relates, that he himself beheld such a conflagration of Cloves, Nutmegs, and Cinnamon, upon the little 
island of Newland near Middleburgh, in Zealand, as perfumed the air, with their aromatic scent, for many 
miles round . — Curl is’ s Botanical Mag. 
In our West-Indian colonies, the nutmeg was introduced about thirty years ago ; and first, to the 
island of St. Vincent, from Cayenne, though not without great difficulty, on account of the extreme jealousy 
of the inhabitants of that colony, the two countries being then at war with each other. The three trees 
which were originally imported, have borne fruit for many years, and have attained the height of twenty 
feet, with a trunk eight or nine inches in diameter. It does not, however, appear, that the culture of the 
nutmeg succeeds so well in the west, as in the East Indies. Mr. Lockhart, who has the charge of the plants 
introduced into the islands of Trinidad, by his excellency Sir Ralph Woodford, observes, in a letter to me, that 
the plants flourish best in the rainy season ; even when moderate showers fall requiring constantly artificial 
watering; although a soil saturated with moisture is injurious. For a long time, though the trees intro- 
duced into St. Vincent produced abundance of flowers, they bore small crops of fruit, until Mr. Guilding 
recommended the same process as is employed with the caprification of the fig, when the crops were much 
more productive, two trees at one period bearing three hundred ripe fruits . 3 
Qualities and Chemical Properties. — Nutmegs should be chosen large, of the shape of an 
olive, heavy, and firm, of a lightish grey colour on the outside, beautifully striated, and reddish within: of 
a strong fragrant odour, warm aromatic taste, and of an unctuous feel. The oblong kind, and the smaller 
ones, should be rejected. Distilled with w r ater, they yield a large quantity of essential oil, resembling the 
spice itself in flavour. 
Oil of Nutmegs is expressed from imperfect nutmegs, and such as are unfit for the European 
market: there are three sorts of it, commonly called oil of mace. The best is brought in stone jars; softish, 
of a yellow colour, an agreeable fragrant smell, greatly resembling that of the nutmeg. This is denominated 
Banda soap, and should be chosen free from impurities, and of a good colour. The next comes from Holland, 
in solid masses, generally flat, and of a square figure : paler coloured, weaker in smell, and inferior in its 
quality to that of India. The last is the worst, and seems to be a composition of suet, palm oil, or some 
such matter, flavoured with a little genuine oil. 
Mace is a thin, flat membranaceous substance enveloping the nutmeg; of a lively reddish brown or 
saffron colour, of a pleasant aromatic smell, and a warm, bitterish pungent taste. Mace should be chosen 
fresh, tough, oleaginous, of an extremely pungent smell, of a bright reddish yellow, the brighter the better; 
the smaller pieces are esteemed the best. The state it is in when packed, should be particularly attended 
to: if it be too dry, it will be broken, and lose much of its fragrance; if too moist, it is subject to decay and 
to breed worms. It should be packed in bales, pressed down close and firm, whereby its fragrance and con- 
sistence will be preserved. 
Medical Properties and Uses. — Nutmegs, which are universally knowm as a spice, are chiefly 
employed in medicine to impart their grateful aromatic flavor, and to obviate the irritating effects [of 
drastic purgatives. They are supposed to be cordial, carminative, anodyne, and astringent; and wdth 
a view to the last mentioned effects, they have been used in diarrhoea and dysentery. Given in large quan- 
tities, the nutmeg produces stupor, drowsiness, and other symptoms of narcotic poisons, in consequence of 
w hich Cullen w r arns us not to administer it to patients disposed to apoplexy. Bontius also speaks of their 
anodyne effects as a frequent occurrence in India. The volatile oil, possessing the taste and odour of the 
fruit in a concentrated degree, is occasionally used as an external stimulant; and the expressed oil, improperly 
called oil of mace, is generally prescribed in the same manner. 
Dose. — The dose of the nutmeg (which is sometimes employed to relieve nausea and vomiting, or to 
check diarrhoea, when given in wine) is from four grains to a scruple: of the volatile oil, from two to eight 
drops. Custom, however, reconciles the constitution to much larger quantities than could be borne by 
untutored stomachs. In India, the consumption of nutmegs as a condiment, is immense: in the Moluccas, 
the natives mix them with all their food, and drink, and medicines; they even chew them as a masticatory, 
and eat them preserved both in salt and sugar. 
Mace is also chiefly used for culinary purposes; but, according to Dr. Ainslie, it “is a favourite medicine 
with the Hindoo doctors, who prescribe it in the low stages of fever, in consumptive complaints, and 
humoral asthma; and also, when mixed with aromatics, in wasting and long-continued bow r el complaints, 
in doses of from eight to twelve grains, and sometimes to as much as half a drachm; but they generally 
administer it cautiously, from having ascertained that an overdose is apt to produce dangerous stupor and 
intoxication . 55 
Tinctura Nucis Moschat^e. 
R. Nucis Moschatae contritae, I iii. 
Spirit, vini ten. lbij. M. 
Off. Prep. — Spiritus Myristicae. L. E. 
Tinctura Lavandulae comp. L. 
Mistura Ferri composita. L. 
* Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, M.S. Vol. 1. 
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