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cloves
Herbs & Spices
Trigger checker for cloves
See cloves rated across every trigger — FODMAP, histamine, salicylate, oxalate, tyramine and more — plus diet compatibility, all in one quick ingredient profile.
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Compare cloves across criteria
Sensitivities
What cloves contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where cloves fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about cloves
Cloves are essentially a delivery system for eugenol, which makes up the overwhelming majority of the essential oil and gives clove its numbing, medicinal bite. That density is why clove sits in the very high band on salicylate elimination lists when compared gram for gram against other foods, and yet our practical rating for cloves is moderate rather than high, because nobody eats them by the gram. Three cloves in a pot of stew or a pinch in a spice mix is a real but small exposure. Clove oil, taken neat, is a completely different quantity of the same compound.
Watch for
- Moderate salicylates in the amounts people actually cook with, but the concentration by weight is extreme, so a heavily cloved mulled wine, chai or spice rub is a much bigger hit than a single stuck-in-an-onion clove
- Clove oil is not the same exposure as ground clove.Concentrated eugenol is a mucosal irritant, and swallowed in quantity it is genuinely toxic, which is why dental use is a drop on a cotton bud and not a spoonful
- Eugenol is a recognised contact allergen and appears in fragrance patch-test panels, so mouth and lip reactions to clove-flavoured toothpaste or mouthwash are a documented pattern that has nothing to do with digesting food
- Mild ratings on free glutamates, oxalates and histamine liberation, and clean on histamine content, gluten, FODMAPs, lactose, nickel and sulfites
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FAQ
What does the FODMAP rating mean for cloves?
Low FODMAP: usually easier for most people, still watch portion size.
Is cloves generally well tolerated?
Salicylates (Moderate) and Histamine Liberators (Low) Start with those if you react.
What should I check next?
Compare within the Herbs & Spices group.