Nutmeg is known by many names, such Myristica fragrans, mace, magic, muscdier, muskatbaum, myristica, noz moscada, nuez moscada, and nux moschata. Nutmeg.
Contents
Nutmeg Phytochemicals and Constituents.:
Nutmeg contains about 5%~10% essential oil, which is mostly composed of terpene hydrocarbons (pinenes, camphene, p-cymene, sabinene, phellandrene, terpinene, limonene, myrcene, together 60 to 90%), terpene derivatives (linalool, geraniol, terpineol, together 5 to 15%) and phenylpropanes (myristicine, elemicine, safrol, together 2 to 20%). Of the latter group, myristicine (methoxy-safrol) is responsible for the hallucinogenic effect of large nutmeg dosages (typically, one or more nuts). Oil of mace (up to 12% in the spice) contains the same aroma components in slightly different amounts.also 35% fixed oil ('nutmeg butter') and small amounts of myristicin and safrol.
They contain lignin, stearin, volatile oil, starch, gum and 0.08 of an acid substance. By submitting nutmegs and water to distillation, a volatile oil is obtained. The small round heavy nutmeg is the best. Those that are larger, longer, lighter, less marbled, and not so oily, are inferior.
The powder of nutmegs, beaten to a pulp with water, then pressed between heated plates, gives from 10 to 30 per cent of orangecoloured scented concrete oil erroneously called 'oil of mace' - an inferior oil is prepared in Holland from the spoiled or inferior nutmegs - and an artificial preparation is made by mixing together tallow, spermaceti, etc., colouring it with saffron and flavouring it with essential oil of nutmeg.
The mace of commerce should be somewhat flexible, cinnamon-yellow coloured, in single or double blades, with nutmeg-like smell and a warm, sharp, fatty, aromatic taste.
Main constituents:
Nutmeg contains about 10% essential oil, which is mostly composed of terpene hydrocarbons (sabinene and pinenes; furthermore camphene, p-cymene, phellandrene, terpinene, limonene, myrcene, together 60 to 80%), terpene derivatives (linalool, geraniol, terpineol, together 5 to 15%) and phenylpropanoids (myristicin, elemicin, safrol, eugenol and eugenol derivatives, together 15 to 20%). Of the latter group, myristicin (methoxy-safrole, typically 4%) is responsible for the hallucinogenic effect of nutmeg.
Nutmeg is only weakly hallucinogenic; therefore one needs large dosage (typically, one half to one nut is used for a "trip"). The large dosage may give rise to very unpleasant side-effects caused by other components of nutmeg, which include prolonged extreme nausea and long-term hypersensitivity to nutmeg. The hallucinogenic phenylpropanoids themselves are hepatotoxins and far from harmless for frequent users.
Oil of mace (up to 12% in the spice) contains the same aroma components, but the total fraction of terpenoids is increased to almost 90% at the cost of the phenylpropanoids (10%).
Both nutmeg and mace contain about 2% of lignanes (diarylpropanoids), which are nonvolatile dimers of phenylpropanoid constituents of the essential oil, e.g., dehydrodiisoeugenol.
Reference:
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- 1.Nutmeg is known by many names, such Myristica fragrans, mace, magic, muscdier, muskatbaum, myristica, noz moscada, nuez moscada, and nux moschata. Nutmeg.
This article written and edited via herbalist of MDidea Extracts Professional. They run a range of online descriptions about this herb,including general information related and summarized updating discoveries from findings of professional scientisits this field related.Describe style aimed to form a useful detecting literature space where the intertwined threshold and related questions raise out and visualize themselves.
♣ last edit date:25th,Oct.2010.
