Monograph: |
Clove Oil
A clear colourless or pale yellow volatile oil with the charac-
teristic odour and taste of clove, obtained by distillation from
clove. It darkens and thickens with age and on exposure to air.
It contains phenolic substances, chiefly eugenol. Soluble I in
2 of alcohol (70%). Miscible with dichloromethane, with
ether, with fatty oils. and with toluene. Store at a temperature
not exceeding 25Β° in airtight containers. Protect from light.
Incompatibility. PVC bottles softened and distorted fairly
rapidly in the presence of clove oil, which should not be
stored or dispensed in such bottles.
Clove oil is a carminative that is sometimes used in the treat-
ment of flatulent colic. It is also used as a flavour. Eugenol, a
constituent of clove oil, may cause hypersensitivity.
Applied externally clove oil is irritant but can produce local
anaesthesia. It is used as a domestic remedy for toothache, a
plug of cotton wool soaked in the oil 'being inserted in the
cavity of the carious tooth; repeated application may damage
the gingival tissues. Mixed with zinc oxide, it is used as a tem-
porary anodyne dental filling, though eugenol (p. 1578) is of-
ten preferred.
Adverse effects. A report of severe toxicity following in-
gestion of clove oil in a child. Adverse effects included co-
ma, acidosis. a generalised seizure, disordered blood clotting,
and acute liver damage.
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