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Tropical Herbs and Spices as Functional Foods with Antidiabetic Activities
Published in Megh R. Goyal, Arijit Nath, Rasul Hafiz Ansar Suleria, Plant-Based Functional Foods and Phytochemicals, 2021
Arnia Sari Mukaromah, Fitria Susilowati
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) is a dried kernel of the seed, which is grown in Indonesia and Grenada (West Indies). Nutmeg has a slightly sweet flavor and is used in the preparation of various foods [81].
The Arab influence
Published in Michael J. O’Dowd, The History of Medications for Women, 2020
Nutmeg is the aromatic kernel of an East Indian tree (Myristica fragrans) much used as a seasoning in cookery. Its name comes from the Middle English notemuge, nut, and Old French mugue, musk. The native habitat of the nutmeg was the Spice Islands (the Moluccas), an area that was annexed by the Portuguese soon after their invasion of 1512, but later colonized in turn by both the Dutch and the English. It was the search for the Spice Islands which led to the discovery of the Americas.
Maritime Routes through Sri Lanka: Medicinal Plants and Spices
Published in Raymond Cooper, Jeffrey John Deakin, Natural Products of Silk Road Plants, 2020
Nutmeg is a spice, which has had many uses in the past other than as a flavoring agent. It is said that the Roman priests may have burned nutmeg as a form of incense, thus securing its popularity and demand as a Silk Road spice (Peter, 2001). It was a prized and costly spice in medieval cuisine used as flavorings, medicines, preserving agents, and therefore, it was at the time, a highly valued commodity in the European markets (Peter, 2001). Although it is believed that nutmeg was introduced to Sri Lanka only at the beginning of the 19th century, there is evidence in ancient chronicles that the crop had been present on the island even before that and sold off to merchants who were traveling on the Silk Road (Siriweera, 1994).
Drugs of abuse and ocular effects
Published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2021
Valérie Proulx, Benoit Tousignant
Nutmeg is normally used like a spice for cooking, but it is possible to use it for its hallucinogenic properties. The active substance producing the effects is 3-methoxy-4.5 methylenedioxyamphetamine. It is normally swallowed or ingested.144 There have been recurrent reports of visual hallucinations,145 and occasional cases of mydriasis and blurry vision.144–146 All these cases are thought to be caused by myristicin, contained in the volatile oil of nutmeg. This component is thought to be transformed into 3-methoxy-4,5 methylenedioxyamphetamine, also known as MMDA, a sympathomimetic with hallucinogenic effects.145
Stoned on spices: a mini-review of three commonly abused household spices
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2021
Kelly Johnson-Arbor, Susan Smolinske
The name “nutmeg” is derived from the Latin phrase “nux muscatus”, meaning “musky nut” [2]. Nutmeg is procured from the seed of the Myristica fragrans tree. This plant is indigenous to Indonesia and is also found in Grenada, Malaysia, and the Caribbean [2]. Nutmeg seeds are contained within a yellow fleshy fruit that resembles a peach; when split, the fruit reveals a single 2–3 cm length seed enclosed by a red aril. The ground contents of the seed and aril are referred to as nutmeg and mace, respectively.