Clove Powder | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Clove powder is the finely ground dried flower bud of Syzygium aromaticum (syn. Eugenia caryophyllus), a tropical evergreen tree, used globally as a culinary spice and natural food preservative. Its characteristic warm, pungent aroma and flavour are primarily derived from eugenol, which constitutes 70–90% of its essential oil.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Clove powder is GRAS-classified by the FDA and broadly accepted as a safe culinary spice, with WHO/FAO JECFA establishing an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 2.5 mg/kg body weight per day for eugenol, its principal bioactive component. At high supplemental or overdose levels, eugenol can cause severe hepatotoxicity, and contact hypersensitivity reactions including allergic contact dermatitis and rare anaphylaxis have been documented. Methyl eugenol, a trace constituent of clove oil flagged by EFSA as genotoxic and carcinogenic, warrants caution with concentrated extracts, though dietary exposure from normal culinary use is considered negligible.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Permitted as a natural flavouring spice under EU Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings and flavouring substances. EFSA's pesticide active substance peer review of clove oil derived an eugenol ADI of 1.0 mg/kg bw/day and flagged methyl eugenol (a minor trace component) as genotoxic and carcinogenic; this review pertains to pesticide use and does not constitute a ban or restriction on culinary clove powder.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Regulated under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.9. Clove powder must be derived from Eugenia Caryophyllus (C. Sprengel) Bullock and Harrison, be reddish brown to blackish brown in colour with a strong aromatic odour, and be free from mould, insects, added colouring matter, and other harmful substances.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Clove buds, clove oil, and oleoresins are approved as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) under 21 CFR 184.1257 for use as food additives. No upper intake limit set for culinary spice use.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Liver Disease — High supplemental doses of eugenol, the predominant constituent of clove, can cause severe hepatotoxicity; individuals with pre-existing liver conditions should restrict intake to normal culinary amounts only.

Infants — FSSAI guidance specifies that concentrated botanical/spice supplements for children aged 2–5 years shall only be given under medical advice; concentrated clove preparations are not suitable for infants.

Pregnancy — EFSA developmental toxicity studies on eugenol identified a maternal NOAEL used to derive the ADI; supplemental doses of clove above normal culinary levels during pregnancy should be reviewed with a healthcare provider.

Other — Individuals with a known eugenol or clove allergy should avoid clove powder, as eugenol can cause allergic contact dermatitis, contact urticaria, and rare type-I anaphylactic hypersensitivity reactions.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. CFR Title 21, Section 184.1257 – Clove and its derivatives (GRAS listing). accessdata.fda.gov
2EFSA. Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance clove oil – EFSA Journal, 2024. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Biological Properties and Prospects for the Application of Eugenol—A Review, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4other. Eugenol (Clove Oil) – LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, 2019. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. Safety assessment of a standardized polyphenolic extract of clove buds: Subchronic toxicity and mutagenicity studies, 2016. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 – Chapter 2.9: Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products, 2011. fssai.gov.in

Independently researched6 citations