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Myristica fragrans
BOTANICAL DETAILS OF PLANT
Synonyms
Aruana silvestris Burm.f. Myristica aromatica Sw. Myristica aromatica Lam. Myristica moschata Thunb. Myristica officinalis L.f. Palala fragrans (Houtt.) Kuntze
Kew Herbarium Links
Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Subkingdom
Superdivision
--
Division
---
Class
Dicotyledonae
Subclass
----
Order
Annonales
Family
Myristicaceae
Genus
Myristica
Species
Myristica fragrans
Plant Description
Small trees, 4- 12 m high, branches slender, bark consists pink or red sap. Petiole 6-12 mm; leaf blade elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, elliptic to oblong 5-14 X 4-7 cm, glabrous at both surfaces, base broadly cuneate or near to rounded, apex acuminate; lateral veins 6-10 pairs. Inflorescences axillary, in umbellate cymes. Flowers fragrant, glabrescent. Male inflorescences 2-5 cm, glabrous, shortly peduncled, 4-8 or more flowers on slender branches. Male flowers: pedicel 10-15 mm; bracteole caducous; perianth trigonous-ovoid, 5-7 mm, lobes 3(or 4), with minute tomentum outside; anthers 9-12; synandrium ca. 5 mm, column ca. 2 mm, sterile apex ca. 0.5 mm. Female inflorescences 1- or few flowered. Female flowers: pedicel 8-12 mm; bracteole inserted on base of perianth, leaving ringlike scar after abscission; perianth ca. 6 × 4 mm; ovary ellipsoid, with dense rusty pubescence; style extremely short; stigmas 2, minute. Fruiting pedicel 10-15 mm. Fruits1or 2, orange or yellow, pyriform or subglobose, 3.5-5 cm in diam. Seeds ellipsoid, 2-3 × ca. 2 cm; aril red, irregularly deeply lacerate; cotyledons short, curled, connate at base(http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/PDF/PDF07/Myristica.pdf)
Habit/Life Form
Tree
DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES IN INDIA
Kerala
AGROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS
| # | Soil and Climate | Temperature (°C) | Average Annual Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soil- Fertile Loamy Soils, grow naturally in volcanic soils in lowland tropical rain forests.Well-Drained Soils pH: 6 to 7 | 25–30 | 2,000–3,500 |
Local Names
| # | Language Name | Local Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | -- |
International Local Names
| # | Country Name | Local Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | Muskatnussbaum |
| 2 | Burma (Myanmar) | Mutwinda |
| 3 | Itlaly | Noce muscata (albero) |
| 4 | Laos | Chan theed |
| 5 | Malaysia | Buah pala |
| 6 | Cambodia | Pôch kak |
Plant Parts Used
Nutmeg and Arils
System of Medicine
Ayurveda
Intended Use
Diarrhoea, Mouth sores, Insomnia, Diarrhoea, nausea, stomach spasms, cancer, kidney disease, miscarriage, as a hallucinogen, mouth sores, toothache and acne.
Traditional Application
In Minahasa (Indonesia), Bakera, a herbal steam bath for postnatal care is performed by boiling Myristica fragrans with other herbs .(Isabelle S. Zumsteg, Caroline S. Weckerle,Bakera, a herbal steam bath for postnatal care in Minahasa (Indonesia): Documentation of the plants used and assessment of the method,Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 111, Issue 3,2007, Pages 641-650, ISSN 0378-8741,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2007.01.016) .
Fruit of nutmeg is used to cure typhoid fever. (Lelimiska Irmadani Syarif, Ade Rifka Junita, Mochammad Hatta, Ressy Dwiyanti, Cahyono Kaelan, Muhammad Sabir, Rizki Amelia Noviyanthi, Muhammad Reza Primaguna, Nur Indah Purnamasari, Mini review: medicinal plants for typhoid fever in indonesia,Sys Rev Pharm 2020;11(6):1171-1180A).
M. fragrans is mixed with tha-na-kha ( Limonia acidissima ), taungtan-gyi ( Premna integrifolia), and turpentine oil and applied externally for the treatment of tumors(https://www.gbif.org/species/5406817).
In Lako Akediri village, West Halmahera -Myristica fragrans is the active ingredient of Oke sou- a herbal drink which is consumed for the wellness of women genitals (Wakhidah, Anisatu Z. & Silalahi, Marina & Nisyawati, Nisya. (2016). Ethnobotanical Study of Oke Sou: Traditional Herbal Drink from Lako Akediri Village in West Halmahera, Indonesia).
