Killing yourself with nutmeg
DON’T. TRY. TO. GET. HIGH. ON. NUTMEG.
You will not enjoy it, and you could easily hurt yourself.
I am quite fond of nutmeg, and I use it regularly in my cooking. With this being the Christmas season, I’m drinking eggnog; probably more than I should, judging by its nutritional profile. To this, of course, I add nutmeg.
Perhaps too much nutmeg. Tonight I decided to have a cup full and began grating a nutmeg into it. Soon the cup contained half a grated nutmeg. I stirred it, added a small splash of brandy, and began sipping it. Halfway through the cup it occurred to me that this could be a very dumb idea: I knew nutmeg could be hallucinogenic or toxic in relatively small quantities (neither of which effects I wanted), but I had no idea what “small” meant. A gram? 10 grams? 50 grams? I put down the eggnog and performed a Google search for “ld50 nutmeg”. LD50 is a term that denotes the fatal level of consumption for fifty percent of the population (that is, if you have a group of one hundred people and give each of them the LD50 of a substance, around fifty of them will die.) A very cool article debunking nutritional toxicology scares (showing that “natural” ingredients could be far more hazardous than “artificial” ingredients) that I read four years ago got me convinced that the LD50s of many common substances are well within reach.
So, to begin with, how much had I injested? I had three nutmegs left, and weighed them on the finest-precision scale available to me, my postal scale. The three nutmegs came in at a third of an ounce (or around 10 grams) total. That meant that each nutmeg was a little over 3 grams, half a nutmeg was between 1.5 and 2 grams, and half a cup of eggnog containing half a nutmeg delivered under a gram of nutmeg, total. I found a webpage that read “Even though there have been cases of narcosis and collapse with just one whole nutmeg, people universally use nutmeg as food seasoning.” This was not particularly good news. The next source was also not very positive (intriguingly, this is from a book entitled Legal Highs: A Concise Encyclopedia of Legal Herbs and Chemicals with Psychoactive Properties by one Adam Gottlieb, self-proclaimed 20th Century Alchemist. This is an interesting counterpoint to my position: I’m trying to make sure that I didn’t do something very stupid and injest dangerous amounts of a substance while using it for flavoring, while there are apparently people who want to know if they can use it as a psychotropic drug without injesting dangerous amounts.)
“Possible nausea during first hour; may cause vomiting or diarrhea in isolated cases. Takes anywhere from one to five hours for effects to set in. Then expect severe cottonmouth, flushing of skin, severely bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils. [...] “Intense sedation”. Impaired speech and motor functions. Hallucinations uncommon in average (5-10 gm) doses. Generally followed by long, deep, almost coma-like sleep (expect 16 hours of sleep afterward) and feelings of lethargy after sleep. [...] Safrole is carcinogenic and toxic to the liver.”
So, bad things can happen, and I was unsure how exactly to interpret this paragraph. “Hallucinations are uncommon in average [...] doses”, but what about the other effects? Common? Do they set in at a lower threshold than the hallucination? The final source I found said this:
“The perceptible dose is 5 to 15 grams (1 to 3 ground nutmeg seeds). It is a carminative in a dose of 0.03 mL. It is used as a hallucinogen in doses of 2-4 teaspoonfuls or greater than 2 whole nutmeg or 18 grams of fresh ground nutmeg. Effects begin in 3 to 6 hours but may be delayed 8 hours after ingestion and the duration is up to 60 hours. Effects are similar to LSD. Toxicity produces dry mouth, GI upset, abdominal pain, agitation, tremors, feeling of impending doom, delirium, psychosis, and coma. It is reported to produce miosis or mydriasis, hypothermia, hypotension. Cardiovascular effects including chest pain, palpitations and mild hypertension have been reported. One fatality reported in an 8 year old boy who ingested 14 grams was reported in 1908. Severe reactions with shock, hypotension, cyanosis and hypothermia may occur with very large amounts .” I had to look up carminative, miosis, and mydriasis, by the way.
