Nutmeg (Myrstica fragrans) Research

Latin Name: Myrstica fragrans

Family: Myrtaceae

RESEARCH

The listings of research below represent a compilation of scientific articles found on the species, with a very brief overview description of each article/study.  Research found is catalogued by therapeutic action.  This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use.

GENERAL

• Nutmeg showed anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-pyretic, anti-thrombotic, and anti-diarrhoeal actions in rats.  Excessive use resulted in gastric ulcers.  From:  Olajide, O. A., Makinde, J. M., & Awe, S. O. (2000). Evaluation of the pharmacological properties of nutmeg oil in rats and mice. Pharmaceutical biology, 38(5), 385-390.
• Chemical components and therapeutic uses of nutmeg are reviewed.  From:  Asgarpanah, J., & Kazemivash, N. (2012). Phytochemistry and pharmacologic properties of Myristica fragrans Hoyutt.: A review. African Journal of Biotechnology, 11(65), 12787-12793.
• Natural Medicines (2018).  Nutmeg Monograph.  Retrieved in August, 2018.  Retrieved from:  https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com
• Lis-Balchin, M. (2006). Aromatherapy Science: A guide for healthcare professionals. London: Pharmaceutical Press.
• Petersen, D. (2015). Aromatherapy materia medica.  Essential oil monographs.  American College of Healthcare Sciences.

SAFETY

• Excessive use can cause digestive ulcers, psychoactive episodes, acute intoxication or poisoning, and two instances of death from overuse have been reported.
• Toxic constituents of essential oil include methyleugenol, sabinene, myristicin, and safrole.
• Essential oil and above normal food amounts of herb not for use during pregnancy, lactation, with small children, or with sensitive skin.
• Excessive use based on the myristicin constituent may cause nausea, delirium, and skin issues (Petersen, 2015).  The carcinogen safrole is also a toxic component (Lis-Balchin, 2006).
• Essential oil may be adultered with synthetics or tea tree oil (Lis-Balchin, 2006).
• May interfere with medications broken down by the liver (WebMD, n.d.).
• May interfere with multiple medications such as CNS depressants, AChE inhibitors, cholinergic and anti-cholinergics, cytochrome substrates, and Phenobarbital (Natural Medicines, 2018).

ANTIOXIDANT

• Geranium, monarda, nutmeg, oregano and thyme essential oils were evaluated for, and all demonstrated antioxidant capabilities.  From:  Damien Dorman, H. J., Deans, S. G., Noble, R. C., & Surai, P. (1995). Evaluation in vitro of plant essential oils as natural antioxidants. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 7(6), 645-651.
• 423 essential oils from 48 different botanical families were evaluated for their antioxidant activities as free radical scavenging agents.  Results identified oils of the botanical families Lamiaceae and Myrtaceae as the most effective antioxidants, with thymol, eugenol, and carvacrol being the major constituents. From:  Anthony, K. P., Deolu‐Sobogun, S. A., & Saleh, M. A. (2012). Comprehensive assessment of antioxidant activity of essential oils. Journal of food science, 77(8), C839-C843.
• Clove and nutmeg antioxidant activity were assessed in vitro. From: Dorman, H. J., Figueiredo, A. C., Barroso, J. G., & Deans, S. G. (2000). In vitro evaluation of antioxidant activity of essential oils and their components. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 15(1), 12-16.
• This research discussed the antioxidant ability of phenolic constituents in black pepper and nutmeg.  From:  Chatterjee, S., Niaz, Z., Gautam, S., Adhikari, S., Variyar, P. S., & Sharma, A. (2007). Antioxidant activity of some phenolic constituents from green pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and fresh nutmeg mace (Myristica fragrans). Food chemistry, 101(2), 515-523.
• Chemical constituents and antioxidant anctivity of this nutmeg species were determined.  Constituents included: camphene, b-pinene, sabinene, cymene, garaniol, d-borneol, linolool, terpineol, safrol, elemicin, myristicins, and more.  From:  Maeda, A., Tanimoto, S., Abe, T., Kazama, S., Tanizawa, H., & Nomura, M. (2008). Chemical constituents of Myristica fragrans Houttuyn seed and their physiological activities. Yakugaku Zasshi: Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, 128(1), 129-133.

