Large tropical tree, Myristica fragrans Houtt., Myristicaceae, with fleshy edible fruit. The dried ripe seeds are widely used in cooking and in traditional medicine. The spice prepared from the seed's lacy red covering (aril) is known as mace. Habit. Molucca Islands; cultivated in Indonesia, West Indies. Constit. Seeds: 25-40% fixed oil; 5-15% volatile oils; triterpene saponins; sterols. Description of constituents: A. T. Weil, Econ. Bot. 19, 194 (1965). Extraction of oils with liquid CO2: C. B. Spricigo et al., J. Supercrit. Fluids 15, 253 (1999). Toxicity data: P. M. Jenner et al., Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 2, 327 (1964). Review of ethnobotany: C. Van Gils, P. A. Cox, J. Ethnopharmacol. 42, 117-124 (1994); of constituents and uses: A. Y. Leung, S. Foster, Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients, (Wiley-Interscience, Hoboken, 2nd Ed., 2003) pp 385-387; J. Gruenwald et al., PDR for Herbal Medicines (Medical Economics, Montvale, 3rd Ed., 2004) pp 594-595. Comprehensive description: B. Krishnamoorthy, J. Rema in Handbook of Herbs and Spices, Vol. 1, K. V. Peter, Ed., (Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, 2001) pp 238-243.
Obtained by expressing the crushed seeds or by extracting with solvents. Constit. Trimyristin (84%), oleic acid (3.5%), resins (2.3%), linolenic acid (0.6%), other fatty acids.
Obtained by steam distillation from the dried kernals of the ripe seed. Constit. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (≈88%) including camphene, α- and β-pinene, sabinene; monoterpene alcohols; myristicin (4-8%); elemicin; safrole.
Carminative.