OK, we finally have a definition of the perceptible dose, which is a factor of 4 to 12 above what I injested. So it looks like I’m in the clear, although this safety margin is significantly lower than I would like.
Do we need a moral here? Don’t be an idiot like me: many herbs and spices contain dangerous chemicals in significant amounts. Significant increases in their culinary usage should probably be investigated before ingestion, not after.
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April 17th, 2006 at 19h32
[...] This is the article on nutritional toxicology that I mentioned earlier. The key passage: “Toxicology today possesses the means to incriminate any substance to which it cares to devote sufficient testing. This science can indict any substance if it has the inclination.” [...]
June 9th, 2006 at 03h19
Hi, i would agree with nearly everything in this article, i have tried Nutmeg before about a month ago, im 16. The reason why i did it was becuase it was legal to buy, it was said to give such effects of the drug ‘speed’, LSD, and it seems like everyones writen statements of the effect where all nealry different. Me and my mate brought 25grams of nutmeg which was 5 whole nutmegs (fresh) each containing 5grams each. my friend grinded all of the nutmeg up, and the next day, at lunch time, we both consumed (ramdom tablespoon amounts) problery 5 grams.
The method we used was mix the fresh grinded nutmeg in water, stir, then down the drink as fast as possible. At the time, i was shaking becuase i wasn’t really sure what was going to happen to me. We timed it right that in 6 hours time (which at the time we had read it takes to kick in) would be the time we were out at night walking and talking to the streets. After we got back from school, we both took some more Nutmeg, this time i problery did 5-7grams, this time i neally puked.
Very quickly my eyes becasue blood shotted, and quite dry, and so was my mouth and throut.
Me and my friend then watched “fear and loathing to las vagas” which at the time fully mucked up my head, as the nutmeg made me quite dizzy (not sick dizzy) and really tired. The film lasted for ages it seemed. I only slightly remember going out of the house, and some main parts on our adventure in our city. My imagination was over the limit, this one point, on a shop wall, there were like lines on it, and my friends told me that i was saying that i thought it was a gun point, where in the second world war, they used to shoot out of at the tanks on the other side of the road. It all got slightly weird after that, can’t rememeber, but at the time i was having fun.
Some how we got home, we walked home some time pffft… dunno, and i rememeber just sitting on the arm chair, and when i closed my eyes, it felt that my body was moving, not me thinking im moving, but i kept werving side to side, and i couldn’t stop my self.
I woke up next morning, we the suprise that i though i didn’t go to bed, i felt fine lining in bed, but as i got out, my whole face went complete num. It was the weirdest feeling EVER. i didn’t eat or drink much as my friend stated that you don’t want to eat/drink much incase it has a chemical reaction to nutmeg. So i couldn’t sick, so i didn’t feel sick.
My experiance of nutmeg was alright, as that if i got court by the police, then they couldn’t arrest me becuase they would of though i that i have been taking weed or something, but no its nutmeg.
Im not sure if i will take it agian, the good thing about it that it makes your feel weird, its legal, cheap and you don’t smoke it…
the BAD things about it is that the effects are still vary with people to people, some people have been in coma’s becuase of it, had fits, Nutmeg is a poison too at high levels, the dye eyes and mouth was quite irratating, but i could of got some eye drops or something.
To be honest, who ever reads this, i don’t think you should take Nutmeg, just leave it out, it’s not worth the pain for the effect it gives. I tierd it becuase well, im slightly stupid, but i have that “i’ve tried it, and got high off it” under my belt.
