CLOVE CULTIVATION IN SRI LANKA

Clove grows well in a humid tropical climate from sea level up to an elevation of about 1,000m. Average rainfall of 1,750 - 2,500mm. per annum is sufficient for the crop. It is necessary, however for the dry periods to alternate with the moist ones for good flowering. Still, it cannot withstand prolonged drought. Clove is cultivated in the wet zones of the mid-country, that is, in the districts of Matale, Kegalle, and Kandy. However, cultivation of clove is also being considered in the low country.

Clove suppliers in Sri Lanka export a range of products to the global market including the finest clove buds and clove oil to the global market. The country is one of the top exporters of clove to the global markets and provides for nearly 8.5% of the global demand for clove whole fruits, buds, and stems, mainly exporting to India, the USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Germany.

Whole Sri Lankan cloves are the sweet, spicy, and aromatic unopened flower bud from a syzygium aromaticum tree - a member of the evergreen family that is native to Indonesian rainforests. 

PRODUCING CLOVE OIL

Clove oil can be extracted from the plant leaves, stem, and buds of the tree, through steam distillation. Generally, clove oil is obtained by the distillation of flower buds, inflorescence parts, and the leaves. Clove oil obtained from the bud is colorless while oil manufactured by the stem is a slightly yellowish liquid which gets darker with age and exposure to the light. Meanwhile, clove leaf oil, a dark brown liquid obtained by the distillation of the dry leaves, is the main traded clove oil and is widely used to produce eugenol.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CLOVES

Elaborating on the medicinal value of clove oil, it must be noted that it is an important natural antibacterial drug. It is used in many fields, including dentistry, pharmaceuticals, and aromatherapy. It is used as an analgesic, antiseptic, warming, disinfectant, and antibacterial because it inhibits the growth or kills most pathogens, such as E.scherichia coli, Mycobacterium phlei, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum. Clove oil is recommended for inhalation in the treatment of sore throat, colds, catarrh and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth. It also helps in the treatment of any breathing problems, general weakness and neuralgia.

Clove oil also has antioxidant effects, which renders it a convenient and accessible source of natural antioxidants in food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations. Clove oil has anticonvulsant effects as well, which were already known in Persian folk medicine. The cloves were there used as a cure for epilepsy as narrated by the Arab physician Avicenna who lived in the late tenth and eleventh century.

 It is also a substrate for the production of dental analgesic preparations. In combination with zinc oxide, it is used to fill cavities in teeth. In addition, clove oil is included in mouthwash and gum liquids, toothpaste, and preparations for disinfection of hands.

Clove oil boosts concentration and efficiency of thinking. In addition, it revitalizes, energizes, exhibits analgesic and serves as an “aphrodisiac”. It’s also a natural food preservative due to its antibacterial and antifungal effects.