Laung (Cloves): Traditional Uses, Real Amounts and Honest Cautions (Video)

Transcript

Cloves: Kitchen Spice & More

Ever wonder why a few tiny buds can change the whole feel of a dish or a warm drink? Let’s explore what cloves really are, how people have used them for ages, and the gentle cautions to keep in mind.

What a clove is

Cloves aren’t seeds and they’re not bark. They’re dried flower buds, picked before they open. That single fact explains why they behave delicately in a pot and why a light touch works best.

At a glance

Traditionally, cloves warm the stomach after a heavy meal, freshen the mouth, and scent rice, tea, and slow-cooked meats across South Asia and the Middle East. Most families use two to four whole cloves in a pot, or three simmered in a small cup of water. Whole buds are best, bought in small amounts and ground only when you need them.

Anatomy & origins

Look closely at a whole clove. The long tapered body is the flower stem and unopened calyx; the little ball on top is the bud that snaps off in the rice. Old stock loses that ball. The tree hails from a few Indonesian islands, but most kitchen cloves come from Zanzibar, Pemba, or Madagascar. Freshness can be checked with two free tests, a float test in water and a fingernail press that leaves a faint oily gloss and scent on your nail.

Freshness test

A good clove leaves its smell on your thumbnail. A dead one leaves nothing but dust.

Traditional views

In Unani thinking, laung is hot and dry, so it shows up in winter blends and after heavy, oily meals rather than on a hot June afternoon. Ayurvedic tradition places it similarly, as a warming spice for a sluggish appetite, often paired with honey. In everyday kitchens from Lahore to Beirut, people just drop a few cloves into the pot because that’s how their mother did it. It’s tradition, not proven fact.

Cloves in cooking

Drop whole cloves into hot ghee or oil and you get a sweet, medicinal scent for about fifteen seconds, like a barber’s shop and a dessert at once. Add your onions at that moment. Leave them too long and the aroma turns bitter and tarry. In a biryani, two cloves sit politely behind cinnamon and bay; six will dominate the whole dish. For warmth without overpowering, lean on cinnamon and let one or two cloves add the sharp top note.

Simple decoctions

A gentle clove decoction is an occasional after-dinner cup, not a daily regimen. Take three whole cloves, crack them once, and simmer in a cup of cold water for three minutes, then five minutes on low. Cover and let stand three more minutes before straining. Add a half-teaspoon of honey once the liquid cools below scalding. For a stronger brew, use four cloves with a piece of cinnamon bark, simmer seven minutes, then add thin ginger slices and steep five more minutes. Drink warm, not boiling.

Toothache tradition

Across South Asia and the Middle East, people tuck a whole clove against a sore tooth or chew one after a meal for its smell. It’s an old household habit, but toothache signals a structural issue that needs a dentist. A clove may numb the feeling for a short time, but it doesn’t treat the cause. Use it while you wait for an appointment, not instead of one. Clove oil is very concentrated; undiluted it can burn gums, tongue or lips and should never be given to infants or young children.

Cautions

Go easy if you’re on blood-thinning medication, have surgery or a dental extraction booked, or have reflux, gastritis, ulcers, or liver problems. Cooking amounts are fine, but clove oil and strong daily infusions are not the place to experiment, especially while pregnant or breastfeeding. Clove allergy is rare but possible. This isn’t medical advice, if you have a health condition, ask your doctor before making cloves a daily habit.

Topical use

Clove oil appears in some homemade scalp and joint blends, always diluted. A workable skin dilution is about one percent, two drops of essential oil into ten milliliters of a carrier like coconut or olive oil. Never apply it neat. Do a patch test: dab a little on the inside of your forearm, cover loosely, and wait twenty-four hours. If you notice redness, itching, heat or stinging, wash it off and stop. If a one-percent mix stings on the forearm, it will certainly sting on thinner skin.

Try this week

Buy about fifty grams of whole cloves and do a float test as soon as you get home. Then cook the same everyday dish on two consecutive nights, once with two cloves and once with five. You’ll discover the difference in flavor faster than an hour of reading, and you’ll never over-clove a pot again.

Explore more

If you enjoyed this quick tour, read the full post on thecareonline.com for more details, and remember it’s personal practice, not medical advice.