How You Can Benefit from Nutmeg Spice?

Modified Jan 07, 2023 14:24 GMT

Nutmeg is a fragrant spice that is grown mostly in Indonesia (Image via Pexels @Skylar Kang) — Nutmeg is a fragrant spice that's grown mostly in Indonesia. (Image via Pexels/Skylar Kang)

Nutmeg is a spice known for its fragrance. Chances are, you may have used it in warming winter stews and carrot cakes, even in fragrance pots that make your home smell like spicy heaven.

So, where does this spice come from, and what health benefits does it offer? Nutmeg comes from the Myristica fragrans tree, as its seed. The spice can be used to flavor both sweet and savory dishes.

Nutmeg isn't just a tasty spice; it also has numerous positive effects on health. However, you shouldn't eat more of it than is customarily called for in recipes. Haunting hallucinations have been linked to consuming large amounts of the spice. Large amounts are toxic and may even be lethal.

Nutmeg: Nutritions Facts

This spice comes from the Myristica fragrans tree. (Image via Pexels/Julia Volk)

According to USDA data, there are about 12 calories in a serving size of ground nutmeg (about one teaspoon or 2.2 grammes). Carbohydrates (1.08 grams), protein (0.13 grams), and fat (0 gram) contribute four calories (0.8 grams).

As a bonus, this spice also contains trace amounts of vitamins A, folate, choline, and C but not enough to significantly alter your daily vitamin needs. Calcium (3.7 mg), phosphorus (4.3 mg), magnesium (3.7 mg), potassium (7.0 mg), and trace amounts of sodium and manganese can be found in this spice.

Health Benefits

The spice is often used in cakes for depth of flavor. (Image via Pexels/Eva Bronzini)

The antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, analgesic, hepatoprotective, and carcinogenic effects of the spice are well-known and popular benefits. The spice has a long history of medicinal use in addition to its culinary and baking applications across a variety of cuisines and cultures.

Some accounts claim that the spice has an effect on the central nervous system and the mind. Others go so far to claim that nutmeg essential oil can be hypnotic or hallucinogenic. The negative effects of using this spice as a psychotropic drug have been documented in research.

The spice has also been used for a long time to help with chronic pain. Experimental research on rats has shown that nutmeg oil can reduce chronic pain, but human studies are lacking.

How to Use Nutmeg

The spice is used in European and Indian cuisines. (Image via Pexels/Satyabrata Maiti)

This spice is available both whole and already ground and can be freshly ground and added to dishes with a microplane or grater.

A variety of cuisines, from European to Indian, feature it as a staple spice. The spice can be incorporated into your diet in a variety of ways, such as:

Mix it in with your favourite warm beverage such as milk, tea, or chocolate.
Prepare foods like cauliflower and sweet potatoes with this seasoning.
Use as a topping for your morning cereal.
Add some spice to fruit by adding nutmeg.
You can use it in baking. Many baked goods benefit from the addition of this fragrant spice.
Mix into eggnog, mulled cider, or mulled wine for the holiday season.
Put it to good use in dishes calling for pumpkin or other winter squashes this season.
Experiment with recipes and ingredients from South and Southeast Asia, or seek out a restaurant that specializes in this region.
It's a common ingredient in the cuisine of this region, as the spice originates in Indonesia.

Side Effects

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database suggests that nutmeg is likely safe when consumed in culinary amounts. An overdose, though, can lead to vomiting, nausea, and hallucinations.

Stomach pain, precordial anxiety, and dizziness have all been reported as symptoms of poisoning related to this spice as far back as the early 1900s. Among the spice's natural organic compounds is myristicin oil, which is blamed for its toxicity by researchers.

Higher doses of the spice have been linked with vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, agitation, and hallucinations. Death has been reported as another serious adverse effect.