Meet Myristic fragrans – Nutmeg

“If a person eats nutmeg, it will open up his heart, make his judgment free from obstruction, and give him a good disposition.” – Hildegard von Bingen

Meet Myristic fragrans – Nutmeg

 

The tree from which nutmeg (and mace) is harvested is considered native to the Banda Islands, north of Australia. With respect to its growth, Rosalee de la Forêt shares this, “The seed germinates in the rich volcanic soil and a tree begins to emerge. If this dioecious seed is female, it will produce its first fruit within 9–12 years. It produces about 2,000 fruit per year after about 20 years. Eventually the tree will reach around 20 feet high and live for 3 quarters of a century.” 

 

Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, and mace is the skein in which the seed is wrapped. The seeds are dried and cured to preserve them, and at some point the outer shell is cracked to expose the inner seed in the state that many of us recognize as nutmeg.

With respect to the social, economic and political history of nutmeg, it shares some of the same ugliness of other coveted botanicals, like tea, coffee, cocoa and sugar, among other botanicals and “natural resources.”

 

 

Family: Myristicaceae.

Harvest: Seed and aril (mace).

 

Taste: Bitter and pungent, warm and aromatic.

 

Humors/Energetics: Warm and Dry. Stimulating.

 

Actions: Antiemetic, ant-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidepressant (in low dosing), antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, hypotensive, relaxant, sedative, stimulant (to the digestive system and nervous system), stomactic.

 

Constituents: Alkaloids (myristin), fiber, fixed/fatty oil, gum, phytosterols, proteins, saponins, starch, volatile oil, and more.

 

Contraindications: Excessive Dosing - Maximum “dose” is considered 1 teaspoon per day, though less (¼ to ½ t. of the grated herb is preferred and effective for most folks). There are no contraindications or adverse efforts reported with typical (low) medicinal "dosing" or culinary amounts. Death due to large doses has - apparently - been reported throughout history, which perplexes me, since eating whole nutmegs, or large quantities of the grated stuff seems counterintuitive. ::shrugs:: 

 

Chakra Association: Third Eye (your mileage may vary).

 

Uses: 

 

I’ve known nutmeg since I was child, baking with my mother, and for so many years I had leveraged it exclusively as a culinary herb to grace food and beverage for its flavor and aroma. It was years later, in my active life with botanical Medicine, that I nurtured a deeper relationship with it, and honoring nutmeg for its medicinal virtues.

 

Nutmeg is probably most well known as a digestive herb, used to calm nausea and flatulence. It has respectable history of being used to address nausea, and Kings American Dispensary sites its use to “correct the nausea arising from other drugs, and to allay nausea and vomiting.” This inspires me to suggest that using this herb in some aspect of daily cooking for most anyone going through chemotherapy might be Good Medicine.

It’s a common kitchen herb used to help many manifestations of digestive distress, even in children. 

 

I had forgotten about my long ago love of grating nutmeg to dress a warm cup of milk as an after dinner treat. Most of us know that warm (cow/goat) milk alone has a reputation for helping those relax in preparation of bedtime, but that addition of nutmeg can apparently help with getting and staying asleep for many hours. I didn’t know this at the time when it was a common practice of mine (during times of major life shifts), yet hindsight allows me to express gratitude to my inner knowing, and to trusting the wisdom of physical cravings.  Henriette Kress says, “Use the freshly ground seed for the kind of insomnia where you wake up and can’t go back to sleep. Take ¼ tsp in a little milk a few hours before bedtime. If you're really tired the following morning, take it in the afternoon instead. If it doesn’t work at all you can slowly raise the dose to 1 tsp a day.” She adds, “If even that isn’t enough, nutmeg might not be for you.”

It’s important to note that nutmeg’s sedative actions can take several hours to kick in, so the timing of the beverage will take some individual effort to discover your sweet spot.

In these days we live in, this seems to be a common challenge for many - getting to sleep and staying asleep. I am grateful for this writing to have offered me the opportunity of both my own memory of sipping warm milk with nutmeg, as well as the fresher insights I may now share with others – like you, kind reader.

 

Henriette goes on to say, “Nutmeg is great for premature ejaculation. Use the same ¼ teaspoon a day in some fatty liquid and raise the dose as slowly as for insomnia. Don’t use pre-ground nutmeg, it won’t work.” 

