Cloves are the grand champion antioxidant. They are the highest rated, by ORAC scale , of any food on the planet. There is a great deal of publicity on the subject of the highest rated antioxidant and rarely is this spice even mentioned. So I thought it a good idea to set the record straight. This spice is number 1 and cinnamon is number two. The champion was declared in the USDA database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity Report (ORAC).
The highest publicized super foods like acai, goji, mangosteen and don’t even come close. Cloves have been used for 1000’s of years as a spice and are nothing new to the chefs of the world. This plant is grown and harvested mainly in Indonesia, Madagascar and India. The tree is an evergreen and the flowers when harvested are a bright red. Cloves contain a variety of flavonoids (antioxidants) the main two are kaempferol and rhamnetin,. Another primary component is Eugenol which functions as a strong anti-inflammatory. It is also classified as a nutrient dense food, putting it in the super food category. It is also unique in that it is high in omega 3 fatty acids. kaempferol and rhamnetin,
Health Benefits
Highest antioxidant power (free radical killer)
Pain relief especially in the dental field.
Prevention of toxicity such as carbon tetrachloride.
Helps prevent digestive tract cancers
Helps with joint inflammation and pain.
Anti-bacterial
Anti Inflammatory
Combined with other omega 3 fatty acids such as cod liver oil it can reduce inflammation by up to 30% more than cloves alone.
Can be used as a mosquito repellent.
Relieves gas and bloating
Relieves nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
Relieves nausea during chemotherapy
Clean wounds, scratches and abrasions
Mixed in water as an antiseptic mouthwash
The two primary antioxidants kaempferol and rhamnetin found in the spice are also found in other plant species. For example kaempferol has a high concentration in green tea another powerful and much more researched antioxidant. Kampferol has been found to be a very effective scavenger of certain free radicals which have names to long and too complicated to pronounce or remember. Kampferol is also highly anti-bacterial.
For it’s high orac value alone this spice should be a part or everyone’s diet or supplementation plan. Antioxidants have been shown in study after study to be responsible for the prevention of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Just the anti-inflammatory power can be used by arthritis patients to ease joint pain. And inflammation.
ORAC Comparisons
Cloves 1000 mg ORAC Rank 3,144
Cinnamon 1000 mg ORAC Rank 2,675
Green Tea 1 Cup ORAC Rank 1400
Acai Powder 1000mg ORAC Rank 1614
Goji Powder 1000 mg ORAC Rank 253
Blueberry Powder 1000 mg 250
You could add cloves to a daily smoothy, add them to all your food, have some delicious clove tea, or just chew them…
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