Of all the spices in the chai blend, clove is the most pharmacologically potent. Its active compound — eugenol — is used in clinical dentistry as an analgesic and antimicrobial agent, appears in pharmaceutical preparations for pain management, and has demonstrated antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties across hundreds of published studies.
One clove per pot of chai delivers meaningful eugenol content. This is not trivial.
Eugenol: What It Actually Does
Analgesic properties: Eugenol inhibits voltage-sensitive sodium channels, preventing the transmission of pain signals. This is the same mechanism used by local anaesthetics including lidocaine. Dental formulations of clove oil (zinc oxide eugenol cement) have been used for over 150 years for temporary pain relief in cavities and extractions. The concentration in chai is too low for clinical pain management, but the systemic anti-inflammatory effect is real at dietary doses.
Antimicrobial activity: Eugenol disrupts bacterial cell membranes by interfering with fatty acid synthesis and disrupting membrane integrity. A 2012 study in the International Journal of Food Microbiology found eugenol effective against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli at concentrations achievable in food preparation. Its activity against Streptococcus mutans — the primary cause of dental caries — is particularly well-documented.
Antifungal activity: Multiple studies confirm eugenol's effectiveness against Candida albicans — the most common cause of oral and systemic fungal infections. The mechanism involves disruption of the fungal cell membrane phospholipid bilayer.
The Antioxidant Capacity
Clove is, by ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) measurement, among the most antioxidant-rich foods on earth. A single gram of ground clove has an ORAC value of approximately 290,000 — compared to 9,000 for blueberries (per 100g), which means gram-for-gram, clove has approximately 30 times the antioxidant capacity.
In practice, the quantity of clove in a cup of chai is small — but even 0.3g contributes an antioxidant dose that is not insignificant in the context of a daily dietary pattern.
Dental Health: The Specific Case
The most directly applicable benefit of clove in chai, at dietary doses, is oral antimicrobial activity. Eugenol at any concentration inhibits S. mutans — the bacterium responsible for most tooth decay. Regular consumption of eugenol-containing foods has been associated with reduced dental caries in epidemiological studies.
This is the probable mechanism behind the traditional Indian practice of chewing a clove after meals — the same instinct as the saunf, but with additional antimicrobial purpose.
Drinking chai that contains a whole clove, then allowing the cup to sit in the mouth briefly before swallowing, exposes the oral mucosa to eugenol in a way that may have genuine protective value for dental health.
“The dentist's antiseptic of choice for a century turns out to be in your daily chai. The spice rack was the original medicine cabinet, and clove was its most powerful resident.