Nutmeg Smoking Hazards

Nutmeg is a spice derived from the myristica plant that is known for its sweet, warm flavor, used most commonly in baked goods. Baking is not the only way nutmeg can be used, however. Recreational drug users have been known to sprinkle ground nutmeg over catnip and smoke it as they would marijuana. A large dose of nutmeg is necessary to promote the feeling of being high, which can be dangerous because ingesting the amount equal to one full nutmeg or more can be lethal.

Spike in Popularity

• According to the Connecticut Poison Control Centers, the use of nutmeg as a way to obtain a legal high comes in waves. Cases of people calling Poison Control to report unpleasant reactions to the use of nutmeg occur in clusters as friends share their experiences, and word spreads. After a while these calls taper off for several years, until the use of the substance becomes popular once more. Reported surges of nutmeg use occurred in the early 1900s and again in the 1960s. In 2010 there were at least 67 reported cases of exposure to high doses of nutmeg.

Mild Side Effects

• The side effects of smoking nutmeg last for several days. These effects include nausea and vomiting, dehydration, achy body, heart palpitations, tiredness, convulsions and hallucinations. The effects of nutmeg may begin with chills, followed by several hours of vomiting and hallucinations. The next day, a nutmeg smoker might begin to experience dry mouth, dizziness, light-headedness and depression. The long-term effects of smoking nutmeg are unknown, though the fact that hallucinations occur leads scientists to believe that psychiatric conditions are a possibility.

Mental Health

• Studies have shown that the ingestion of five to 15 grams of nutmeg (or one to three whole nutmegs) causes hallucinations. In one case, a man suffering from mental side effects from nutmeg overdose entered the hospital dirty and disheveled, his speech was unpredictable and unreliable, and he appeared to be experiencing intermittent hallucinations. He believed he was going to die, though routine blood tests and brain scans showed nothing out of the ordinary. Though scientists are still uncertain, some speculate that the myristician in nutmeg causes this reaction.

Death by Nutmeg

• At least one case of death due to an overdose of nutmeg has been recorded. The death occurred after an 8-year-old boy ingested two nutmegs. He collapsed shortly thereafter. The child remained in a coma for 20 hours before dying. While the boy was not smoking the nutmeg, and his small size must be taken into account, it indicates that nutmeg can have potentially serious effects at high doses. Studies using animals such as rabbits, frogs and cats showed depression, coma and death as common side effects.