What are the benefits and risks of consuming clove water?

Clove Water: Limited Evidence for Oral Health Benefits, Significant Safety Concerns for Ingestion

Clove water lacks robust clinical evidence supporting systemic health benefits when consumed orally, and carries meaningful risks including potential bleeding complications, drug interactions, and toxicity concerns that outweigh any theoretical advantages.

Potential Benefits (Limited Evidence)

Oral Health Applications

• Clove-containing products show promise for dental applications when used topically as mouthwash, not as ingested water. Arimedadi oil containing clove demonstrated comparable efficacy to chlorhexidine mouthwash in reducing plaque and gingivitis over 21 days in patients with mild-to-moderate gingivitis 1.
• The antimicrobial properties are attributed primarily to eugenol, which comprises approximately 53% of clove's chemical composition and demonstrates broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms 2.
• These dental benefits apply to topical oral rinses, not to drinking clove water, which would result in systemic absorption rather than localized antimicrobial action 1.

Anti-inflammatory Properties (In Vitro Only)

• Clove extract inhibited production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) in laboratory macrophage studies at 100µg/well concentration 3.
• Human dermal fibroblast studies showed clove essential oil at 0.011% concentration inhibited inflammatory biomarkers including VCAM-1, IP-10, and tissue remodeling proteins 4.
• These laboratory findings do not translate to evidence that drinking clove water provides anti-inflammatory benefits in humans, as the concentrations, delivery methods, and tissue types differ substantially from oral consumption 3, 4.

Metabolic Effects (Animal Studies Only)

• Clove oil microemulsions improved fatty liver and dyslipidemia in high-fructose-fed rats, but this was tested as a pharmaceutical formulation, not as clove water 5.
• No human clinical trials support metabolic benefits from consuming clove water 5.

Significant Risks and Safety Concerns

Bleeding Complications

• Clove's active compound eugenol inhibits platelet aggregation and prolongs clotting times, similar to turmeric's anticoagulant mechanism 6.
• While specific perioperative guidelines exist for turmeric (discontinue 2 weeks before surgery), clove contains eugenol which acts through similar antiplatelet pathways 6.
• Patients taking anticoagulants (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel) or with bleeding disorders should avoid regular clove water consumption due to compounded bleeding risk 6.

Drug Interactions

• Eugenol significantly inhibits multiple cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP1A2, 2C9, 2D6, 3A4), potentially causing dangerous drug interactions 6.
• This affects metabolism of numerous medications including warfarin, statins, antidepressants, and immunosuppressants, potentially leading to toxic drug levels or therapeutic failure 6.

Toxicity Concerns

• Concentrated clove preparations can cause hepatotoxicity and central nervous system depression when consumed in excessive amounts 7.
• Eugenol has documented cytotoxic effects at higher concentrations, though the threshold for toxicity from clove water consumption is not well-established 3.

Food Safety Issues

• Clove water prepared at home lacks standardization and may harbor bacterial contamination if not properly prepared or stored 1.
• Unpasteurized herbal infusions carry risks similar to unpasteurized juices, which are specifically contraindicated in immunocompromised patients 1.

Critical Clinical Pitfalls

Common Misconceptions

• Patients often fail to report herbal supplement use to healthcare providers, creating dangerous situations when these products interact with prescribed medications or affect surgical outcomes 6.
• The term "natural" does not equate to "safe"—clove contains pharmacologically active compounds with real physiological effects and risks 7.

Lack of Quality Control

• Home-prepared clove water has no standardization of eugenol concentration, leading to unpredictable dosing and potential toxicity 2.
• Unlike pharmaceutical preparations studied in research, clove water lacks quality control, sterility assurance, or consistent bioactive content 5.

Inappropriate Substitution

• Clove water should never replace evidence-based treatments for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or infections 5.
• The metabolic benefits observed in animal studies used pharmaceutical-grade microemulsions, not simple water infusions 5.

Evidence Quality Assessment

The evidence base is severely limited:

• No randomized controlled trials exist evaluating clove water consumption for any health outcome [1-2].
• Dental studies used clove as one component in multi-herb formulations applied topically, not consumed as water 1.
• Anti-inflammatory and metabolic studies used concentrated essential oils or isolated eugenol in controlled laboratory/animal settings 3, 4, 5.
• The leap from these controlled studies to recommending clove water consumption lacks scientific support [7-2].

Clinical Recommendation

Given the absence of human clinical trials demonstrating benefits, combined with documented risks of bleeding complications and drug interactions, clove water consumption cannot be recommended for any health indication. Patients interested in clove's antimicrobial properties should consider evidence-based topical dental products containing clove as one component, used under dental supervision 1. Those taking anticoagulants, scheduled for surgery, or on medications metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes should specifically avoid regular clove water consumption 6.