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Nutmeg Stats & Data

Psychedelic Deliriant Cannabinoid

Chemical Class Cannabinoid

Psychoactive Class Psychedelic

Pharmacology

DrugBank

Description

Nutmeg allergenic extract is used in allergenic testing.

Receptor Profile

Receptor Actions

Inhibitors

FAAH inhibitor (indirect endocannabinoid modulation)

MAGL inhibitor (indirect endocannabinoid modulation)

Weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor

Other

Anticholinergic properties (high doses)

History & Culture

1500 BCE–13th century

Nutmeg is native to the Banda Islands, a cluster of eleven small volcanic islands within the Maluku archipelago of eastern Indonesia. These remote islands remained the world's sole source of both nutmeg and mace until the mid-nineteenth century. Archaeological excavations on Pulau Ai have yielded potsherd residues dating back approximately 3,500 years, representing the earliest known evidence of nutmeg use. The spice circulated through Austronesian maritime trading networks from at least 1500 BCE. By the sixth century CE, nutmeg had spread westward to India and subsequently reached Constantinople. Arab merchants eventually traced the spice to its source in the Banda Islands by the thirteenth century, though they carefully concealed this information from European traders to maintain their commercial advantage.

1511–1945

European pursuit of nutmeg commenced following the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in August 1511. Shortly after securing this strategic trading hub, Afonso de Albuquerque dispatched a three-ship expedition under António de Abreu to locate the legendary spice islands. Malay pilots guided the fleet through Java and the Lesser Sundas, reaching Banda in early 1512. This marked the first European contact with the islands, where the expedition spent approximately one month acquiring nutmeg, mace, and cloves. The Portuguese apothecary Tomé Pires, stationed in Malacca from 1512 to 1515, documented these islands in his work Suma Oriental. However, Portugal never established permanent control over the trade. The Dutch East India Company waged a brutal campaign for monopoly over nutmeg production in 1621. The violence was catastrophic for the indigenous Bandanese population—historians estimate that of approximately 15,000 inhabitants, only around 1,000 survived, with the remainder killed, starved during flight, exiled, or sold into slavery. The Company subsequently constructed extensive plantation systems throughout the islands. During the Napoleonic Wars, British forces temporarily occupied the Banda Islands and transplanted nutmeg trees, along with their native soil, to Ceylon, Penang, Bencoolen, and Singapore. From these locations, cultivation spread to additional colonial territories including Zanzibar and Grenada. Dutch control of the Spice Islands persisted until the Second World War.

Nutmeg has acquired symbolic importance in several regions shaped by its trade history. Grenada, which developed into a major producer following British colonial transplantation efforts, incorporated a stylized split-open nutmeg fruit into its national flag upon adoption in 1974. In the United States, Connecticut carries the nickname "the Nutmeg State," purportedly stemming from folklore about dishonest traders who carved wooden imitations to deceive buyers. The expression "wooden nutmeg" subsequently entered American vernacular as a general term for fraudulent merchandise. Beyond culinary applications, nutmeg has traditionally been consumed for its psychoactive and reputed aphrodisiac properties, though clinical evidence supporting these uses remains limited. Its widespread availability and low cost have led to recreational experimentation, particularly among adolescents, college students, and incarcerated individuals seeking inexpensive intoxication.

Effect Profile

Curated + 392 Reports

Psychedelic 6.1

Strong visuals, auditory effects, and body load with low headspace

Visual Intensity×3

10102.0

Headspace Depth×3

32.72.7

Auditory Effects×1

8104.0

Body Load / Somatic Effects×1

87.84.0

Catalog Erowid BlueLight

Based on reports from:

Erowid Experience Reports PsychonautWiki Nutmeg The Drug Users Bible Nutmeg

Empirical Duration

Erowid Reports

Onset Come Up Peak Offset

Oral (69 reports)

Tolerance & Pharmacokinetics

drugs.wiki

Tolerance Decay

Full tolerance 3d Half tolerance 21d Baseline ~28d

Experience Report Analysis

Erowid BlueLight

377 Reports

1992–2025 Date Range

65 With Age Data

29 Effects Detected

Demographics

Gender Distribution

Age Distribution

Reports Over Time

Effect Analysis

Erowid + Bluelight

Effects aggregated from 392 experience reports (377 Erowid + 15 Bluelight)

392 Reports

88 Effects Detected

35 Positive

34 Adverse

19 Neutral

Effect Sentiment Distribution

Confidence Distribution

Positive Effects 35

Thought Acceleration 33.3% 77%

Music Enhancement 32.1% 88%

Stimulation 27.3% 85%

Euphoria 26.0% 88%

Color Enhancement 24.5% 75%

Tactile Enhancement 21.2% 90%

Vivid Dreams 20.0% 88%

Libido Enhancement 20.0% 87%

Hypersomnia 20.0% 85%

Focus Enhancement 18.1% 80%

Auditory Echo 13.3% 82%

Joy 13.3% 85%

Mood Lift 13.3% 82%

Appetite Increase 13.3% 80%

Orgasm Enhancement 13.3% 82%

Contentment 13.3% 85%

Empathy 12.5% 70%

Body High 11.7% 70%

Surface Breathing 6.7% 70%

Visual Trails 6.7% 85%

Adverse Effects 34

Dry Mouth 60.0% 88%

Anxiety 32.4% 70%

Nausea 31.4% 80%

Dizziness 26.7% 79%

Confusion 22.0% 70%

Body Load 20.0% 82%

Headache 18.4% 78%

Chills 13.3% 78%

Tremor 13.3% 75%

Hot Flashes 13.3% 85%

Memory Suppression 11.9% 70%

Motor Impairment 9.7% 75%

Muscle Tension 6.9% 70%

Libido Suppression 6.7% 75%

Social Anxiety 6.7% 80%

Vomiting 6.7% 75%

Dysphoria 6.7% 75%

Perceived Inanimate Transformation 6.7% 75%

Itching 6.7% 70%

Frequent Urination 6.7% 75%

Subjective Effect Ontology

Experience Reports

Structured effect tags extracted from 392 Erowid & Bluelight experience reports using a controlled vocabulary of 220+ canonical effects across 15 domains.

Auditory

music enhancement 126 32.1% auditory distortions 101 26.8%

Emotional

anxiety 122 32.4% euphoria 102 26.0%

Gastrointestinal

nausea 123 31.4%

Motor

sedation 168 42.8% stimulation 107 27.3%

Visual

visual distortions 125 33.2%

8 unique effects extracted · Derived from Erowid & Bluelight reports

Dosage Distribution

Dose distribution from experience reports

Median: 15000.0 mg IQR: 10000.0–22000.0 mg n=93

Real-World Dose Distribution

62K Doses

From 448 individual dose entries

Oral (n=130)

Median: 15500.0mg 25th: 10000.0mg 75th: 22000.0mg 90th: 30000.0mg

mg/kg median: 221.34 mg/kg 75th: 335.949

Common Combinations

Most co-occurring substances in experience reports

Form / Preparation

Most common forms and preparations reported

Body-Weight Dosing

Dose relative to body weight from reports with weight data

Median: 213.333 mg/kg IQR: 137.741–314.861 mg/kg n=91

Redose Patterns

Redosing behavior across 311 reports

12.9% Redosed

1.2 Avg Doses

60m Median Interval

Read full reports on Erowid →

References

Data Sources

Cited References

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