Nutmeg is a hallucinogen.
Today, nutmeg is used in the kitchen to add a little zing to baked goods and hot drinks, though at various times in history it’s been used for fragrance, medicine… and its psychotropic properties. That’s possible thanks to myristicin, a chemical compound found in high concentrations in nutmeg, but also produced in other foods such as parsley and carrots. Myristicin is able to cause hallucinations by disrupting the central nervous system, causing the body to produce too much norepinephrine — a hormone and neurotransmitter that transmits signals among nerve endings. While the idea of conjuring illusions of the mind might sound intriguing, nutmeg intoxication also comes with a litany of unpleasant side effects, including dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, and heart palpitations.
Nutmeg’s inebriating effects have been noted since the Middle Ages, when crusaders would ingest large amounts to inspire prophetic visions (and to help with travel-related aches and pains). Medieval doctors and pharmacists with the Salerno School of Medicine noted that it needed to be used carefully, warning that “one nut is good for you, the second will do you harm, the third will kill you” (which some doctors today say may have been an exaggeration). In fact, nutmeg is a vitamin-rich source of antioxidants and can even act as a mood booster — a healthy addition to your spice rack, so long as it’s used in small quantities.
Spice trading was a lucrative business in the 17th century, which is why many countries sought to control areas where they could monopolize spice production. Back then, nutmeg was considered one of the rarest spices in the world, making it a costly substance to acquire. Two European powers — the British and the Dutch — fought to control Indonesia’s Banda Islands, the only place where nutmeg was originally found. As part of the 1667 Treaty of Breda that ended the second Anglo-Dutch war, the two nations agreed to swap colonies, with the Dutch giving up their claim on Manhattan for the island of Run, a British-controlled land in the Banda Islands chain. Both countries were content with their wins, although their successes proved short-term: The Dutch monopoly loosened in the 1700s when trees smuggled from Indonesia increased competition for nutmeg. And just over 100 years after the treaty was signed, of course, Britain’s colonies in America declared independence and split from the crown.