ANTIMICROBIAL / ANTIBACTERIAL / ANTIFUNGAL

• Piper nigrum (black pepper), Syzygium aromaticum (clove), Pelargonium graveolens (geranium), Myristica fragrans (nutmeg), Origanum vulgare (oregano),  and Thymus vulgaris (thyme) were assessed for antibacterial activity against 25 different genera of bacteria.  From:  Dorman, H. J. D., & Deans, S. G. (2000). Antimicrobial agents from plants: antibacterial activity of plant volatile oils. Journal of applied microbiology, 88(2), 308-316.
• Nutmeg was effective against oral bacteria.  From:  Chung, J. Y., Choo, J. H., Lee, M. H., & Hwang, J. K. (2006). Anticariogenic activity of macelignan isolated from Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) against Streptococcus mutans. Phytomedicine, 13(4), 261-266.
• Nutmeg showed in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities.  From:  Cho, J. Y., Choi, G. J., Son, S. W., Jang, K. S., Lim, H. K., Lee, S. O., … & Kim, J. C. (2007). Isolation and antifungal activity of lignans from Myristica fragrans against various plant pathogenic fungi. Pest Management Science, 63(9), 935-940.
• Thyme, cinnamon, bay, clove, almond (bitter), lovage, pimento, marjoram, angelica and nutmeg, and geranium showed strong inhibitory action against multiple bacteria.  From:  Deans, S. G., & Ritchie, G. (1987). Antibacterial properties of plant essential oils. International journal of food microbiology, 5(2), 165-180.
• Nutmeg and Beta pinene and its antibacterial effect on E coli was studied. From:  Takikawa, A., Abe, K., Yamamoto, M., Ishimaru, S., Yasui, M., Okubo, Y., & Yokoigawa, K. (2002). Antimicrobial activity of nutmeg against Escherichia coli O157. Journal of bioscience and bioengineering, 94(4), 315-320.
• Nutmeg was antibacterial against a variety of gram positive and gram negative organisms.  From:  Narasimhan, B., & Dhake, A. S. (2006). Antibacterial principles from Myristica fragrans seeds. Journal of medicinal food, 9(3), 395-399
• Multiple species of eucalyptus, as well as lemongrass, basil, and nutmeg from the Congo demonstrated antibacterial activity.  From:  Cimanga, K., Kambu, K., Tona, L., Apers, S., De Bruyne, T., Hermans, N., … & Vlietinck, A. J. (2002). Correlation between chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils of some aromatic medicinal plants growing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 79(2), 213-220.

PESTICIDAL / INSECTICIDAL / LARVICIDAL / REPELLENT

• Nutmeg oil may be useful as a grain protectant against the pests: T. castaneum and S. zeamais.  From:  Huang, Y., Tan, J. M. W. L., Kini, R. M., & Ho, S. H. (1997). Toxic and antifeedant action of nutmeg oil against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Sitophilus zeamais Motsch. Journal of Stored Products Research, 33(4), 289-298.
• Against the sciarid fly, good insecticidal activity was achieved with essential oils of caraway seed, lemongrass, mandarin, nutmeg, cade (Juniperus oxycedrus L.), spearmint, cumin, and red thyme.  From:  Park, I. K., Kim, J. N., Lee, Y. S., Lee, S. G., Ahn, Y. J., & Shin, S. C. (2008). Toxicity of plant essential oils and their components against Lycoriella ingenua (Diptera: Sciaridae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 101(1), 139-144.
• The repellency of Austrailian plants of the Myrtaceae family is reviewed. From: Webb, C. E. (2014). Insect repellents derived from Australian plants and implications for public health messages. Insect repellents handbook, 213.

ANTICONVULSANT

• Nutmeg may be a treatment for grand mal and partial seizures.  From:  Wahab, A., Haq, R. U., Ahmed, A., Khan, R. A., & Raza, M. (2009). Anticonvulsant activities of nutmeg oil of Myristica fragrans. Phytotherapy Research, 23(2), 153-158.

