Laung Ka Qehwa (Clove Tea): Recipe, and How Strong Is Too Strong
Clove tea made with a few whole cloves is a kitchen drink; clove oil is a concentrate that must never be swallowed, and a small amount can seriously poison a child. Keep that line clear and laung ka qehwa is a warming winter cup that’s gentle on a scratchy throat. This guide covers clove tea side effects first, then a recipe with household amounts, why more cloves don’t make a better cup, and which popular claims hold up.
Before you start
- Per cup: 3 to 4 whole cloves in 250 ml water
- Method: simmer 5 minutes, then rest 5 minutes covered
- Caffeine: none, unless you add tea leaves
- Never: clove oil in tea, in water or in a child’s mouth
- Check first if: on blood thinners, planned surgery, liver disease, pregnant
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Clove tea side effects: the oil, the dose and who should skip it
Cloves are strong because of one compound, eugenol, the same thing that numbs a gum when you press a clove against an aching tooth and makes the whole kitchen smell like winter, and a cup brewed from a few whole buds holds only a little of it. Clove oil holds it concentrated many times over. That’s the difference.
Clove oil is not a tea ingredient
Clove oil sold in chemists and pansari shops is meant for a dab on a tooth, never for swallowing. Children who have drunk even a small amount of it have ended up in hospital with liver damage, fits and dangerous drops in blood sugar. Keep the bottle locked away like any medicine. Minutes matter. If a child swallows some, don’t wait for symptoms: go to the nearest emergency department and take the bottle with you. Don’t make them vomit.
People who should check first, or skip strong clove tea
- Blood thinners (warfarin, clopidogrel, daily aspirin) and bleeding disorders: eugenol can slow clotting a little. An occasional mild cup is unlikely to matter, but strong daily brews are a question for your doctor.
- Planned surgery or dental extraction: stop strong clove drinks about two weeks before, and tell the surgeon about any herbal habits.
- Liver disease: eugenol is handled by the liver; stick to cooking amounts.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: cloves in food and a mild occasional cup are fine. Skip strong or daily brews, which haven’t been tested for safety.
- Diabetes medicine: keep to the mild cup and ask your doctor before making it a daily habit.
- Children: a few sips of a mild, cooled cup for school-age children at most. Nothing for babies, and never oil.
Too strong a cup tells on you quickly. A burning mouth, sore gums, heartburn or nausea mean it’s too much, and the answer is fewer cloves, not more sugar. Our clove spice guide has the buying, storage and toothache side, so we won’t repeat it here.
How to make laung ka qehwa
Whole cloves only. Ground clove turns the cup muddy and bitter, it clings to the pan and the strainer, and you can never see how much you’ve actually used, which is exactly how people end up with a cup that burns.
- Bring 250 ml (one mug) of water to the boil in a small pan.
- Add 3 to 4 whole cloves. Press them lightly with a spoon so the heads crack.
- Simmer on the lowest flame for 5 minutes. The water turns pale amber.
- Switch off, cover and leave for 5 minutes. Longer makes it harsher, not better.
- Strain. Add a thin slice of lemon or a teaspoon of honey for an adult if you like. Sip warm, not scalding.
With a piece of dalchini
For the classic winter pairing, add a 2 to 3 cm piece of cinnamon stick with the cloves in step 2. It rounds off the sharp edge and makes the cup taste sweeter without sugar. Cinnamon has its own story, especially the cassia and coumarin question, and that is covered in our Ceylon vs cassia guide. For this recipe, the small piece is a flavouring, nothing more.
With ginger or tea
Add a crushed 2 cm slice of fresh ginger at step 2 for a sharper cough-season cup. Or make laung wali chai: boil 2 cloves with the water, then add your usual patti and milk. That version has tea’s caffeine, roughly 40 to 60 mg a cup.
Why more cloves isn’t better
People double the cloves when they have a cold, thinking stronger means faster. It doesn’t. Past three or four per cup you mainly get more bitterness, a numb tongue, a stomach that complains an hour later and more eugenol for your liver to process, with nothing extra for your throat. The comfort of a clove drink comes from warm fluid, steam and a pleasant aroma, and all three are already there in a mild cup.
Clove water (a few cloves soaked overnight in cold water) is a different drink, much weaker than tea. Either way, a few cloves is the right number.
