Goji, Coffee Berry and Clove Bud

Morning and Evening Elixirs For Blood, Liver, Brain and Microbial Balance

For a long time I kept clove at the edge of my apothecary.

I saw it mainly as a very strong germ fighter, something you bring in when you want to attack things that are overgrowing. That never felt like my way. I am interested in gardens, inside and out. I care about soil, terrain, and relationship, not about constant war.

So clove slowly disappeared from my shelves.

Then I started reading more deeply and watching more closely. Newer research on clove bud hot water extract and its main compound, eugenol, began to show a different picture. Instead of a simple weapon, it looked more like a regulator of oxidative stress, a supporter of the liver and blood, a helper for our own antioxidant systems, and even a possible ally in balancing gut terrain rather than flattening it.

That made me stop and reconsider.

Out of that rethinking came two new products that feel very aligned with the Living Ground way of working:

A Morning Elixir in a 250 ml bottle, made from clove buds, goji berries and coffee berries
An Evening Elixir in a 250 ml bottle, made from clove buds and goji berries

Both are slow, water based extractions that are reduced and bottled. They are not essential oils and not a quick teabag dunk. They are concentrated liquids that you sip in small amounts, like a daily ritual.

This is not a story about clove alone. It is about how clove, goji and coffee berry lean on one another to support blood, liver, brain and the inner soil of the microbiome.

The two blends

Morning: Goji, Coffee Berry and Clove

The Morning bottle is for people who wake with foggy heads, heavy livers and a sense that their blood is a little too thick and slow.

Clove buds bring warmth, circulation, digestive spark and powerful antioxidant signalling.
Goji berries nourish blood and liver, carry polysaccharides that microbes love, and have a long history as tonics for longevity and vision. (MDPI)
Coffee berries the red fruit around the coffee bean carry chlorogenic acids and other polyphenols that support brain function, microcirculation and insulin sensitivity, with only a trace of caffeine. (PubMed)

Together they feel bright and steady rather than jangly. This is not a coffee jolt. It is more like a clearer, grounded waking up.

Evening: Goji and Clove

The Evening bottle is for people whose nights feel noisy on the inside. Restless legs. Buzzing nerves. A body that is exhausted but cannot drop into deep rest.

Clove helps warm and relax, supports circulation and eases internal tension.
Goji feeds and steadies the blood and fluids that nourish the nervous system.

This blend feels like a gentle downshift. It does not sedate. It nourishes and invites the body to let go.

Why clove left my apothecary, and why it came back

My original view of clove was very narrow. I saw it as a strong, sharp tool, especially nice for tooth pain but much too harsh for daily internal use. In a world already obsessed with killing microbes, I did not want to add another destroyer to the mix. So clove moved quietly into the background.

What changed was not a marketing trend but the evidence.

One key study followed rats that were given eugenol by mouth for fifteen and ninety days. The researchers looked at antioxidant systems in the intestine. After ninety days, the level of glutathione in the intestinal tissue was significantly higher, and the activity of glutathione S transferases was increased at both time points. They described eugenol as non toxic and protective, and suggested that it helps the intestine clear toxic substances more efficiently. (PubMed)

That is not the picture of a substance that tears up the gut lining. It is a picture of one that strengthens the antioxidant and detox machinery in the tissue where so many microbial conversations take place.

More recent reviews have pulled a lot of work together and show that eugenol:

Activates Nrf2, a master switch that turns on many antioxidant genes
Increases the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione related enzymes under oxidative stress
Calms inflammatory pathways that are driven by reactive oxygen species (MDPI)

Taken together, this makes clove bud hot water extract look less like a wrecking ball and more like a housekeeper. It helps clear smoke, repair surfaces and keep things from rusting inside, which in turn makes it easier for the right microbes to thrive.

That is what let me bring clove back. Not as a lonely hammer, but as part of blends that are grounded in soil, blood and microbial balance.

