proliferated there. Fragrant trees run in the Clove family, Myrtaceae, which also includes Eucalyptus and Allspice among others. Clove has a long history as one of the most important and valuable spices in the spice trade. At times more highly valued than gold, the regions where Cloves grew were hotly contested, sparking wars and shaping history and the demographics of much of Asia and Europe. There is reason behind all the madness! Cloves had long been respected and used as an antifungal and antibacterial since the Middle Ages, notably featured as a primary ingredient in Thieves Oil, the famous remedy used to fight off Bubonic plague. Countless civilizations since ancient Rome have found Cloves to be useful for oral health, freshening breath and combating tooth pain. Traditional healers of the Indian Ayurvedic tradition consider Clove to be a warming spice and have also used them for oral health, supporting digestion, and managing bacterial balance. Clove can be decocted alone or with other warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg for a delicious warming tea, or added to a cotton tea bag with more of the same to infuse into flavor soups, stews, cider and wine.

As we continue to improve our loose herb and tea packaging, you may receive a canister with either label pictured above.