Herbs - Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans ).

What Is It?

Is native to the Molucca Islands and New Guinea, but is now also found in Sri Lanka and the West Indies. The large oval seed kernel is used as a culinary spice and in herbal medicine. The husk (known as mace) is also used as a spice.

Action

It contains around 10% volatile oil which is made up of a variety of medicinal compounds. It is carminative (wind relieving), a digestive tonic, antiemetic (reduces nausea), antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, diaphoretic (induces sweating) and is also said to be a brain stimulant and a prostaglandin E2 inhibitor.

Uses

Historically it has been used to treat a number of conditions including:

• Colic
• Crohn’s disease
• Diarrhoea
• Dysentery
• Flatulence
• Indigestion
• Muscle tension
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rheumatism (topically)
• Tension headaches

Other information

Dried kernels or mace can be obtained and grated and used sparingly in cooking (especially for desserts, puddings and drinks). Medicinal preparations will need to be obtained from a qualified herbalist as it is not commonly used in herbal medicine. Aromatherapy oils are sometimes available for topical use.

Cautions

• At normal doses (0.3gm - 1gm) it is generally regarded as safe and non-toxic, however, the safety of nutmeg during pregnancy and lactation has not been sufficiently studied and should therefore be avoided.



• At the time of writing there are no well -known side effects, drug interactions or contra-indications.

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