Clove in the blend

Antioxidant, liver and metabolic ally

Antioxidant support within a trio

Eugenol’s antioxidant roles are not just theory. In an animal model of chemical colitis, eugenol intake increased the activity of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione S transferases in the colon, while lowering markers of oxidative damage. (ScienceDirect)

In the Morning blend, that antioxidant signal is braided together with:

Goji’s carotenoids and polysaccharides that protect lipids, proteins and DNA and support immune balance and vascular health. (MDPI)
Coffee berry’s high antioxidant capacity and very low caffeine content, which gives gentle brain and vessel support without pushing the adrenals. (PMC)

The result is not a single superstar but a three layered field that touches gut lining, liver cells, blood vessels and brain tissue at the same time.

Liver and fatty liver

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease sits quietly inside many bodies that look normal on the surface. It is woven into blood sugar swings, central weight gain, chronic inflammation and gut imbalance.

Several animal studies have looked at eugenol in this context. In one, rats on a high fat diet developed fatty liver. When they were given eugenol, liver fat dropped, liver tissue looked healthier under the microscope, and blood lipid profiles improved. The authors concluded that eugenol helped regulate liver fat metabolism through a gut brain liver signalling pathway involving GLP 1. (PubMed)

Other work in metabolic syndrome models shows eugenol improving liver damage and oxidative stress markers when excess fructose is driving fatty change in the liver. (Wiley Online Library)

At the same time, goji berries have their own story in liver care. Clinical work and meta analyses suggest that goji preparations can improve lipid profiles, reduce abdominal fat and support cardiovascular markers in humans. (PMC)

When I put clove and goji together in a water base, I see them as a pair that lightens the liver load. Clove clears some of the oxidative smoke and congestion. Goji feeds and restores. In the Morning elixir, coffee berry joins this pair. Coffee fruit extracts support brain and metabolic health and add another dimension to the liver and vessel picture, again in a gentle, polyphenol rich, low caffeine form. (PubMed)

I always keep in mind that these are animal and early human data, not giant definitive trials. Still, the pattern is consistent enough for me to feel comfortable placing clove based blends in the category of daily liver and metabolic allies.

Blood, brain and nervous system

In live blood work, I often see the story of circulation. Red cells stuck in stacks, plasma that looks heavy, platelets that seem a little too clingy. Anything that improves flow without forcing the system is worth attention.

In animal models, eugenol has been shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL, reduce atherogenic indices and improve liver fat and vessel health. (Wiley Online Library)

Goji contributes by improving triglycerides and cholesterol patterns in humans and by supporting heart related markers in controlled trials. (PMC)

The brain piece comes in strongly with coffee berry. Whole coffee cherry extract, which is essentially a refined form of coffee fruit, has been studied in older adults with subjective cognitive decline. A randomized controlled trial found improvements in reaction time and reductions in cognitive errors, with measurable changes in brain activity in regions involved in decision making and attention. (PubMed)

So in the Morning Goji Coffee Berry Clove Elixir, you have:

Clove gently moving blood and supporting vessel tone
Goji feeding microcirculation and bringing eye and brain loving pigments
Coffee berry polishing attention and helping tiny vessels in the brain deliver what they need

In the Evening Goji Clove Elixir, the absence of coffee berry softens the blend. Clove helps restless legs and background agitation unwind. Goji gives the nervous system something substantial and nourishing to rest into so that sleep can deepen.

DNA and long term repair

I am careful with big promises here, but it is worth noting that some studies suggest eugenol can help protect genetic material under stress.

Comparative work has found that eugenol and its isomer can act as strong antioxidants and reduce DNA damage in vitro when cells are exposed to certain stressors. (ScienceDirect)

Yeast and cell studies add another layer and suggest that eugenol can behave as an antigenotoxic agent, helping repair DNA damage through the same antioxidant and signalling pathways already mentioned. (ResearchGate)

There are also laboratory papers showing that at very high concentrations or with strong ultraviolet light, eugenol can flip and become damaging in certain cell lines. (PubMed)

This dual nature reminds me to stay within human scale doses and to work with slow water based preparations, not concentrated oils or heroic one off exposures. Inside a blend with goji and coffee berry, and used as a daily food like ally, clove sits on the side of protection and repair.