Just like to point out that im not a druggy, i have only taken one puff of weed before, it was stupid, becuase the effect was limited, i got drunk twice, and thats with a 2 year gap, so now you know where you stand with the nutmeg. Becuase my other mate, who is quite into his shit took 25 grams of Nutmeg, and it had no effect on him, im not sure that the shit he has taken got his body up a level which shitty drugs like Nutmeg just doesn’t make an effect or was it his size, i don’t know, but its not worht the coma.
so my english is not up to standards, but i thought i would share my expericance online to other who are thinking about nutmeg. Hope you learnt something from me and if you want any questions just email me and d4rk.z3r0n3@gmail.com, thanks
September 13th, 2006 at 07h57
Hey is it anything like Trilpe-C
September 13th, 2006 at 07h57
(Coricidin Cough and Cold)
April 24th, 2007 at 14h51
[...] This is the article on nutritional toxicology that I mentioned earlier. The key passage: “Toxicology today possesses the means to incriminate any substance to which it cares to devote sufficient testing. This science can indict any substance if it has the inclination.” [...]
July 23rd, 2007 at 12h42
Umm….
U need to chill out. Its just nutmeg. You’ll have to eat like 25g or maybe 8-10 whole nuts to make yourself really get physically ill or ‘trip balls’ if thats what you’re into.
On to that other post….
Watching fear and loathing while tripping, like watching any movie while tripping, seems kind of silly to me. Once I was on mushrooms and watched Star Wars Episode 2…it was a waste of time and felt very plastic and artificial as an experience. Vision quests are to be a self-driven experience, possibly with a friend or shaman as a guide. Being led around through someone else’s plot line might get you confused or upset, or worse; you might waste a good opportunity to grow spiritually.
(one exception may be Dark Side of Oz or other video/music combinations, since you get to take away from it whatever metaphors work best for you personally.)
I think if people want to trip on nutmeg and approach it patiently, cautiously at initially low doses, they should.
December 1st, 2007 at 11h30
i took about 7 table spoon of it in about 4 hours ..
my experience was beyond what i read on the internet …
my trip was SOO intense and severe … that … i can proudly say that the the English language limits my explanation of it
i suggest non of you take this stupid ussles drugg
and just stick to cronic … aka pot …
its better .. funner … easier to get into the blood and everyone knows it and does it
December 18th, 2007 at 00h13
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February 14th, 2008 at 02h53
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July 29th, 2008 at 01h15
i ate maybe 1 nut after drinking one night and woke up the next morning after sleeping 12 hours in the worst state. i was in the washroom guzzling water and couldn’t throw up or go to the bathroom. i was boiling hot and feverish. i woke up on the bathroom floor with a huge bruise on my head. i just read the side effects and they were bang on. bad idea..
August 15th, 2008 at 18h10
me and my 3rd oldest brother dont get along. he hates me because i’m the screw-up in the family and he’s the good guy but my parents and other brothers love and respect me more because i stoped all the evil ways to get a good career, so i could help out my parents with their house. my 3rd oldest brother been cooking everyday for the family for the last month and a half. everything he cooks smells great and tastes good,but he doesn’t eat himself. we been getting into alot of pretty bad fights for the last 4 to 5 months. everyone in my family been getting pretty sick in the last month, but him. ever since he’s been cooking i have seen him grind up 1 or 2 whole pieces of nutmeg into every dish. my 3rd oldest brother met up with this new friend of his a.k.a. his meth dealer about 3 months ago but doesn’t know that his new friend was once one of my crime’meez. my old crime’mee called me and told me to watch out for my brother because he smoked out my brother and my brother told him he was ploting to poison someone
January 9th, 2009 at 22h22
We can do stupid things in our life. Like me, I ate like, 3 tablespoons of ground nutmeg and I didn’t know how dangerous it could be. I’m 14.
I guess at first it hadn’t started to effect me because about an hour later I went to bed and slept normally. I wonder if being asleep helped reduce the effects of it? Didn’t seem like it, I woke up feeling awful but didn’t have a care in the world. Except that I was going out shopping with my mother, but I just laughed at myself and continued trying to make myself feel better. I drank A LOT. I mean, like, 16 glasses of water. Maybe more. But that’s because of the damage being done to my kidneys.
So I went out shopping with my mum, I couldn’t help but tell her about what I did and how I felt. I can trust her very well. I looked in the mirror, my eyes were bloodshot and I felt drowsy but not really lethargic. My speech was extremely impaired, I felt like being drunk and having a double hangover at the same time.
