Nutmeg is called the core of the fruit of the nutmeg tree. This tree has been growing for almost a hundred years, and the first 40 years of its life actively bear fruit. In just one year, it is able to produce more than 10000 fruits that look a little like apricot. After full ripening, these fruits burst, and the core appears.
The nut itself is, in fact, the seeds inside the seed. To get it, these seeds are dried well in the open sun, and then cleaned. The resulting core is carefully dried over a fire until it becomes dark. To get quality nutmeg, you need to use fruits that bloom for 3-4 months. The finished nut will be round or oval in shape, small in size 2-3 centimeters. Round types of nutmeg have a richer smell and taste than oval ones.
The application and the magical properties of nutmeg were known to ancient people in Rome and Greece. It was used as an additive to food, as a drug or as a pleasant flavoring. The first records about it are dated to the first century of our era, but they began to be used everywhere only about 1000 years ago.
In Europe, it was distributed much later, after the colonization of the Portuguese. In particular, it was on one of the colonized islands that muscat trees actively grew, which ensured its widespread occurrence. Until about 19 century, the Netherlands and Portugal were the only suppliers of spices, and kept a very high bar prices for this spice. But after growing nutmeg plantations in India, Ceylon, and Latin America, the price of this spice plummeted.
If possible, buy nutmeg in kernels – this way it will retain much more useful properties and its rich amazing taste. If you do not have the opportunity to buy whole nutmegs, choose their milled version or buy them in sealed sealed containers. Give preference to well-proven manufacturers.
Useful Properties
The nutmeg fruit has a lot of useful properties: they contain a huge amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as essential oil and pectin. If consumed in small doses, their pronounced positive properties will become noticeable. But do not abuse the nut, as it has a serious stimulating and tonic effect on the nervous system and heart.
In eastern medicine, it is used to treat men with the problem of rapid ejaculation, as well as a cure for impotence and for other disorders of intimate life. Ground nutmeg is believed to act as an aphrodisiac, enhancing sexual attraction and arousal.
If you use the minimum dose, you can normalize sleep and somewhat calm the nervous system. Often it is added to massage oil, hot tea is made – these means can stimulate the immune system and treat colds in the early stages.
Beneficial features:
- stimulates immunity;
- improves blood circulation;
- helps the digestive system;
- improves arthritis;
- reduces the risk of rheumatism;
- strengthens hair and nails;
- prevents the spread of viruses in the body;
- has anti-inflammatory effect;
- improves the potency in men;
- helps with autoimmune diseases.
From the nutmeg tincture with the addition of sunflower oil make a special massage paste, which is used to treat osteochondrosis and arthritis. For this warm paste should be used as a compress, which is applied to the sore spot. Then you need to wrap this place with plastic, cover with a warm cloth and leave before it cools.
Excellent, it helps those with intestinal problems, particularly constipation or diarrhea. It saves from loss of appetite, as it stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, and also reduces the formation of gas.
For the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, you need to take a little nutmeg and dry ginger, add yogurt and water in equal proportions. Yogurt can be replaced with kefir or fermented baked milk if you like their taste better. As a result, you should get about a glass of the mixture, which must be drunk at one time. The effect will become noticeable after 2-3 hours, possibly later, if you have had lunch or dinner before.
Application in medicine
Nutmeg is excellent for treating various diseases and is used as a supportive treatment. For example, it is used in the treatment of vascular dystonia, as it is able to normalize blood circulation. Including its use can relieve migraines or just headaches, as well as put blood pressure in order. For example, some people use an express treatment for severe migraines using a paste made from a mixture of milk and nutmeg. To do this, you need to take fresh and very high-quality cow’s milk, add ground nutmeg to it and apply this remedy on the forehead, waiting for the pain to disappear.
Even in ancient times, nutmeg was used even for the treatment of toothache, as well as for getting rid of muscle pain. It has been used for various nervous disorders due to its stimulating effects. In any case, when used regularly, nutmeg is only beneficial. And also its regular use in small amounts helps to cleanse the liver and kidneys. It also cleanses the blood and helps to remove all kinds of poisons and toxins from the body. In addition, the substances contained in nutmeg can lift the mood and stimulate appetite for adults and children.
For women
Nutmeg is very often used by women suffering from mastopathy. For maintenance treatment there is no need to cook something special, you just need to use nutmeg as you wish. It will be ideal if it is added to dishes without heat treatment. It is best used in combination with fresh vegetable salads.
