Clove

Cloves are fully grown and dried the unopened flower buds of the evergreen tree Syzygium aromaticum of the family Myrtaceae. It is a colourless or slightly yellowish liquid, becoming darker with age and exposure to the light. They are the strongest of the aromatic spices and one of the reasons Zanzibar is known as The Spice Islands. Cloves are known for their antiseptic properties and used in cooking, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

They are also used to produce clove oil, the main constituent of which is eugenol. Eugenol is used among things, to perfume soaps, as dental anaesthetic and as an additive in dental filling material.