Nutmeg 331sometimes add nutmeg to a quid for extra sensations, and mixing tobacco
with nutmeg is a practice reported in Asia. Research indicates that human
body chemistry converts part of a nutmeg dose into substances related to
amphetamine, affecting mood and sometimes causing hallucinations. The ef-
fects from a dose can last three days. Overdose requiring medical intervention
is possible, although only one fatality is recorded. Nutmeg has received mixed
reviews as a recreational drug. Some people call it incomparable; others resort
to it only as an act of desperation when nothing else is available. A favorable
description says nutmeg is “capable of removing one completely from the
world of reality in a hypnotic trance accompanied by golden dreams and
euphoric bliss.”^1 In contrast, someone who used nutmeg together with mari-
juana received emergency hospital treatment for gagging, hot and cold flashes,
numbness, blurred vision, double vision, triple vision, and difficulty in con-
trolling movements—among other complaints. Persons who use nutmeg by
itself have also reported bad experiences.
Drug interactions.In a mice experiment nutmeg boosted actions ofalcohol
and reduced those ofdextroamphetamine. One authority describes nutmeg
as a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), and MAOIs interact badly
with many drugs described in this book.
Cancer.A laboratory test using a nutmeg extract found evidence that it
might cause cancer, and a nutmeg experiment with mice produced DNA
changes that might be related to eventual cancer.
Pregnancy.Male mice that received nutmeg in an experiment did not show
chromosome damage. A case report notes a normal full-term infant born to a
woman who had experienced nutmeg poisoning during pregnancy, but preg-
nant women are advised to avoid using nutmeg as a drug.
Additional information.As with many other natural products, nutmeg’s
effects may be produced by the combination of hundreds of chemicals found
in the substance. Researchers have identified several chemicals as likely causes
of nutmeg’s effects: elemicin, eugenol, myristicin, and safrole. Under labora-
tory conditions myristicin can be chemically converted toMDMAand safrole
toMDA, but this conversion has never been detected in animals or humans.
Body chemistry does convert myristicin into substances resembling amphet-
amine. Myristicin is found not only in nutmeg but in plants related to carrots.
An experiment testing myristicin on rats found no poisonous result. Research-
ers found no evidence of cancer after dosing mice with the substance, but the
study did not last long enough to reveal whether cancer would eventually
develop. Myristicin’s potential for causing birth defects is unknown. Safrole
has a faint ability to promote cancer; pregnant women are advised to avoid
using it as a drug.
Mace comes from the same seed as nutmeg does, but is a different spice.
Folk medicine uses mace to reduce inflammation and pain; research indicates
it can protect against some chemically caused cancers. Mace is routinely added
toareca nutquids.
Additional scientific information may be found in:
Fras, I., and J.J. Friedman. “Hallucinogenic Effects of Nutmeg in Adolescent.”New York
State Journal of Medicine69 (1969): 463–65.