Nutmeg essential oil: a spice that calls for a light touch

A pinch grated over mashed potatoes or a gratin, and the kitchen smells like home. Nutmeg is one of those spices you could recognise with your eyes closed. Its essential oil, however, is a concentrate on a completely different scale from the spice in your cupboard: it belongs to the world of fragrance, not cooking.

What is nutmeg?

The nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, is an evergreen tropical tree native to the Banda Islands in Indonesia's Moluccas. Its fruit holds a seed, the nutmeg, wrapped in a delicate red lattice known as mace. For centuries, these two spices were among the most sought-after goods in the trade between Asia and Europe.

According to the product sheet, our organic nutmeg essential oil comes in a 10 ml bottle and is intended for aromatherapy preparations. The item Nutmeg EO is described as having a warm, spicy scent. To understand why some oils are used more sparingly than others, read our guide to essential oil families.

How to use it

Our druggist keeps it for highly diluted aromatic use, to bring a spicy scent and a cosy atmosphere. It rarely plays solo: it works best as an accent in a blend.

• One drop, no more, added to a diffuser blend based on gentler oils such as sweet orange or mandarin: the result has a festive, end-of-year feel.
• Short sessions of about ten minutes in a large, well-aired room, with no children or pets present.
• A winter potpourri: one drop on dried orange peel, cinnamon sticks and pine cones in a bowl, out of children's reach.
• For any use on the skin or any home-made preparation, talk to us first: we will tell you whether it is suitable and at what dilution.

What about cooking?

Keep the whole nut and the grater for your dishes. The essential oil is not meant for flavouring food or drinks, nor for swallowing.

Precautions

Powerful: measure precisely. Not for internal use, never apply neat, avoid contact with the eyes. Seek advice before any use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, for children or if you are under medical care. Choose short, well-spaced diffusion sessions. Keep the bottle tightly closed, away from light and out of children's reach.

Our products

• Nutmeg EO – warm, spicy scent.
• Organic nutmeg EO, 10 ml – from organic farming, for aromatherapy preparations.

Come and smell it

Nutmeg is an accent oil: well measured, it warms a blend and gives it depth. To put together a balanced winter atmosphere, or to find out whether it suits your plans, visit Droguerie Perusset in Yverdon-les-Bains: we will take the time to advise you.