 

Nutmeg has been used in low dosages to temper depression, and to support mental performance. I suspect grating a touch on food a few times a week would suffice, but I can't say for certain as I have no measured experience with this. That said, this does resonate with my heightened mid-to-late winter use of nutmeg, as seasonal affect disorder does nibble at me as winter moves toward spring.

 

I’ve read that it has a history of use for lowering high blood pressure. Rosalee de la Forêt shares that, “nutmeg has hypotensive abilities, meaning that it can reduce blood pressure.” She adds, “I don’t know of any modern herbalists [using] nutmeg for that specific purpose. However, be cautious when using medicinal amounts of nutmeg in someone who tends to have low blood pressure.”  So, again, I suspect using it with occasional food and drink might harness the Medicine as Food verve, don’t you think?

 

All this aside, nutmeg is probably best known to comfort many varieties of digestive discomfort, including bloating, gas, nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, as well as to improve the appetite.

External uses include washes, infused oils as well as liniments to treat rheumatic conditions, eczema and ringworm, and as a chest rub for upper respiratory distress. I’ve not yet used nutmeg in these ways, but I may at some point.

Energetically, nutmeg is associated with the masculine verve, with the planet Jupiter, the element fire, and is used in matters of health, luck, money and fidelity.

 

Dance with Myristic fragrans  – Nutmeg

 

Seriously, don‘t fret about recipes, just grate a little fresh nutmeg on your food, in your beverages, be they sweet or savory. This is a practice that will support you in getting to know this botanical as more than a pumpkin and cookie spice.

I love a grating of nutmeg as a light garnish on my pasta, with most any kind of sauce – tomato or butter ‘n’ oil, or whatever.

I sometimes grate a bit into burgers and meatloaves, and into sausages as well.

 

Try a touch in scrambled eggs, frittata, quiche and other egg dishes.

 

A gentle grating of nutmeg in your favorite macaroni ‘n’ cheese recipe (or as a garnish for store or restaurant bought) will add an extra special note of flavor and fragrance.

 

I’ve garnished cranberry sauces and relishes with nutmeg.

 

Try a grated garnish over your next batch of pancakes, waffles, or French toast.

 

Dress up a smoothie with a final garnish of fresh grated nutmeg.

 

A touch of nutmeg plays nice with beef, pork, chicken and fish, as well a add that special note of flavor and fragrance to many a vegetable dish.

Add a whole nutmeg to a soup stock.

 

And that same touch will add sparkle to cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream, and more!

 

In short, nutmeg seems to play well with so many flavors, so Food seems to be a perfect vehicle for its Medicine.

 

Nonetheless, here’s a bitters recipe using alcohol extracts. This might be a nice formula to make and keep in the kitchen or Medicine cabinets (as if there’s a difference)…

 

Coffee Bitters, from DIY Bitters

Yields about 4 ounces

 

2.5 oz. roasted coffee bean tincture

1 oz. cacao tincture

1 t. nutmeg tincture

1 t. vanilla tincture

1 t. cane sugar (preferably organic), or maple sugar (which is LoVeLeY)

Method: In a 4oz. dropper bottle. Combine all ingredients, cap, and shake well, to dissolve the sugar. Use 30-60 drops per “dose.”

 

 

 

And here's my old school idea-list that I shared when I was "formally" teaching this. If you have additions, share them - I never stop learning.

·      tea (small amounts alone and in blends)                                           

·      tincture

·      liniment

·      salves/balms

·      infused oil

·      soap

·      baths, soaks, sitz baths

·      in syrups

·      in jelly

·      in hard candy

·      infused honey

·      a garnish to beverages, hot ‘n’ cold

·      in food, sweet ‘n’ savory

·      in steams

·      medicinal, spiritual jewelry

·      charms

·      spiritual baths and healing ceremonies

 

resources: Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

        Guido Masé & Jovial King, DIY Bitters 

Henriette Kress, Henriette’s Herbal Homepage

Kings American Dispensary 

Maude Grieve, A Modern Herbal 

Rosalee de la Forêt, Alchemy of Herbs 

Scott Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

Personal notes from multiple sources

Personal experience

Peace. 🕊