Uses in IORA Countries
| # | Country Name | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | -- |
Phytochemical Details
| # | Phytochemical Constituents | PUBCHEM CID | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sabinene(34.6%) | 18818 | -- |
| 2 | Myristicin (3.3%) (Seed, mace) | 4276 | -- |
| 3 | α-pinene (19.0%) | 6654 | -- |
| 4 | β-pinene (11.3%) | 14896 | -- |
| 5 | Myrcene( 2.3%) | 31253 | -- |
| 6 | Terpinen-4-ol (5.6%) | 11230 | -- |
| 7 | Limonene (3.7%) | 22311 | -- |
| 8 | γ-terpinene (2.7%) | 7461 | -- |
| 9 | 1,8-cineole (2.4%) | 2758 | -- |
| 10 | α-terpinene ( 2.2%) | 7462 | -- |
| 11 | terpinolene (1.5%) | 11463 | -- |
| 12 | Safrole (0.8%) | 5144 | -- |
| 13 | Para-cymene( 1.3%) | 7463 | -- |
| 14 | α-phellandrene ( 0.9%) | 7460 | -- |
| 15 | β-caryophyllene ( 0.8%) | 5281515 | -- |
| 16 | Elemicin(0.9%) | 10248 | -- |
| 17 | β-phellandrene (0.3%) | 11142 | -- |
| 18 | Trans-sabinene hydrate (0.7%) | 12315151 | -- |
| 19 | Cis-sabinene hydrate (0.7% ) | 101629835 | -- |
| 20 | α-terpineol( 0.6%) | 17100 | -- |
| 21 | licarin A | 6441061 | -- |
| 22 | licarin B | 6441061 | -- |
| 23 | Myristic acid (0.21) | 11005 | -- |
Pharmacological Details
| # | PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS/THERAPEUTIC USES | REFERENCES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anxiogenic activity | Sonavane GS, Sarveiya VP, Kasture VS, Kasture SB. Anxiogenic activity of Myristica fragrans seeds. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2002;71(1-2):239-244. doi:10.1016/s0091-3057(01)00660-8. |
| 2 | Anticancer and biocidal activities | Li F, Yang XW, Krausz KW, et al. Modulation of colon cancer by nutmeg. J Proteome Res. 2015;14(4):1937-1946. doi:10.1021/pr5013152 Chirathaworn C, Kongcharoensuntorn W, Dechdoungchan T, Lowanitchapat A, Sa-nguanmoo P, Poovorawan Y. Myristica fragrans Houtt. methanolic extract induces apoptosis in a human leukemia cell line through SIRT1 mRNA downregulation. J Med Assoc Thai. 2007;90(11):2422-2428. Akinboro A, Mohamed KB, Asmawi MZ, Sulaiman SF, Sofiman OA. Antioxidants in aqueous extract of Myristica fragrans (Houtt.) suppress mitosis and cyclophosphamide-induced chromosomal aberrations in Allium cepa L. cells. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2011;12(11):915-922. doi:10.1631/jzus.B1000315. Piras A, Rosa A, Marongiu B, et al. Extraction and separation of volatile and fixed oils from seeds of Myristica fragrans by supercritical CO₂: chemical composition and cytotoxic activity on Caco-2 cancer cells. J Food Sci. 2012;77(4):C448-C453. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02618. Rengasamy, Gayathri, Venkataraman, Anuradha, Veeraraghavan, Vishnu Priya, & Jainu, Mallika. (2018). Cytotoxic and apoptotic potential of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (mace) extract on human oral epidermal carcinoma KB cell lines. Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 54(3), e18028. Epub November 29, 2018.https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902018000318028 Kim EY, Choi HJ, Park MJ, et al. Myristica fragrans Suppresses Tumor Growth and Metabolism by Inhibiting Lactate Dehydrogenase A. Am J Chin Med. 2016;44(5):1063-1079. doi:10.1142/S0192415X16500592. Dkhil MA, Abdel Moneim AE, Hafez TA, et al. Myristica fragrans Kernels Prevent Paracetamol-Induced Hepatotoxicity by Inducing Anti-Apoptotic Genes and Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(4):993. Published 2019 Feb 25. doi:10.3390/ijms20040993. |
| 3 | Antimicrobial effects | Setty JV, Srinivasan I, Sathiesh RT, Kale M, Shetty VV, Venkatesh S. In vitro evaluation of antimicrobial effect of Myristica fragrans on common endodontic pathogens. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2020;38(2):145-151. doi:10.4103/JISPPD.JISPPD_214_20 . Wang J, Zhang HH, Liu F, Zhang YP, Zhao YM. Preparation, characterization and antimicrobial activity of inclusion complexes of Myristica fragrans Hott. essential oil in β-cyclodextrins. Pharmazie. 2019;74(10):590-594. doi:10.1691/ph.2019.9061. Dzotam JK, Simo IK, Bitchagno G, et al. In vitro antibacterial and antibiotic modifying activity of crude extract, fractions and 3',4',7-trihydroxyflavone from Myristica fragrans Houtt against MDR Gram-negative enteric bacteria. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):15. Published 2018 Jan 15. doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2084-1. Cherian T, Ali K, Fatima S, et al. Myristica fragrans bio-active ester functionalized ZnO nanoparticles exhibit antibacterial and antibiofilm activities in clinical isolates. J Microbiol Methods. 2019;166:105716. doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2019.105716. López V, Gerique J, Langa E, Berzosa C, Valero MS, Gómez-Rincón C. Antihelmintic effects of nutmeg (Myristica fragans) on Anisakis simplex L3 larvae obtained from Micromesistius potassou. Res Vet Sci. 2015;100:148-152. doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2015.03.033. |