CARDIAC HEALTH

• Eugenol and Isoeugenol found in nutmeg demonstrated platelet aggregation inhibition.  From:  Janssens, J., Laekeman, G. M., Pieters, L. A., Totte, J., Herman, A. G., & Vlietinck, A. J. (1990). Nutmeg oil: identification and quantitation of its most active constituents as inhibitors of platelet aggregation. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 29(2), 179-188.

HYPOLIPIDEMIC

• A compilation of research showed the following herbs to have a hypolipidemic effect:  yarrow, onion, garlic, dill, celery, burdock, oats, barberry, cabbage, chili pepper, safflower, chicory, chickpea, bitter orange, orange, guggul, coriander, cranberry, melon, pumpkin, artichoke, ginseng, eugenol, schelelecht, ginkgo, soy, walnut, apple, nutmeg, red yeast rice, miswak, evening primrose, basil, bulacy, orchis, avocado, plantain, blond plotitago, green bean, purslane, black cherry, pomegranate, milk thistle, brinjal, tomato, tamarind, thea, thyme, fenugreek, bilberry, grape, ginger, and corn.  From:  Rouhi-Boroujeni, H., Rouhi-Boroujeni, H., Khoddami, M., Khazraei, H. R., Dehkordil, E. B., & Rafieian-Kopaei, M. (2017). Hypolipidemic herbals with diuretic effects: A systematic review. In Biol. Sci (Vol. 8, pp. 21-28).

DIGESTIVE AID

• The following methanol extracts showed activity against Helicobacter pylori which causes gastrointestinal disorders:  Myristica fragrans (nutmeg seed), Zingiber officinale (ginger root), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary leaf), Achillea millefolium (yarrow), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel seed), Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), Origanum majorana (oregano), and others.  From:  Mahady, G. B., Pendland, S. L., Stoia, A., Hamill, F. A., Fabricant, D., Dietz, B. M., & Chadwick, L. R. (2005). In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to botanical extracts used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Phytotherapy research, 19(11), 988-991.

MEMORY

• Nutmeg improved mouse memory.  From:  Parle, M., Dhingra, D., & Kulkarni, S. K. (2004). Improvement of mouse memory by Myristica fragrans seeds. Journal of medicinal food, 7(2), 157-161.  Parle, M., Dhingra, D., & Kulkarni, S. K. (2004). Improvement of mouse memory by Myristica fragrans seeds. Journal of medicinal food, 7(2), 157-161.

ANXIOLYTIC

• Nutmeg showed anxiolytic action in rodents.  From:  Sonavane, G. S., Sarveiya, V. P., Kasture, V. S., & Kasture, S. B. (2002). Anxiogenic activity of Myristica fragrans seeds. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 71(1-2), 239-244.

STIMULANT

• Nutmeg may have an amphetamine-like activity.  From:  El-Alfy, A. T., Wilson, L., ElSohly, M. A., & Abourashed, E. A. (2009). Towards a better understanding of the psychopharmacology of nutmeg: Activities in the mouse tetrad assay. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 126(2), 280-286.

ANTICANCER

• Nutmeg inhibited cancer growth in mice.  From:  Banerjee, S., Sharma, R., Kale, R. K., & Rao, A. R. (1994). Influence of certain essential oils on carcinogen‐metabolizing enzymes and acid‐soluble sulfhydryls in mouse liver.

ANTIDIABETIC

• Nutmeg demonstrated significant blood sugar lowering in diabetic rats.  From:  Somani, R. S., & Singhai, A. K. (2008). Hypoglycaemic and antidiabetic activities of seeds of Myristica fragrans in normoglycaemic and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Asian J. Exp. Sci, 22(1), 95-102.
• Cinnamon was the most bioactive for improving glucose and insulin metabolism followed by witch hazel, green and black teas, allspice, bay leaves, nutmeg, cloves, mushrooms, and brewer’s yeast.  Phenols were likely the active constituent of cinnamon, tea, witch hazel, cloves, bay, and all spice.  From:  Broadhurst, C. L., Polansky, M. M., & Anderson, R. A. (2000). Insulin-like biological activity of culinary and medicinal plant aqueous extracts in vitro. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48(3), 849-852.

By: Kathy Sadowski

Last Updated: 9/18/19