Nutmeg and mace are plant products. Nutmeg is the shelled, dried seed of the plant Myristica fragrans, and mace is the dried net-like covering of the shell of the seed.

Mace is taken by mouth for diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach spasms and pain, and intestinal gas. It is also taken by mouth for treating cancer, kidney disease, increasing menstrual flow; causing a miscarriage, and as a hallucinogen.

Mace is applied to the skin to kill pain, especially pain caused by achy joints (rheumatism).

In foods, mace is used as a spice and flavoring.

Mace contains chemicals that might affect the central nervous system. Mace might also kill bacteria and fungi.

• Gum disease (gingivitis). Early research suggests that chewing gum containing mace extract after every meal for 3 weeks reduces gum inflammation, bleeding, and plaque in people with gum disease.
• Cancer.
• Diarrhea.
• Increasing menstrual flow.
• Intestinal gas.
• Kidney disease.
• Pain.
• Producing hallucinations.
• Stomach problems.
• Vomiting.
• Other conditions.

Mace is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth and used appropriately. Mace is a commonly used spice in foods.

Mace is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken in doses larger than amounts found in foods. Mace contains the chemical myristicin which has been linked to hallucinations and other mental side effects. People who have taken larger doses of nutmeg have experienced nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, agitation and hallucinations. Because mace also contains myristicin, in theory, it might cause these same side effects.

There is not enough reliable information available to know if mace is safe to apply on the skin or what the side effects might be.

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