This article was first published in The Skeptical Inquirer.
At high enough concentrations? Yes, nutmeg really can be a hallucinogen, creating effects similar to MDMA compounds. It owes its psychoactive side effects to myristicin, an anticholinergic (it blocks the action of a neurotransmitter acetylcholine). There is also some potential effect from another compound in nutmeg—elemicin, which also has anticholinergic-like effects. Symptoms include hallucinations, vomiting, dizziness, and sleepiness. Intoxication takes several hours to reach maximum effect, and the effects may last for days.
So how much nutmeg is too much nutmeg? The minimum dosage that can cause a psychogenic effect is around five grams of ground nutmeg, which contains one to two mg of myristicin. So, unless you’re using some seriously unconventional recipes, you should be fine.