Did you know? A clove is a dried flower bud, picked before it opens. The word comes from the Latin for “nail”, because that’s exactly what it looks like.
Clove tea benefits: which claims hold up?
Here’s the honest scorecard.
| Claim | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Clove tea for sore throat and cough | Fair use. A warm, aromatic cup soothes; it won’t shorten an infection. |
| Clove tea for toothache | A clove held against the tooth numbs a little; tea barely reaches it. See a dentist. |
| Clove tea for sleep | Tradition. It’s caffeine free, which helps compared with chai, and that’s about it. |
| Clove tea for kidneys | No good human evidence. Anyone with kidney disease should ask their doctor before any herbal habit. |
| Clove tea for skin and acne | Marketing. Nothing a cup does shows up on your face. |
| Clove tea for women’s fertility | No evidence. Fertility worries need a doctor, not a drink. |
| Clove tea for weight loss | Unsweetened, it’s a zero-calorie swap for sweet chai. The swap helps, the clove doesn’t. |
Myth: clove tea “kills” a cold or throat infection
Eugenol does kill germs in a lab dish, and that’s where the belief comes from, but the dish is soaked in far more eugenol than a cup of tea could ever leave on your throat, and the drink washes past in a couple of seconds anyway, so a cold runs its course in about a week whatever you sip. No mug changes that.
What the cup does do is real: warm liquid eases a scratchy throat, steam loosens a stuffy nose for a while, and sipping keeps you drinking fluids when you don’t feel like it. That’s worth having. Just don’t let it delay a doctor when a throat is getting worse.
See a doctor if you have a fever of 39 °C or above, a fever lasting more than 3 days, trouble swallowing your own saliva or drooling, a muffled voice, one-sided throat swelling, a rash, or a sore throat still there after a week. Any fever in a baby under 3 months needs a doctor straight away. Difficulty breathing is an emergency. No over-the-counter cough or cold medicine for children under 6.
In Unani medicine laung is classed as hot and dry in the third degree, which is why hakeems reserve it for cold, damp complaints and small amounts. Ayurveda calls it a heating spice that clears the throat and mouth, usually balanced with something cooling. Grandmothers kept it for winter evenings, not summer, and in a few buds, not handfuls. That sense of proportion is the most useful part of the tradition.
Laung ka qehwa questions people ask
What are the side effects of clove tea?
A mild cup rarely causes trouble. Strong or frequent brews can burn the mouth, cause heartburn or nausea, and slow blood clotting slightly. Clove oil is the real danger and must never be swallowed.
How many cloves should I put in a cup of tea?
Three to four whole cloves per 250 ml mug. Simmer 5 minutes and rest 5. More cloves make it harsher, not more useful.
Is clove tea good for a sore throat?
It’s a comforting warm drink for a scratchy throat, and that’s a fair use. It won’t clear an infection faster, so watch for the red flags above.
Does clove tea have caffeine?
No. Cloves contain no caffeine. Laung wali chai made with black tea leaves does, roughly 40 to 60 mg a cup.
Can I drink clove tea during pregnancy?
Cloves in food and an occasional mild cup are fine. Avoid strong or daily clove brews and never take clove oil by mouth. Ask your midwife or doctor if you want to drink it regularly.
Is clove tea safe with blood thinners?
Ask your doctor first. Eugenol can slow clotting a little, so strong or daily clove drinks aren’t a good mix with warfarin, clopidogrel or daily aspirin.
Can children drink clove tea?
School-age children can have a few sips of a mild, cooled cup. Babies shouldn’t have it, and clove oil must be kept completely out of children’s reach.
Is clove tea good for the kidneys?
There’s no good human evidence either way. If you have kidney disease, check with your doctor before any regular herbal drink.
Can I drink clove tea every day?
A mild cup most days is fine for most healthy adults. If you’re on blood thinners or diabetes medicine, have liver disease, or are pregnant, ask your doctor first.
Clove tea vs clove water: what’s the difference?
Clove tea is simmered and much stronger. Clove water is soaked overnight in cold water and very mild. Both are flavoured water, not medicine.
Is cinnamon and clove tea good for you?
It’s a pleasant, caffeine-free winter drink. Use a small piece of cinnamon stick as flavouring; the cassia and coumarin question matters only for larger daily amounts.
For more winter drinks and spice cautions, browse Desi Remedies.