Eugenia caryophyllata Thunberg - International Journal of Research ...

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences ISSN: 2229-3701
Identity, Purity and Strength
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India listed the
standards of clove as Foreign matter Not more than
2 per cent, Total ash Not more than 7 per cent,
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1 per cent,
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 3 per cent,
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 9 per cent,
Volatile oil Not less than 15 percent 11 .
ETHANOPHARMACOLOGY
In British Columbia, Flower of Clove is widely
used in the treatment of roundworms and
tapeworms in pets and pigs 12 whereas, flower bud
of E. caryophyllata has been used as traditional
medicine for the treatment of asthma and various
allergic disorders; as vermifuge, antibacterial agent
and in toothache in China, Japan and Korea 13,14 .
The flower bud is a well known food flavor for
exotic food preparations and a popular remedy for
headache, soar throat, dental and respiratory
disorders, digestive system ailments, in traditional
medicines of Australia and Asian countries 8,13,15,16 .
In addition, the clove is widely used as traditional
medicine for treatment of dyspepsia, gastritis and
diarrhea; as antipyretic, aphrodisiac, appetizer,
expectorant, antiemetic, anxiolytic, myorelaxant,
analgesic, decongestant, anti-inflammatory and
hypnotic 17,18,19,20 . Clove is widely used in Indian
Ayurvedic medicines, Chinese medicines, Unani
medicines of Asian countries and Western herbal
medicines and considered as warm, aromatic, to
fortify the kidney yang (hypochlorhydria),
carminative, in toothache, as aphrodisiac and in the
treatment of male sexual disorders 15,21,22 .
Clove oil has been used to improve peristalsis, as
anodyne, in anaesthesia and is said to be a natural
anthelmintic 23,24,25,26 . Due to its frequent use in
teeth problems, it is widely used as an ingredient in
popular toothpastes and mouth fresheners in
India 27 . Clove is broadly used in cooking, food
processing, pharmacy, perfumery and cosmetics.
PHARMACOLOGICAL UPDATE
Several studies have been reported on clove as a
potent antifungal 28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36 , antiviral (such
as Herpex simplex, Hepatitis C virus) 37,38,39 ,
antiseptic and antibacterial effect against several
bacteria including Escherichia coli, Helicobacter
pylori, Staphylococcus aureus etc.
25,30,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48 .
Mishra and Singh has demonstrated the biphasic
nature of hexane extract of flower buds on testis.
The lower dose (15 mg/kg) increased testosterone
production, while higher doses (30 and 60 mg/kg)
caused reduction in testosterone production thereby
perturbation in spermatogenesis of mice 49 . In
addition, the clove is antimutagenic 50 , antiinflammatory
13 , antiulcerogenic 42,45 ,
antithrombotic 5 and antiparasitic 51 .
The essential oil of this plant has been proved
efficacious repellency on the mosquitoes Ades
aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles
dirus 52 , insecticidal activity on Pediculus capitis 51
as well as acaricidal activity against
Dermatophagoides farinae and D. pteronyssinus 14 .
It is also effective against Psoroptes cuniculi, a
mange mite 53 and possesses anti-inflammatory,
cytotoxic, anesthetic and antimicrobial properties.
It is commonly associated with dental caries and
periodontal disease 25,39 .
Sesquiterpenes, found in clove, were investigated
as potent anticarcinogenic agents 9 . Eugenol, the
major aromatic constituent of clove oil, has been
reported to have a variety of different applications,
e.g. as an antioxidant 54,55,56,57,58,59 , antimycotic 60,61 ,
antibacterial 62,63 , antifungal 64 , participates in
photochemical reactions 65 , as insecticidal 66 , in
photocytotoxicity 67 and also as an additive used in
certain cigarettes 68,69 .
It has been reported that eugenol at low
concentration acts as an antioxidant and antiinflammatory
agent, whereas its higher
concentrations act as a pro-oxidant resulting from
the enhanced generation of tissue-damaging free
radicals 70,71 and it induced apoptosis of human
cancer cells 72 . It also prevents the transmission of
HSV-2 in a mouse model of intra vaginal HSV-2
challenge and was found to give protection in
guinea pig model of HSV 73 . It has been reported
that the essential oil of clove has anticonvulsive
effect in tonic seizures but not in colonic seizures
in mice 74 and produces a sustained increase in the
mounting frequency of normal male rats and
mice 21,75 . On the other hand, Eugenol, a chief
constituent of clove oil, causes desquamation of the
inner secretory columnar cell layer and exerts
adverse effects on secretory activity of seminal
vesicle 76 , spermicidal activity on ejaculated human
spermatozoa 77 and possesses significant antiinflammatory
activity at 0.025 mL/kg 78 .
It has been reported that eugenol at various
concentrations 5, 10, 50 and 100 µM exhibited a
remarkable DPPH free radical scavenging potential
and showed the cytotoxic effect. The IC50 values
of eugenol were reported to be 700 µM in HepG2
cells; 1000 µM in Caco-2 cells and 700 µM in
VH10 cells. The terpenes, beta-caryophyllene,
beta-caryophyllene oxide, alpha-humulene, alphahumulene
epoxide I and eugenol isolated from
essential oil of Eugenia caryophyllata induce
glutathione S-transferase enzyme which plays a
vital role in detoxification in liver and intestines 79 .
It is stated that induction of glutathione Stransferase
inhibits chemical carcinogens, hence
these terpenes are promising anticarcinogens 9 .
However, clove oil is toxic to human cells 26 . If
ingested or injected in large quantity, it has been
shown to cause life threatening complications,
including Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome,
Vol. 3 (4) Oct – Dec 2012 www.ijrpbsonline.com 1470