Apart from my communication difficulties I performed pretty well.
At the end of the day (I was home alone) and I was still drinking large amounts of water but I was feeling noticeably better every few hours. I was feeling anxious and shivering and shaking a bit before my mother had phoned me. She googled the effects of nutmeg (trusting her) and read what I didn’t see before. She told me that I would have to go to the hospital, and with a lot of worry and frustration I gave in to the fact that I should see someone. So, the ambulance came and they had no idea about the toxic effects of nutmeg. They were just like “Nutmeg, isn’t that a spice?” so they phoned the poison center and took me to the hospital (dumbasses, well I guess I’m not one to talk).
I had a very high heart rate but my blood test results were fine, I was very happy with that. After being on a drip for the long and nearly sleepless night everything was back to normal. I actually felt great after the drip so everything turned out to be a positive experience in the end. I don’t suggest you do it though because it could be even more serious.
It would have still damaged my organs and had some long term effects. I’m not sure if I should worry greatly about the fact that I regularly feel short of breath, that’s what I’m trying to find information about.
June 22nd, 2009 at 11h18
ok well personally i think this is shit. I read that nutmeg can make u high blah blah.. so yesterday i grated 2 whole fresh nutmegs and mixed it with a vanilla and honey smoothie.. it tastes lovely.. anyways i didnt get high at all.. felt mild nausea, and then i fell asleep and for most of the day i stayed asleep.. and then through the night until 10am this morning.. i didnt feel any hallucinations or anything like a trip.. i just felt tired and thats it.. well i have loads of aches and pains and im not producing any salvia so when i swallow its literally air which is makin my throat incredibly dry n sore.. its a load of crap!
June 22nd, 2009 at 14h18
I don’t know how I can be clearer about this, but: there are much safer highs. Even though the subject of my post was culinary usage, I cannot stress enough that this is toxic, and should be avoided in dosages recommended for recreational use. Please be careful, everyone, and I wish visitors would read this page before they start ingesting large amounts.
November 27th, 2009 at 09h55
Fun fact: Nutmeg is a weak MAOI. So for all of those thinking about cheap legal high… Avoid cheese.
November 27th, 2009 at 20h56
Fun fact: Nutmeg is a weak MAOI.
Huh. Thank you. I had no idea.
Two things for the readers:
1. MAOIs are monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which I (unfortunately) know as someone who has been treated for depression for more than a decade. This suppresses a liver enzyme necessary to metabolize a chemical that can have toxic effects when it builds up in your system, and can be found in cheese (as mentioned), chocolate, and red wine — but if you’re likely to be eating nutmeg as a high, you’re unlikely to have legal access to red wine, either. Seriously, you can fuck yourself up.
2. You know what else can fuck you up? Trying to get high on nutmeg. Gah. Find a real hallucinogen, OK? If you’re scared of being locked up for the safest hallucinations (cannabis), go to a drugstore and buy generic “Tussin” capsules — cough suppressants. As a first-order approximation, anything that can suppress a cough reflex is going to be extremely pleasant to abuse, and while I’m not interested in the legal liability for derailing teenagers from the spice cabinet to FDA-approved cough therapies — I want to take this moment to derail teenagers from the spice cabinet to FDA-approved cough therapies. NB: Not the under-the-sink cabinet, either. Just be sure to clear 36 hours from your schedule. Yes, your parents will be able to tell if you’ve taken handfuls of DXM capsules, but they’ll be able to tell when you’ve taken large amounts of nutmeg and you (literally) start psychotically attacking everyone around you because you (literally) think the world is about to end. Or if you decide to huff, and they find you dead. Guys, this is not a joke. You get only one body, OK?
November 27th, 2009 at 21h14
You will not enjoy your attempted high, and you can easily hurt yourself.
November 29th, 2009 at 13h52
Buy salvia online from the leading supplier of the finest and fresh salvia divinorum