A doctor has recommended an affordable drink that can significantly boost health and well-being. The specialist highlights the benefits of drinking a glass of water infused with cloves, which include detoxifying the liver, aiding digestion, reducing bloating, and providing relief from bronchitis, mucus in the lungs, colds, coughs, and even asthma.
The beverage is also noted for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. Whole cloves are readily available at supermarkets; Tesco offers a 30g pack for £1, while Asda sells a 34g pack for the same price, making clove water an economical health booster.
Dr Eric Berg DC, author of the bestselling 'The Healthy Keto Plan' and an expert in healthy ketosis and intermittent fasting, extolled the virtues of daily clove water intake on his YouTube channel, which boasts 12.7 million subscribers. Dr Berg not only finds clove water "pretty delicious" but also emphasizes its numerous health advantages.
He recalls historical uses of cloves, such as during the Black Plague for pain relief and in early dentistry, noting: "The cool thing about this is there's virtually no side effects, it has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-candida antiviral properties in addition to numbing the tooth or numbing pain it can also go after the microbes that are growing there whether it's a fungal candida bacteria or even a virus."
The expert, Dr Berg, has highlighted the numerous benefits of drinking clove water daily. He explained: "The first thing it does is it helps to detoxify the liver, so it's going to stimulate some of the enzymes to help break things down in the liver, it's going to help you with digestion so if you have bloating, indigestion, gas consume some of this clove water - maybe you do this after a meal when you're bloating and it can help reduce the bloating. Another very potent effect of this clove water is to use it for respiratory problems like bronchitis, mucus in the lungs, a cold, a cough, Asthma.", reports the Mirror.
"You can consider it as like a natural antibiotic but without the side effects. Some people also use it for cognitive improvements improve the memory, concentration, the focus but this clove water also works with heart stuff so it can actually support a healthy heart as well, especially when you get into blood circulation, anything related to circulation clove water is awesome.
"It also has immune properties so it can help support a healthy immune system because it's antimicrobial; some people even use it as a mouthwash to help freshen their breath."
Additionally, Dr Berg mentioned that clove water could be used as a sleep aid, saying: "because it's a natural sedative without the negative effects, it does not have side effects like sleeping medication does and there's also some tryptophan in there that will actually increase serotonin and help you increase melatonin."
Dr Berg suggests consuming the clove water half-an-hour before bedtime. He further stated: "I would drink this before bed, it seems to work really good because they help relax you and they can help you drift off into wonderful sleep as well so might as well take it before you go to bed. It's not a necessity but it can definitely help."
How to prepare clove water Take four or five cloves Put them in a cup of water bring to a boil Take it off boiling and leave to simmer for five minutes (cover it to contain vapours) Leave to cool for one hour - this can be in the fridge but it up to personal preference Optional extra: add half a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it up