| 4 | Antiinflammatory effect | Suthisamphat N, Dechayont B, Phuaklee P, et al. Anti-Helicobacter pylori, Anti-Inflammatory, Cytotoxic, and Antioxidant Activities of Mace Extracts from Myristica fragrans. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020;2020:7576818. Published 2020 Mar 29. doi:10.1155/2020/7576818. |
| 5 | Hypolipidaemic effect | Ram A, Lauria P, Gupta R, Sharma VN. Hypolipidaemic effect of Myristica fragrans fruit extract in rabbits. J Ethnopharmacol. 1996;55(1):49-53. doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(96)01473-0 Koshy AS, Vijayalakshmi NR. Impact of certain flavonoids on lipid profiles--potential action of Garcinia cambogia flavonoids. Phytother Res. 2001;15(5):395-400. doi:10.1002/ptr.725. |
| 6 | Hepatoprotective effects | Dkhil MA, Abdel Moneim AE, Hafez TA, et al. Myristica fragrans Kernels Prevent Paracetamol-Induced Hepatotoxicity by Inducing Anti-Apoptotic Genes and Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(4):993. Published 2019 Feb 25. doi:10.3390/ijms20040993. Yang XN, Liu XM, Fang JH, et al. PPARα Mediates the Hepatoprotective Effects of Nutmeg. J Proteome Res. 2018;17(5):1887-1897. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.7b00901. Morita T, Jinno K, Kawagishi H, et al. Hepatoprotective effect of myristicin from nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) on lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine-induced liver injury. J Agric Food Chem. 2003;51(6):1560-1565. doi:10.1021/jf020946n. Yimam M, Jiao P, Hong M, Jia Q. Hepatoprotective Activity of an Herbal Composition, MAP, a Standardized Blend Comprising Myristica fragrans, Astragalus membranaceus, and Poria cocos. J Med Food. 2016;19(10):952-960. doi:10.1089/jmf.2016.0048. Owumi SE, Oloidi AC, Oloye CO, Oladeji OO, Obadare MO, Odunola OA. Toxicological and phytoprotective effect of Keayodendron bridelioides and Monodora myristica extracts in Wister rats. Pharmacognosy Res. 2015;7(Suppl 1):S26-S33. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.150508. |
| 7 | Aphrodisiac activity | Tajuddin, Ahmad S, Latif A, Qasmi IA, Amin KM. An experimental study of sexual function improving effect of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (nutmeg). BMC Complement Altern Med. 2005; 5:16. Published 2005 Jul 20. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-5-16. Tajuddin, Ahmad S, Latif A, Qasmi IA. Aphrodisiac activity of 50% ethanolic extracts of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (nutmeg) and Syzygium aromaticum (L) Merr. & Perry. (clove) in male mice: a comparative study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2003; 3:6. Published 2003 Oct 20. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-3-6. Beckerman B, Persaud H. Nutmeg overdose: Spice not so nice. Complement Ther Med. 2019; 46:44-46. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2019.07.011. |
| 8 | Gastro-protective Activity | Sattar A, Abdo A, Mushtaq MN, Anjum I, Anjum A. Evaluation of Gastro-protective Activity of Myristica fragrans on Ethanol-induced Ulcer in Albino Rats. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2019;91(2):e20181044. Published 2019 Jun 19. doi:10.1590/0001-3765201920181044. |
| 9 | Anticonvulsant activities | Wahab A, Ul Haq R, Ahmed A, Khan RA, Raza M. Anticonvulsant activities of nutmeg oil of Myristica fragrans. Phytother Res. 2009;23(2):153-158. doi:10.1002/ptr.2548 Parle M, Dhingra D, Kulkarni SK. Improvement of mouse memory by Myristica fragrans seeds. J Med Food. 2004;7(2):157-161. doi:10.1089/1096620041224193. Ghorbanian D, Ghasemi-Kasman M, Hashemian M, et al. Myristica Fragrans Houtt Extract Attenuates Neuronal Loss and Glial Activation in Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Kindling Model. Iran J Pharm Res. 2019;18(2):812-825. doi:10.22037/ijpr.2019.1100670. Sivathanu S, Sampath S, David HS, Rajavelu KK. Myristicin and phenytoin toxicity in an infant. BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014:bcr2013203000. Published 2014 Jun 5. doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-203000. |
| 10 | Anti-platelet activity | Kang JW, Min BS, Lee JH. Anti-platelet activity of erythro-(7S,8R)-7-acetoxy-3,4,3',5'-tetramethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan from Myristica fragrans. Phytother Res. 2013;27(11):1694-1699. doi:10.1002/ptr.4923. |
