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Here are the Health benefits of versatile spice cloves

Found in both whole and ground forms, this versatile spice— cloves — can be used to season pot roasts, add flavor to hot beverages, and bring spicy warmth to cookies and cakes.

Sentinel Digital Desk

MUMBAI: Found in both whole and ground forms, this versatile spice— cloves — can be used to season pot roasts, add flavor to hot beverages, and bring spicy warmth to cookies and cakes.

Cloves are the flower buds of the clove tree, an evergreen also known as Syzygium aromaticum. You may know cloves as one of the main ingredients in gingerbread baked goods or a staple spice in Indian cuisine.

Cloves are best known as a sweet and aromatic spice, but they have also been used in traditional medicine.

Here are some health benefits of cloves:

Contain important nutrients: Cloves contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so using whole or ground cloves to add flavor to your food can provide some important nutrients. Apart from being a rich source of manganese, cloves are only used in small amounts and do not provide significant amounts of nutrients.

High in antioxidants: In addition to containing several important vitamins and minerals, cloves are rich in antioxidants.

Antioxidants are compounds that reduce oxidative stress, which can contribute to the development of chronic disease.

Cloves also contain a compound called eugenol, which has been shown to act as a natural antioxidant.

In fact, a test-tube study found that eugenol stopped oxidative damage caused by free radicals five times more effectively than vitamin E, another potent antioxidant.

Including cloves in your diet along with other antioxidant-rich foods can help improve your overall health.

May help protect against cancer: Some research suggests that the compounds found in cloves might help protect against cancer.

One test-tube study found that clove extract helped stop the growth of tumors and promoted cell death in cancer cells.

Can kill bacteria: Cloves have been shown to have antimicrobial properties, meaning they can help stop the growth of microorganisms like bacteria. (Agencies)

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