The buds are picked by hand when they are pink and dried until they turn brown in color. Cloves have an impressive number of medicinal uses. The all around health benefits of cloves have been well known for centuries. Cloves have the distinction of having the highest antioxidant activity of any food.

Antioxidant Content Clove's unsurpassed level of antioxidants is made up of a number of different antioxidant compounds. Cloves also have analgesic properties that can be used for treatment of various dental problems like tooth aches. Because of the antiseptic and germicidal benefits of cloves, they help fight infections like cold, flu, bronchitis, arthritic pain and athlete's foot.

Cloves are the unopened pink flower buds of the evergreen clove tree. For starters, they can effectively cure many digestive problems like stomach ulcers, flatulence and dyspepsia, since they stimulate your body's enzymes and boost digestion. They also boost memory and blood circulation, and are beneficial for the heart, liver and stomach. Cloves are about 1/2 inch long, with a. These include two well researched antioxidants, anthocyanins and quercetin.

In addition to their own antioxidants, some of the compounds found in cloves have been shown to enhance the activity of two of the body's own antioxidants, superoxide dismutase and catalase.