| 11 | Anti-obese activity | Nguyen PH, Le TV, Kang HW, et al. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators from Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) and their anti-obesity effect. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2010;20(14):4128-4131. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.05.067. Yakaiah V, Dakshinamoorthi A, Kavimani S. Effect of Myristica fragrans extract on total body composition in cafeteria diet induced obese rats. Bioinformation. 2019;15(9):657-665. Published 2019 Oct 13. doi:10.6026/97320630015657. |
| 12 | Antidiarrhoeal activity | Grover JK, Khandkar S, Vats V,mDhunnoo Y, Das D. Pharmacological studies on Myristica fragrans --antidiarrhoeal, hypnotic, analgesic and hemodynamic (blood pressure) parameters. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 2002; 24: 675-80.45. Gupta S,Yadava JNS,Mehrotra R, Tandon JS. Anti-diarrhoea1 profile of an extract and some fractions from Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg) on escherichia coli enterotoxin-induced secretory response. Pharm Biol 1992; 30:179-83. |
| 13 | Anti-cariogenic activity | Jangid K, Jaya kumar ND, Varghese SS. Achievable therapeutic 1). effects of Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg) on periodontitis a short review. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci 2014;6:591-4. |
| 14 | Antidiabetic activity | Nasreen, W., Sarker, S., Sufian, M., Md. Opo, F., Shahriar, M., Akhter, R., & Halim, M. A. (2020). A possible alternative therapy for type 2 diabetes using Myristica fragrans Houtt in combination with glimepiride: in vivo evaluation and in silico support, Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C, 75(3-4), 103-112. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/znc-2019-0134. Ahmad R, Srivastava SP, Maurya R, Rajendran SM, Arya KR, Srivastava AK (2008) Mildantihyperglycaemic activity inEclipta alba,Berberis aristata, Betula utilis, Cedrus deodara,Myristica fragransandTerminalia chebula. Indian J Sci Technol 1:1–6.https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2008/v1i5/293487. Loizzo MR, Sicari V, Tenuta MC, Leporini MR, Falco T, Pellicanò TM, Menichini F, Tundis R(2016) Phytochemicals content, antioxidant and hypoglycaemic activities of commercial nut-meg mace (Myristica fragransL.) and pimento (Pimenta dioica(L.) Merr.) Int J Food SciTechnol 51:2057–2063.https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.13178. |
| 15 | Neuroprotective activity | Plaingam W, Sangsuthum S, Angkhasirisap W, Tencomnao T. Kaempferia parviflora rhizome extract and Myristica fragrans volatile oil increase the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and impact the proteomic profiles in the rat hippocampus: Mechanistic insights into their neuroprotective effects. J Tradit Complement Med. 2017;7(4):538-552. Published 2017 Jun 15. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2017.01.002. Ghorbanian D, Ghasemi-Kasman M, Hashemian M, et al. Myristica Fragrans Houtt Extract Attenuates Neuronal Loss and Glial Activation in Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Kindling Model. Iran J Pharm Res. 2019;18(2):812-825. doi:10.22037/ijpr.2019.1100670. Ghorbanian D, Ghasemi-Kasman M, Hashemian M, et al. Myristica Fragrans Houtt Extract Attenuates Neuronal Loss and Glial Activation in Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Kindling Model. Iran J Pharm Res. 2019;18(2):812-825. doi:10.22037/ijpr.2019.1100670. |
Marketed Products
| # | AVALAIBLE PRODUCTS | MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | -- | Open Url |
Other Polyherbal Formulations
| # | POLYHERBAL FORMULATIONS | CITATIONS ON POLYHERBAL FORMULATIONS (PROPERTIES & ACTIVITIES) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | -- |
Market Overview
Global End Use Market
Perfumery, Pharmaceutical Industries and Food Flavorings.
Available Global Market
India, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, U.S, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Myanmar .
Global Manufacturer Extract
Fleurchem, Inc. 33 Sprague Ave, Middletown, New York 10940 Phone: 845-341-2100 Fax: 845-341-2121.
Distribution in IORA Countries
Sri Lanka, Seychelles,India (Kerala) and the island of Pinang off Peninsular Malaysia.
Trade Data
Source Supply
--
Trade Name
Nutmeg (myristicae seed, myristicae nux) Nutmeg (macis, mace, gul-i-jauz, nutmeg flower).
Annual Consumption (in MT)
17,000 - 20,000
Adulterant/Substitute
M. argentea Warb. (the Papua nutmeg