fever and bad breath. The Arabian writings refer it to be good for stomach ailments and also as an aphrodisiac. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it as a brain tonic though it was rare and costly. It is an integral drug in Chinese medicine and was used for stomach pain and inflammation. In holistic medicine, it is an excellent liver tonic which helped to remove the toxins. It is learnt that Emperor Henry VI fumigated the streets of Rome with nutmegs before his coronation. Nutmeg has also been found in the Egyptian tombs. In middle ages it was brought to Europe by the Arabs through the Venetians. It was in the 6th century that Arab merchants brought the nutmeg to Constantinople. It was traded by Arabs and was sold to the Venetians for high prices. In the 14th century, half a kilogram of nutmeg costed as much as three sheep or a cow. The trade of nutmeg was taken over by the Dutch (1600) followed by the English after a war. The Dutch explorers in particular, Van den Broeke and Jan Pieterscoon took away the first batch of nutmegs from Banda islands, Indonesia (the first specific place of origin of nutmeg) in 1608, followed by its meteoric spread in Europe. The British East India Company brought it to Penang, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Nutmeg has been used since 7th century in China. The Chinese are responsible for our current knowledge of the medicinal properties of nutmeg. The nutmeg was also popular with Byzantine traders who purchased it from Arabs. It is believed that here the plant got its name from ‘mesk’ in Arabian, translated into French, as ‘noix nuguette’ and then it became ‘nutmeg’ in English. Earlier, it has been used for everything from the cramps in the stomach to plague. Nutmeg is known to have been used as a spice of high value in medieval cuisine and in the European markets in the preparation of flavourings, medicines and preservatives. In Elizabethan times, it was very popular as it was believed that nutmeg could ward off the plague. The national flag of Grenada bears a split-open nutmeg fruit on it. Connecticut of USA has a nickname as the Nutmeg state or Nutmegger as its traders carved out nutmeg from wood and sold. Arabs used nutmeg as an aid for digestion and also as an aphrodisiac. In Indonesia the pulp is used to prepare a jam, ‘selei buah pala’. It was believed that nutmeg possessed magical powers and it was recorded by a 16th century monk who advised young men to carry the vials of nutmeg oil to anoint their genitals for increased virility. It was also believed that inserting a nutmeg into the left armpit helps in attracting the admirers in social events. The nutmegs were also used as amulets to be protected against many dangers and evils, from boils to rheumatism to broken bones and misfortunes. According to European folklore, Pagans used nutmegs as a symbol of luck, money, health and fidelity.

and carminative and in larger doses it is narcotic. The concrete oil is a rubefacient while the volatile oil is a stimulant and carminative. Mace is carminative and aphrodisiac while the wood is astringent. Nutmegs, maces and their oils are largely used for flavouring, condiments and as carminatives. It can be administered in delirium tremens and in insomnia. The pills are used as anodyne and astringent in dysentery. The churna is used as a sedative and antispasmodic in asthma, colic, neuralgia, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, spasmodic cough and lumbago. The confection is a useful tonic for the heart, brain and sexual debility, incontinence of urine and general weakness. The ointment is a topical application for itching and irritable haemorrhoids. The concrete oil is used in ringworm infections and stimulates the growth of the hair. It is a good liniment for chronic rheumatism, paralysis and sprains. Mace is used in low fevers, humoral asthma and bowel complaints. The roasted mace and nutmeg are useful in chronic diarrhoea, flatulent colic and some forms of dyspepsia and obstructions of liver and spleen. Nutmeg has narcotic and anaesthetic action and peripherally has an irritant action which is due to myristicin. The hallucinogenic activity of the drug is due to myristicin and elemecin which are transmitted in human body to amphetamines. It is used as a spice.

for treating coughs and as a decongestant. It is taken internally in the form of mixtures, inhalations, lozenges and pastilles and applied externally as ointments and liniments. The oil increases the flow of saliva, gastric and intestinal juices thus aiding in appetite and digestion. It is used in the treatments of catarrh of the bronchopulmonary mucous membranes, intermittent and septic fevers, croup, diphtheria, whooping cough, purulent catarrh of genitourinary organs, surgical wounds, ulcers, etc. The leaves are chewed to clean the breath and harden the spongy and bleeding gums. The leaf infusion checks the secretions in bronchitis and coryza. The tincture is used in croup and in pulmonary gangrene. It is also useful in purulent catarrhal affections of the bladder, urethra and vagina, and in chronic cystitis with haematuria. The extract of the leaf is also used as a local application in erysipelas of the face, legs and scrotum. It also increases the heart beat, lowers the arterial tension and speeds up respiration. It is eliminated through perspiration (skin), urine (kidneys), bronchi (lungs) and milk. In higher doses, it is an irritant of the alimentary canal and produces eructation, indigestion, nausea, vomiting and purging. It is also a narcotic poison in toxic doses, which paralyses the respiratory centre in the medulla of the brain. It controls asthma and is used in mouthwashes and in rhinosinusitis. Topical application reduces inflammation and pain in headaches on bending, frontal headache, nasal obstruction, etc. The oil is an ingredient of ‘cathedral oil’ that is used for sterilising and lubricating urethral catheters.