Myristica - Nutmeg

Myristica fragrans

This plant, typical of equatorial areas, with fleshy fruit and persistent leaves, produces a pendulous drupe that splits in two when ripe, letting out a seed, which is hard in texture and constitutes the drug. The seed has a rich and aromatic characteristic odor, and the flavor is spicy. The most important part of the plant in terms of pharmacological activity, is of course the dried kernel(seed), nutmeg. It contains lipids, oleic and palmitic acids and essential oil with carbides, camphene and terpene alcohols, eugenol, safrole, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and myristine. The seeds show good antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.Nutmeg has an important role in Indonesian medicine; in fact, it is used to treat: stomach pain and cramps, kidney problems, rheumatism, nervousness, vomiting, and whooping cough.

In Malay medicine, seeds and flowers are used as stimulants, digestives, aphrodisiacs and restoratives, and in the treatment of malaria. Seed oil is applied to the temples or ingested as an infusion in headaches. Nutmeg extract has been found to be a natural calcium channel blocker capable therefore of reducing, free and total acidity of gastric secretion. Verapamil, in this respect has the same effects, so we can say that the effect is similar to verapamil and can be effectively used in the treatment of peptic ulcer and all other conditions that require calcium channel blockers to treat these disorders.

It also showed an antidepressant effect of the extract that appears to be mediated by interaction with the adrenergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic systems. Nutmeg is useful in regulating gastrointestinal motility and promoting gas elimination, and anti-diarrheal. It promotes digestive function and mucosal well-being and trophism. It also acts as an antioxidant.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nadkarni KM. Myristica fragrans, in: Indian Materia (3rd -ed.), Bombay Popular Prakashan, Bombay 1988;830-4.

Hussain SP, Rao AR. Chemopreventive action of mace (Myristica fragrans, Houtt) on methylcholanthrene-induced carcinogenesis in the uterine cervix in mice. Cancer Lett 1991;56:231-4.

 Ozaki Y, Soedigdo S, Wattimena YR, Suganda AG. Antiinflammatory effect of mace, aril of Myristica fragrans Houtt. and its active principles. Jpn J Pharmacol 1989;49:155-63

 Narasimhan B, Dhake AS. Antibacterial principles from Myristica fragrans seeds. J Med Food 2006;9:395-9

 Jan M, Faqir F, Hamida, Mughal MA. Comparison of effects of extract of Myristica fragrans and verapamil on the volume and acidity of carbachol induced gastric secretion in fasting rabbits. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2005;17:69-71.

Dhingra D, Parle, M, Kulkarni, SK. Comparative brain cholinesterase-inhibiting activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Myristica fragrans, ascorbic acid, and metrifonate in mice. J Med Food 2006;9:281-3.

 Dhingra D, Sharma A. Antidepressant-like activity of n-hexane extract of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) seeds in mice. J Med Food 2006;9:84-9.

 Tajuddin, Ahmad S, Latif A, Qasmi IA, Amin KM. An experimental study of sexual function improving effect of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (nutmeg). BMC Complement Altern Med 2005;5:16.

 Maeda A, Tanimoto S, Abe T, Kazama S, Tanizawa H, Nomura M. Chemical constituents of Myristica fragrans Houttuyn seed and their physiological activities. Yakugaku Zasshi 2008;128:129-33.

 Murcia MA, Egea I, Romojaro F, Parras P, Jimenez AM, Martinez-Tome M. Antioxidant evaluation in dessert spices compared with common food additives. Influence of irradiation procedure. J Agric Food Chem 2004;52:1872-81.