Know2eat

Nutmeg

Myristica fragrans

Also known as nutmeg, mace, jaiphal

SaveCompare

The seed kernel of Myristica fragrans; mace is the lacy red aril around the same seed. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground nutmeg, an amount far into the toxic range — culinary use is a grating of a fraction of a gram.

Gut & Digestive HealthSleep

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Insufficient

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Insufficient evidence

Nutmeg is traditionally used for diarrhoea and indigestion. Controlled human research on digestive symptoms is essentially absent, so nothing can be concluded.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Sleep quality

Sleep
Insufficient evidence

Nutmeg has a folk reputation as a sleep aid, usually as a pinch in warm milk. No adequate human trial supports it, and the amounts sometimes recommended online approach the range at which nutmeg causes poisoning.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Nutmeg

Ask about Nutmeg

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories525 kcal26%
Protein5.84 g12%
Total fat36.3 g47%
Carbohydrate49.3 g18%
Fibre20.8 g74%
Total sugars2.99 g—
Water6.23 g—
Fats
Saturated fat25.9 g130%
Monounsaturated fat3.22 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.35 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.35 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A5 µg1%
Vitamin C3 mg3%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0 mg0%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.346 mg29%
Riboflavin (B2)0.057 mg4%
Niacin (B3)1.3 mg8%
Vitamin B60.16 mg9%
Folate76 µg19%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline8.8 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium184 mg14%
Iron3.04 mg17%
Magnesium183 mg44%
Phosphorus213 mg17%
Potassium350 mg7%
Sodium16 mg1%
Zinc2.15 mg20%
Copper1.03 mg114%
Manganese2.9 mg126%
Selenium1.6 µg3%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene28 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash2.34 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Spices, nutmeg, ground (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171326).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • groundReduces volatile aroma compounds

    Whole nutmeg grated at use is markedly more aromatic than pre-ground, because the essential oil fraction evaporates from powder in storage.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Nutmeg poisoning at doses only a few times culinary size

    Myristicin and related compounds make nutmeg genuinely toxic in quantity. Doses from roughly one to two teaspoons of ground nutmeg upward have produced agitation, hallucinations, severe nausea, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat and a dissociative state that can last more than a day, and hospital presentations are regularly reported, including deliberate ingestions by teenagers. Very few culinary ingredients have so narrow a gap between a seasoning amount and a poisoning amount.

  • Worth knowing

    Large doses in pregnancy

    Nutmeg at medicinal or intoxicating doses is discouraged in pregnancy, with case reports of maternal and fetal tachycardia after large ingestions. Ordinary seasoning amounts are not the concern.

  • Interaction

    Additive with anticholinergic and psychoactive drugs

    Nutmeg toxicity presents with anticholinergic-like features, so large intakes alongside antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants or other anticholinergic or psychoactive drugs can compound the effect.