संस्कृत नाम- जातीपत्री
Botanical name - Myristica fragrans
Description - Myristica fragrans, is a moderate sized, aromatic evergreen tree with greyish-black, longitudinally fissured bark. Simple leaves, elliptic or oblong- lanceolate, Shiny, coriaceous. Flowers in umbellate cymes, fragrant, creamy yellow, Staminal column of Male flowers stalked, ovary of female flowers sessile. Fruits yellow, broadly pyriform, fleshy pericarp, splitting into two halves at maturity. Seeds oblong, shiny testa, yellowish red oril, irregularly lobed, extending to the apex of the seed.
Chemical_Constituents- Bark and leaves contain volatile oil. Stem contains tannin mucilage complex. Fruit contains glyceryl trimyristate, myristicin, methyleugenol, elemicin and others; rind contains acid and vitamin A. Arils contain lignan - macelignan, acyclic bis-phenylpropanoids, fragransins, nectandrin B, verrucosin. Mace contains lignans - fragransol A, B, fragransin DI-D3, E, Austrobailignan-7, volatile oil and amylodextrin, also a fat. Nutmeg and mace yields oil consisting of myristicin. Seeds contain licorin-B, seven dimeric phenylpropanoids (I-VII). Kernels contain fat.
Uses - Source of Nutmeg and Mace. Used in inflammations of bladder and urinary passages. Nutmeg butter or fat - mild stimulant in ointments, lotions, used in rheumatism, sprains and paralysis. Also used as a sedative, along with sexuval tonics. Used in Asthma, diabetes, cough, dyspepsia, dysentery, abdominal pain .