Dosing and rhythm

There is a wide safety guideline that a person can consume up to about 300 milliliters of clove bud hot water extract per 50 pounds of body weight per day, when it is prepared as a simple water decoction. That is a very high ceiling, far above what I see as a daily human rhythm.

Inside that window, I offer much smaller amounts:

Morning Goji Coffee Berry Clove Elixir
For most adults with no specific contraindications, one to two tablespoons in a little water, once or twice in the first half of the day.
Evening Goji Clove Elixir
One to two tablespoons in warm water late afternoon or evening.

Very sensitive people can begin with teaspoon doses. These blends are not meant as a short term course that you blast through, but as companions that sit beside real food, ferments, mineral rich broths and time with hands in soil.

Safety and who these elixirs are not for

Even with reassuring research, I stay on the cautious side.

I do not recommend these clove based blends for:

Anyone with epilepsy or seizure based disorders
Children under about twelve years of age or under roughly forty five kilograms or one hundred pounds
Pregnant women
Nursing mothers

There are reports and traditional cautions that high exposures to clove oil and eugenol can lower seizure threshold in developing or sensitive brains. Although these products are water based and much gentler than oils, I prefer to keep them for fully developed nervous systems.

Use extra care and seek guidance if you:

Are on pharmaceutical blood thinners or have bleeding disorders
Take blood pressure or blood sugar medications
Have serious liver disease or complex medical conditions

These elixirs can be powerful allies inside terrain based work, but they do not replace emergency medicine or a full medical evaluation when that is needed.

From soil to bottle to blood

Under everything, I come back to soil.

Clove trees, goji shrubs and coffee plants all live within webs of fungi, bacteria, insects, roots and weather. Their chemistry is a direct reflection of those relationships. Clove grows where tree roots talk with mycelium. Goji sits in beds that remember river waters and mineral shifts. Coffee ripens in mountain soils under the filter of shade trees.

When we drink their slow water extracts, especially in blends like these, we are not simply taking isolated molecules. We are drinking condensed stories of ground and climate and microbial cooperation.

Inside us, those stories move through the gut, where our own microbes reshape them. They signal through nerves and immune cells to liver and brain. They influence how our cells handle oxidation, repair, inflammation and flow.

I once thought clove did not belong in that conversation. Now, in the company of goji and coffee berry, I see it as part of a trio that can help re weave a tired terrain.

These Morning and Evening bottles are my way of bringing that updated understanding out of the lab and back into a kitchen, a garden and a living, breathing human body.

References

Vidhya N, Devasena T, Karthikeyan S. Antioxidant effect of eugenol in rat intestine. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. 1999. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10865886/ (PubMed)
Damasceno R O S et al. Anti Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Eugenol. Pharmaceuticals. 2024. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39598416/ (PubMed)
Li H et al. Eugenol alleviated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in rat via a gut brain liver axis involving glucagon like peptide 1. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 2022. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35508252/ (PubMed)
Damasceno R O S et al. Anti Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Eugenol: An Update. 2024. Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385773306_Anti-Inflammatory_and_Antioxidant_Activities_of_Eugenol_An_Update (ResearchGate)
Vidhya N et al. Antioxidant effect of eugenol in rat intestine. PDF copy. Link: https://scispace.com/pdf/antioxidant-effect-of-eugenol-in-rat-intestine-2etffq73nq.pdf (SciSpace)
Robinson J L et al. Neurophysiological Effects of Whole Coffee Cherry Extract in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Impairment. Antioxidants. 2021. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33498314/ and open access: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7909261/ (PubMed)
Antonelli M et al. Health Promoting Effects of Goji Berries Lycium barbarum. 2024. Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9976/40/1/1 (MDPI)
Zeng X et al. Effects of Lycium barbarum on Lipid Profiles: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. 2023. Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10545344/ (PMC)
Kakici I, Gezer C. Goji berry Lycium barbarum consumption is related with decrease in serum lipids and body fat in healthy individuals. 2025. Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/18785093251382509 (SAGE Journals)
Rompelberg C J et al. Inhibition of rat, mouse, and human glutathione S transferase by eugenol and its oxidation products. Chemico Biological Interactions. 1996. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8620581/ (ScienceDirect)turn4search20