Nutmeg oil

Nutmeg oil is a volatile essential oil from nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) containing borneol and eugenol.

Medicinal nutmeg oil, produced in Malaysia

General uses

The essential oil is obtained by the steam distillation of ground nutmeg and is used heavily in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The oil is colorless or light yellow and smells and tastes of nutmeg. It contains numerous components of interest to the oleochemical industry, and is used as a natural food flavouring in baked goods, syrups (e.g. Coca Cola), beverages, sweets etc. It replaces ground nutmeg as it leaves no particles in the food. The essential oil is also used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries for instance in tooth paste and as a major ingredient in some cough syrups. In traditional medicine nutmeg and nutmeg oil were used for illnesses related to the nervous and digestive systems^{[citation needed]}. Myristicin in the essential oil is probably the agent responsible for the hallucinogenic properties of nutmeg oil.

External uses

Externally, the oil is used for rheumatic pain and, like clove oil, can be applied as an emergency treatment to dull toothache. In France, it is given in drop doses in honey for digestive upsets and used for bad breath. Some^[who?] recommend using one or two drops on a cotton swab, and apply to the gums around an aching tooth until dental treatment can be obtained; or three to five drops on a sugar lump or in a teaspoon of honey for nausea, gastroenteritis, chronic diarrhea, and indigestion.

Alternatively, a massage oil can be created for muscular pains associated with rheumatism or overexertion. It can also be combined with thyme or rosemary essential oils.

See also

• Nutmeg
• Essential oils