Antioxidant Activity of Clove Essential Oil
Many foods and substances contain antioxidants which absorb free radicals (toxins). Scientists at Tufts University have developed a scale for the U.S. Department of Agriculture called the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) test. The higher the ORAC score is, the more capable that particular food, spice or herb is of destroying free radicals (antioxidant).
Essential oils have the highest ORAC scores of any known substance. According to the Essential Oils Desk Reference, 2nd ED., they are as follows:
Essential Oil (botanical name) ORAC Score
| Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) | 2,446 |
| Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) | 2,517 |
| Spearmint (Mentha spicata) | 5,398 |
| Lemongrass (Cymbopogen flexuosus) | 17,765 |
| Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) | 24,157 |
| Cinnamon Bark (Cinnamamum verum) | 103,448 |
| Mountain Savory (Satureja montana) | 113,071 |
| Oregano (Origanum compactum) | 153,007 |
| Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) | 159,590 |
| Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) | 10,786,875 |
These essential oils are even more potent than fruits which are promoted as powerful antioxidants, such as blueberries, ORAC Score 2,400. The last six oils on this chart are even more powerful than Chinese wolfberries, ORAC score 23,300.
Clove is the champion of all, with an ORAC score over 10 million!! That means a drop of Clove Oil contains 400 times more antioxidants per unit volume than wolfberries, the most powerful of all known fruits, and a 15ml bottle of Clove Oil has the antioxidant capacity of 40 quarts of blueberries. The benefits of breathing, applying and taking clove essential oil internally are far greater than you can imagine.