During lactation, the benefits of nutmeg are invaluable if a woman has problems with lactation – it stimulates the production of milk, which will be enough to feed the baby.
It is more useful and delicious for this to prepare a cocktail based on kefir: you need to mix nutmeg with kefir, add a little dill there and drink as desired in any amount in the absence of an allergic reaction.
Even a serious problem such as varicose veins will help get rid of nutmeg. To help, you need to take the powder, add a glass of boiling water, a little honey and insist for 10 or 15 minutes. It is recommended to cook it once, without heating, and drink 2 times a day. It is advisable to do this in the morning half an hour before meals, and after dinner after half an hour.
For children
If your child tolerates nuts normally and does not have allergies, while teething, you can add a little nutmeg to his food, but not more than a tenth of a gram. Give your child a mixture of nutmeg, milk and honey and it will act as a sedative. Then the child will reduce the unpleasant symptoms that occur when teeth are teething, he will stop refusing to eat and become more calm.
Grated nutmeg is also great for those who suffer from gas, bloating and noticeable colic. It is also sometimes used to help babies by adding a very small amount of spice to various dishes. The main thing is to add it little by little, as the child may react badly to the nut.
Use in cooking
Due to aroma and spicy taste, such a spice as nutmeg is mainly added to desserts, most often to various pastries such as cakes, pies or cookies. It is also great as an additive to cottage cheese or chocolate, but in general chocolate and nutmeg are considered just the perfect combination, and also a powerful aphrodisiac.
If you like nuts, pay attention also to the beneficial properties of peanuts and Brazil nuts.
Real gourmets even add nutmeg to soups, poultry, game or meat dishes, as well as vegetables. It also goes well with side dishes, and nutmeg lovers add it to compote. It combines perfectly with tomatoes, so it is often added to tomato sauce or ketchup, including in factory production.
Nutmeg also goes well with wine and other beverages as it imparts its spicy, nutty flavor to them. It is often used in combination with milk, especially in cocktails. For true lovers, it is added in very small quantities to canned fish, and also combined with curry. Very widely, nutmeg is used in the factory production of meat dishes, including sausages or smoked meats, as well as for canned fish.
Essential oil with a pronounced pleasant aroma is also made from nutmeg. It is most often used for aromatherapy, as well as in perfumes and to shade a pleasant smell. In small quantities it is added to tobacco for cigarettes, cigars or pipes, making it more pleasant. Crusts from this nut are used to make nutmeg essence, which is popular in Europe for making various kinds of nutmeg sauces and additives, as well as in cheese production.
Storage and use
It is very important to know that nutmeg should only be used as a seasoning in small quantities. Use no more than 1 core per day as a food supplement. If you exceed the recommended amount, you may experience rapid heartbeat, headache, and vomiting. Large doses can affect the gastrointestinal tract as a whole, and especially the pancreas. The nut is carefully chopped using a grater, or grind.
Nutmeg is usually sold as whole kernels, as it loses flavor very quickly after grinding, so you need to grind it just before use. It is also advisable to store it in its whole form, and not in the form of a powder. Nutmeg massage oil is often used to massage the body for colds, especially the throat. In addition, with regular use, it is able to help with some benign tumors, also because it stimulates the immune system. He is also able to localize some formations, helps in the treatment of tuberculosis or staphylococcus.
Hazardous properties
In addition to its undeniable benefits, nutmeg has dangerous properties. In particular, it contains in very small quantities a substance that acts as a drug and a mild hallucinogen. This does not mean that nutmeg is a drug or has such a special effect, but if you eat a few kernels uncooked, you may get very severe food poisoning. The effect of it is individual and can be just like feeling unwell, or it will end with nausea, cramps, heart palpitations and disorientation.
Butter nutmeg oil is absolutely contraindicated for pregnant women because of its stimulating effect, for the same reason it cannot be consumed by people suffering from epilepsy and with individual intolerance to the components.
At the same time, a fresh product, among other things, can give the effect of drug intoxication, accompanied by hallucinations. In cases of consuming a very large amount of fresh nutmeg in allergy sufferers, severe coma or even death may occur. If you notice at least one of these symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Sources of
- Novak B., Schultz B. Tropical fruits. Biology, Application, Growing and Harvesting, 2002.
- V. V. Pokhlebkin All about spices. – M .: Food industry, 1974. – S. 57-62, 8-20. – 207 p.
