These products, known internationally as kreteks, originated in Indonesia and combine tobacco with dried ground cloves and a proprietary “saus” or sauce blend. Clove cigarettes deliver a potent mix of addictive substances and toxins, posing health risks comparable to, and in some ways exceeding, those of traditional cigarettes.
Unique Ingredients and Characteristics
Clove cigarettes typically contain a blend of 60 to 80 percent tobacco mixed with 20 to 40 percent ground clove buds and oil. The defining compound is eugenol, a naturally occurring chemical found in cloves, which acts as a mild anesthetic, causing a numbing effect on the throat and airways that is a defining characteristic of the smoking experience.
Machine-smoking analyses have shown that kreteks can deliver more tar and carbon monoxide per cigarette compared to conventional cigarettes. While the tobacco filler itself may contain a lower concentration of nicotine than some conventional cigarettes, the overall smoke yield of nicotine is often comparable due to how they are smoked.
The physical structure of kreteks also influences their usage, as they tend to take longer to smoke and require a greater number of puffs. This extended burning time and increased puff count contribute to the higher overall delivery of harmful compounds to the user.
Specific Health Consequences
The anesthetic effect of eugenol is directly linked to the most specific and severe health consequences of clove cigarette use. By numbing the pain receptors in the throat and trachea, eugenol masks the natural harshness of the smoke, which would otherwise limit inhalation depth and duration. This deeper, prolonged inhalation increases the pulmonary tissue’s exposure to tar, carbon monoxide, and other carcinogens, magnifying the harmful effects of the smoke.
Clove cigarette use is associated with severe respiratory conditions, including acute lung injury, severe bronchospasm, and pulmonary edema, which is the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. The higher concentration of tar and carbon monoxide also contributes to the elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases and various cancers, mirroring the long-term dangers of traditional smoking.
In some severe cases, the anesthetic effect may even contribute to aspiration pneumonia, as the numbed airway is less able to protect itself against foreign material. People with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma, are particularly susceptible to the acute, life-threatening effects of eugenol-containing smoke.
Regulatory Status and Misconceptions
A persistent misconception surrounding kreteks is that their inclusion of cloves makes them a safer or “more natural” alternative to traditional cigarettes. The pleasant aroma and taste, derived from the cloves and the proprietary sauces, diminish the perceived risk of smoking, making them particularly appealing to new and younger users.
To combat the appeal of such products to youth, the United States enacted the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009. This legislation prohibited the manufacture and sale of cigarettes with “characterizing flavors” other than menthol and tobacco, effectively targeting and prohibiting the sale of most clove cigarettes.
However, the ban only applied to cigarettes, creating a regulatory loophole that manufacturers quickly exploited. Many companies reformulated their products and began selling flavored tobacco as clove cigars—a product category not covered by the flavor ban, allowing clove-flavored products to remain on the market.