Nutmeg, Myristica fragrans, is the seed from the fruit of the nutmeg tree, a tree belonging to the Myristicaceaefamily. This tree is native to the Moluccas Islands, an archipelago that is part of Indonesia. It can reach 12 meters in height and easily live 100 years. It is now mainly grown in Guatemala, Indonesia and India.
Nutmeg has long been used as a spice. It is used in the composition of various aromatic mixtures such as curries, gingerbread or the Coca Cola recipe. Nutmeg was highly sought after in the Middle Ages; it was the most expensive spice at the time. It was already used by the Egyptians for the embalming of mummies.
Nutmeg essential oil is obtained by distillation of the seed and traditionally used as an analgesic, particularly in massage, antiseptic, antiparasitic and digestive tonic. It gives off a characteristic woody, spicy and sweet fragrance. Its composition differs greatly depending on the origin of the plant and the conditions in which it was grown. Its main constituents are monoterpenes (60 to 70%): terpinene, α-pinene, β-pinene and sabinene.
PIARU & al. found significant antioxidant activity of nutmeg essential oil in the DPPH test. This effect was confirmed in 2012 by GUPTA and his team, when they used the same test to study the antioxidant effect of different nutmeg extracts. In addition to the DPPH test, they also confirmed the antioxidant effect of nutmeg with the linoleic acid oxidation test and the iron chelation test. In the first two tests, the acetone extract was the one that showed the greatest effect, while in the last, it was the ethanol extract. These studies were followed by another study by PIARU & al. which in turn confirmed the antioxidant potential of nutmeg via the linoleic acid oxidation test (PIARU & al., 2011 ; GUPTA & al., 2012).
Nutmeg essential oil is able to suppress the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by human neutrophils under oxidative stress (MATULYTE & al., 2019).
Oral intake of nutmeg essential oil significantly decreases experimentally induced swelling in the paws of rats. It induces an effect superior to that of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It also decreases pain more effectively than diclofenac. Finally, it is able to inhibit the expression of COX-2 and to reduce the release of substance P (ZHANG & al., 2016).
Nutmeg also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by significantly decreasing the in vitro production of IL-6 by human fibroblasts (MATULYTE & al., 2019).
Its strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities are confirmed by HA & al. in 2020 in Archives of Pharmacal Research.
Several studies attest to the antibacterial effect of nutmeg: ABOURASHED & al. observed it on Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella dysenteriae. GUPTA & al. tested the antimicrobial effect of several nutmeg extracts on Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All extracts are effective against all strains of bacteria. It is the acetone extract that showed the best efficiency on Staphylococcus aureus (GUPTA & al., 2012 ; MATULYTE & al., 2019).
In a 2019 study, pure nutmeg essential oil inhibited the growth of Pasteurelle multocida (MATULYTE & al., 2019).
