Myristica fragrans
Nutmeg
Generally recognised as safeOther names: Mace
An Indonesian tree whose seeds yield nutmeg and the aril yields mace.
An evergreen dioecious tree with leathery leaves and small yellowish flowers; the ripe fruit gives the hard nutmeg seed and the bright-red aril mace, both with a warm spicy aroma.
- Family
- Myristicaceae
- Plant type
- Evergreen tree
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
- Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
- Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
- Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
- Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
- Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
- High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
- Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
Plant habit
Safety — read before use
For this herb it is important to check warnings, mix-ups and cautions. Start with the Safety section.
Quick overview
A practical summary; details are in the sections below.
- Safety grade
- Generally recognised as safe details
- Scientific sources on the card
- Yes — sources are listed with claims Science section
- When and what to harvest
- Fruit — July–September
- Processing methods
Culinary use, Powder, Essential oil
All methods and recipes on the card- Topics and symptoms
Heavy digestion, Nausea & queasy stomach, Topic
Topics section, Symptoms overview
Identification and mix-ups
Aromatic evergreen tree in Myristicaceae, usually 5–15 m tall, with a dense conical crown. Leaves alternate, glossy dark green, elliptic (5–15 cm), fragrant when crushed. Flowers small, creamy-white to pale yellow, fragrant; the plant is usually dioecious (male flowers in clusters of 4–8, female usually solitary). Fruit a rounded to pear-shaped yellow to pale-orange berry (about 5 cm) that splits to reveal a glossy dark-brown seed (nutmeg) wrapped in a bright-red lacy aril (mace).
Possible mix-ups and risks
It may be confused with or substituted by Papuan nutmeg (Myristica argentea), which is reliably distinguished only by laboratory means (oval versus globose seed, DNA barcoding). Note: true nutmeg contains myristicin and is toxic in high doses (it can cause hallucinations and serious poisoning); the substitute species showed lower toxicity in the available study.
Similar herbs
No related herbs are linked yet.
Topics and symptoms
More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.
- Heavy digestionCulinary· Traditional / cultural framing
- Nausea & queasy stomachTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
- TopicTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
Sources
Geographic occurrence
Indonesia
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Harvest
- FruitJuly–September
year-round
Region: IndonesiaNotes: Ripe fruits; the red aril (mace) is separated from the inner nut.
Storage
- Airtight storage(Fruit)
Whole nutmegs keep 3–4 years in an airtight jar and are grated just before use; ground nutmeg loses its scent within six months. Mace (the netted seed covering) 1–2 years.
- Light:
- Out of light.
- Moisture:
- Protect from moisture — the nuts mould easily and mouldy ones are discarded (aflatoxins).
- Safety:
- Keep out of reach of children and teenagers — a handful of grated nutmeg is a toxic dose.
Processing methods on this herb card
Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).
Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Finely ground dried herb; dosing and solubility depend on species.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Powder increases surface area for liquids or food. Home milling needs a clean grinder and control of fineness; very fine powder may clog tea filters.
Store airtight against moisture and pests.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
A concentrated aromatic plant product; use depends on the specific product.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Essential oil is a concentrated plant product obtained, for example, by steam distillation or pressing. A general drop count or dilution ratio does not establish safe use.
Choose a finished product intended for your purpose and follow its directions. Do not apply it to skin or swallow it unless the manufacturer explicitly allows that use. This overview is not a recipe for home dilution.
Traditional context for this method: no·Scientific context for this method: no
The oil is distilled industrially; it contains myristicin and safrole. Never internally, on the skin only strongly diluted, not in pregnancy.
Traditional / spiritual use
Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.
The Banda Islands — the spice for which continents were traded
Symbolism
Historical mentionFolk useHerbal loreUntil the 19th century nutmeg grew only on ten volcanic islets of the Banda group in the Moluccas. The Dutch East India Company forced a monopoly in 1621 by killing and expelling most of the inhabitants, and by the Treaty of Breda in 1667 it swapped the islet of Run with England for Manhattan. In Europe nutmeg was carried in silver graters as a mark of wealth, and folk medicine held it to be an aphrodisiac and a plague remedy. A historical note.
- Form:
- spice of the Banda Islands, VOC monopoly, exchange of Run Island for Manhattan
- Claim strength:
- Historical mention
- Source note:
- Abourashed EA, El-Alfy AT (2016), Phytochem Rev 15:1035–1056 (historical introduction); Treaty of Breda 1667; history of the VOC on Banda (1621).
Scientific notes
Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.
How to read evidence strength and study type labels
Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.
Evidence strength
- Evidence level not specified
- The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
- Narrative / orientational literature
- Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
- Weak evidence
- Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
- Preliminary findings
- First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
- Moderate strength of evidence
- Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
- Stronger evidence
- Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
- Review article
- A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.
Study type
- Narrative / expert text
- Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
- In vitro study
- Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
- Animal study
- Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
- Observational study
- Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
- Clinical trial
- Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
- Randomised controlled trial
- Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
- Review study
- A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
- Systematic review
- Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
- Meta-analysis
- Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
- Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
- Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
- Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
- Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.
The review summarises the composition of nutmeg and mace (an oil with sabinene, myristicin and elemicin, lignans, neolignans) and laboratory and animal data on anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and psychoactive activity; in humans mainly poisonings from high doses are documented.
Narrative / orientational literatureReview studyYear: 2016Limitations: Mostly preclinical data; oil composition varies strongly with origin.
Abourashed EA, El-Alfy AT — Phytochemistry Reviews
Images
The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.
Safety
What the warning types mean
The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.
- Internal use
- Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
- Interactions / medicines
- Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
- Raw plant parts
- Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
- Toxins and regulation
- Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
- Contact with the plant
- Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
- Allergy
- Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
- Harvesting and contamination
- Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.
- High nutmeg dosesHigh severityInternal use
More than a pinch of nutmeg per serving can cause nausea, hallucinations, and serious psychoactive effects (myristicin); culinary amounts are safe.
- Myristicin poisoning — children and 'recreational' dosesModerate severityToxins and regulation
The Illinois Poison Center logged 32 nutmeg poisonings in 2001–2011 (Ehrenpreis et al. 2014): half were unintentional, most of those in children under 13, the other half intentional in teenagers, often combined with other substances; one patient needed ventilatory support. Symptoms — nausea, tachycardia, dry mouth, hallucinations — start after 3–8 hours and can last a day. A culinary pinch is safe; a teaspoon and more is not.