Quality assessment and antibacterial properties of a commercial clove sample and copper sulphate as ingredients of an herbal mouth wash

Clove buds obtained from flower buds of (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merril et L. M. Perry (Eugenia caryophyllus C. Spreng. Bull et Harr) have been used in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments, as food spice and in aromatherapy. Some of the pharmacological properties have been reported as anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The main constituent of clove is eugenol which has been reported and confirmed to have antibacterial action. The oil from the commercial clove sample was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus and assessed by gas chromatography for the content of eugenol in comparison to a standard clove oil.  In addition, the TLC fingerprint, physicochemical and antibacterial properties were determined by standard methods to authenticate and establish the quality of the clove prior to use in the herbal mouthwash formulation. The sample clove oil exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values of <0.02 – 0.312 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of 0.156 – 0.312 mg/ml against selected gram positive and negative organisms.  MIC and MBC values for Copper sulphate were in the range of <0.02 – 0.156 and 0.156 - 0.312 mg/ml respectively. The sample clove oil with 15% yield was determined to have 71.7% purity in comparison to the standard clove oil. The evaluation of the clove buds, oil and copper sulphate showed that it conformed to specifications and has potential for use in the mouthwash formulation.