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Everything You Need to Know About Nutmeg: From Tree to Table

Introduction

Name a natural spice used globally through centuries – well, it is the Nutmeg. Nutmeg is “the hard fruit of a tropical tree, or a brown powder made from this, used as a spice to add flavour to food”- says the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary.

The Nutmeg tree is also known as Myristica fragrans. It is an evergreen species native to the Maluka Islands of Indonesia. It is also cultivated in tropical areas like part of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia), South Asia (Kerala- India, Sri Lanka), East Asia (Guangdong, Yunnan – China, Taiwan), the Caribbean (Grenada) and South America^[1].

The Nutmeg tree is the prime source of two spices – nutmeg, the seed kernel of the fruit, and mace, the lacy covering of the kernel (seed’s aril).

Scientific Classification

Kingdom – Plantae,
Clade: Tracheophytes, Angiosperms, Magnoliids
Order – Magnoliales
Family – Myristicaceae
Genus – Myristica
Species – M. fragrans.

The Binomial name of nutmeg is Myristica fragrans, as per Houtt (Maarten Houttuyn- a Dutch naturalist).^[2]

Did you know that Nutmeg is a popular football term? A nutmeg refers to when a football player kicks the ball through an opponent’s legs!

Medicinal Effects Of Nutmeg

^[3]Nutmeg is a flavouring agent which doubles up as a natural remedy for treating stomach and kidney disorders. It possesses antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties that affect the central nervous system and is used as a traditional medicine. It is a major source of essential oils, triterpenes, and some phenolic compounds. Nutmeg has been used, for centuries, to treat gastrointestinal issues like flatulence, colic, indigestion, and diarrhea. Reports state that nutmeg is also used to treat tumours and infectious diseases like parasites and plague. The external application of nutmeg has shown to be effective in curing skin infections, rheumatism, and paralysis. (Khan & Abourashed 2010).

Nutmeg is also known to treat psychological disorders. A study was carried out to show the effect of Myristica fragrans used at Men-Tsee-Khang (Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute) in Tibetan medicine for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. All the formulae contained Myristica fragrans, the seeds of which exhibited stimulant and depressant actions affecting the central nervous system. The preclinical and clinal data used shows the nutmeg plant has a therapeutic value of 75.6% ^[4]

Nutmeg has psychoactive properties like antidepressant, anxiogenic and hallucination. It is also anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombic, anti-rheumatic, carminative and stimulative. It is used for antenatal and postnatal treatments. One of the core ingredients of nutmeg is myristicin, which has neurotoxic effects on dopaminergic neurons and monoamine oxidase.^[6]

Experiments on male rats have highlighted its anticonvulsant, aphrodisiac, and psychoactive properties. However, further pharmacological studies are required to ascertain the therapeutic effects of the nutmeg plant.

Chemical Composition

Let us see the chemical composition of the nutmeg kernel and methods of preparation of major constituents: ^[5]

Chemical class

Concentration

Main Constituents

Preparation Method

1)Primary metabolites

Fixed oil (nutmeg butter)

Carbohydrates

Protein

Up to 40%

Up to 30%

Up to 60%

Myristic acid (~8%) & trimyristin triglyceride (~73%)

Starch

Expression

Insoluble residue

2)Secondary metabolites

Essential oil

Small phenolic

compounds

Resins & pigments

2-16%

Varies

Terpenes (~88%), Phenylpropanoids (~12%)

Phenolic acids, lignans, diaryl alkenes, flavonoids

Polyphenolics, poly catechins, tannins anthocyanins

Steam distillation

Organic solvent

extraction

Variable

Benefits Of Nutmeg

Nutmeg has a nutty, sweetish, spicy flavour that enhances the taste of sweets and savouries alike. Grounded nutmeg is more used than the whole seed. Nutmeg is used to flavour curries, desserts, mulled wine, and chai (Indian tea).

1) Antioxidants: Being rich in antioxidants, including plant pigments like cyanidins, essential oils like phenylpropanoids and terpenes; and phenolic compounds inclusive of protocatechuic, ferulic and caffeic acids. This makes nutmeg useful in preventing cellular damage and may act as a preventive measure against chronic illnesses.

2) Anti-inflammatory: Nutmeg is packed with anti-inflammatory compounds – monoterpenes including sabinene, terpineol, and pinene as well as cyanidins, and phenolic compounds that make it very effective in curbing inflammation of the body.

3) Libido enhancer: Nutmeg is known as a libido booster in studies carried out on rats. However, if the same is true for humans can only be determined by further extensive research.

4) Anti-bacterial: Nutmeg contains antibacterial properties that fight against bacteria like Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis which are known to cause dental cavities and gum diseases. Nutmeg also stops the growth of harmful bacteria like E. coli O157 thereby alleviating chronic illness and death of humans.

Nutmeg may show additional benefits like:

Improving heart health
Boosting our mood
Improving blood sugar controls

But, conclusive studies on human beings are still awaited.

Uses Of Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a flavouring spice that is used to spice up our savoury and sweet dishes. It can be sprinkled on vegetables, pasta, and rice, or added to warm and cold beverages like apple cider, hot chocolate, Indian chai(tea), turmeric latte, smoothies etc.

Grating whole nutmeg can make an interesting dish out of your daily breakfast of fruit bowl, oatmeal, or yoghurt.

Caution

Excess intake of nutmeg has shown detrimental effects. It should be consumed in moderation like we do at home, as a flavour enhancer. Large doses or using it as a recreational drug are very toxic and have alarming effects. Nutmeg, is the spice, that makes all things nice!