{"id":2835,"date":"2017-04-28T21:58:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T21:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/?p=2835"},"modified":"2018-09-19T20:50:45","modified_gmt":"2018-09-19T20:50:45","slug":"nutmeg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/nutmeg\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Nutmeg Essential Oil Benefits & Uses (Plus 12 Recipes, Tips & FAQ)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You may have a jar of nutmeg spice in your pantry, but did you know this common flavoring agent is also a great essential oil for aromatherapy and wellness uses?<\/p>\n
Read on to learn more about nutmeg – once the most prized spice on the international market and was traded for what is now the heart of New York City.<\/p>\n
In 1667, nutmeg was so valued that the Dutch traded the island of Manhattan to the British, who had control of the last nutmeg-producing island in Southeast Asia that the Netherlands wanted for its spice empire. Nutmeg spurred some of the bloodiest battles in trade; because of its high demand, the Dutch killed most of the inhabitants of the Banda Islands in Indonesia, where nutmeg was an indigenous species. It also caused them to imprison and even execute competing British spice merchants.<\/p>\n
Nutmeg seeds are the fruit of the Myristica fragrans<\/i> tree, an evergreen native to Australia and Southeast Asia. Nutmeg\u2019s more dangerous cousin, mace, comes from the seed coating. Since ancient times, nutmeg has been mentioned in writing, from the Roman author Pliny to historic Vedic texts from India. In Africa, nutmeg was known as jatiphala<\/i>, and it is still sometimes called that in South Africa. Nutmeg essential oil is made by steam distillation from the tree\u2019s seeds.<\/p>\n
Arabs trading with the Venetians of Italy brought nutmeg to Europe during the Middle Ages. In addition to its use in cuisine, nutmeg served many medicinal purposes (see below), and it was even thought to combat the Black Plague, hence part of its high price on the spice market.<\/p>\n
While the Portuguese were the first Europeans to capitalize on the Asian spice trade, they soon ceded domination to the Dutch, who battled with Britain over it, culminating in the Manhattan deal. Today, nutmeg is still grown in Indonesia, as well as in India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and nations of the Caribbean. A nutmeg tree can live as long as 800 years, so establishing a nutmeg plantation is undoubtedly an investment in the future!<\/p>\n
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Nutmeg essential oil is ideal for relieving pain associated with stiff muscles, arthritis, and gout. You can add nutmeg essential oil to massage oil, use it in rollerballs for spot treatments, or apply it under a warm compress or poultice. For all-over relief, add a few drops of nutmeg essential oil to a tub full of bath water and soak in it.<\/p>\n
If you suffer from asthma or merely have a cold that has clogged your lungs and bronchial tubes, nutmeg essential oil can help. Use it in a steam inhaler or homemade steam bath (a bowl of steaming water over which you hold your head covered in a towel) to help free your breathing. (Note: never replace prescription asthma inhalers with essential oils. Instead, supplement your care giver\u2019s prescribed medications with essential oil wellness treatments.) Nutmeg essential oil has the added benefit of quieting coughs by reducing spasms in the respiratory system.<\/p>\n
Nutmeg essential oil can help eliminate bad breath. Just add a drop to the water and gargle with it. Nutmeg combines well with cinnamon essential oil for this use. Nutmeg essential oil can help fight canker sores and gum infections too through its natural antimicrobial properties.<\/p>\n
Say goodbye to sleeping pills with all their side effects and addiction habits. Try using nutmeg essential oil in your bath or in a bedtime body lotion to calm jangled nerves and help you sleep better. Nutmeg essential oil in warm cocoa (see recipe, below) can also help you drift off pleasantly every night.<\/p>\n
While nutmeg essential oil is excellent for encouraging sound sleep, when used during your waking hours, it can improve your memory and help you focus on the task at hand. Use nutmeg essential oil in a diffuser or roller ball to help concentrate when you\u2019ve got to prepare a big project for work or study for an exam (kids over 12 can benefit from it too).<\/p>\n
Nutmeg essential oil doesn\u2019t have to be taken internally to improve your digestion. You can add a few drops to your bath water to fight flatulence, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation. Also, nutmeg essential oil can be added to a carrier oil and massaged on the abdomen for the same effects. Some people find that inhaling nutmeg essential oil can also help quell motion sickness.<\/p>\n
If you enjoy making homemade perfumes, colognes, and aftershave lotions with citrus scents, you may find those light citrus top notes dissipating too rapidly. Borrow a solution from the perfume industry, and use nutmeg essential oil to help hold citrus aromas on your products longer. An added drop or two of nutmeg essential oil can give orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, mandarin, and petitgrain scents staying power.<\/p>\n
Nutmeg is a classic fall and holiday flavor, and it is a critical ingredient in pumpkin pie spice (see recipe, below). If you don\u2019t have ground nutmeg on hand, you can use nutmeg essential oil in baking and beverage recipes (just remember, a little goes a long way). Nutmeg adds complexity to spice combinations, and while it is often associated with traditional American cuisine, it has been used in both sweet and savory Indian food for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n
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Here are some nutmeg essential oil scent diffuser combinations to try for fun:<\/p>\n
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Nutmeg essential oil is generally non-sensitizing. Though if you have never used essential oils before, or if you have had a reaction to any essential oil, try a patch test on a small area of skin first before using nutmeg essential oil on your entire body.<\/p>\n
Also, avoid nutmeg essential oil if you have an allergy to limonene, a chemical component of nutmeg and also found in citrus essential oils.<\/p>\n
Because of its potency, a little nutmeg essential oil goes a long way. Be aware that nutmeg essential oil can be toxic at high doses (remember its relationship to mace). It\u2019s best to only use nutmeg essential oil with children over the age of 12.<\/p>\n
Always dilute nutmeg essential oil with a carrier oil, like jojoba oil, olive oil, or coconut oil, before applying it to your skin. Keep nutmeg essential oil away from the eyes, nose, and mucous membranes.<\/p>\n
If you are pregnant or nursing, or if you are trying to become pregnant, avoid nutmeg essential oil. Nutmeg essential oil may cause miscarriage or bleeding problems.<\/p>\n
Avoid nutmeg essential oil if you suffer from seizures.<\/p>\n
Be careful to take nutmeg essential oil internally only in tiny quantities. When in doubt, consult your healthcare professional first.<\/p>\n
Nutmeg essential oil\u2019s warm, spicy aroma makes a perfect middle note in layered scents, and it blends well with many other essential oils:<\/p>\n
You may have a jar of nutmeg spice in your pantry, but did you know this common flavoring agent is also a great essential oil for aromatherapy and wellness uses? Read on to learn more about nutmeg – once the most prized spice on the international market and was traded for what is now the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentialoilsanctuary.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}