Nutmeg Whole (Indonesia)

Botanical Name: Myristica moschata

Nutmeg is a plant product. Nutmeg is the shelled, dried seed of the plant Myristica moschata.

Nutmeg is used for diarrhea, nausea, stomach spasms and pain, and intestinal gas. It is also used for treating cancer, kidney disease, and trouble sleeping (insomnia); increasing menstrual flow; causing a miscarriage; as a hallucinogen; and as a general tonic.

Nutmeg is applied to the skin to kill pain, especially pain caused by achy joints (rheumatism), mouth sores, and toothache.

In foods, nutmeg is used as spice and flavoring.

In manufacturing, nutmeg oil is used as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics. Nutmeg oil is distilled from worm-eaten nutmeg seeds. The worms remove much of the starch and fat, leaving the portions of the seed that are rich in oil.

Nutmeg contains chemicals that might affect the central nervous system. Nutmeg might also kill bacteria and fungi.