John Myers
Nutmeg can have an intoxicating effect and be poisonous from a quantity of around five grams. However, you would have to eat one or two whole nuts for this. From three whole nutmegs, the spice can be life-threatening for adults, for children from two nuts.
The ingredient myristicin converts to amphetamine in the liver, so the nutmeg can cause hallucinations from the amounts mentioned. Other intoxicating substances in nutmeg are elemicin and safrole. They can lead to euphoria, speech disorders, and drowsiness, and there are also symptoms of poisoning such as headaches and stomach aches, dry mouth, tachycardia, nausea, and vomiting.
To be safe, whole nutmegs should always be kept out of the reach of children. When used normally as a spice, it is difficult to accidentally overdose on grated nutmeg to cause symptoms of poisoning. If too much of the spice does end up in the saucepan, the acrid, unpleasant taste usually prevents you from eating too much of it. In small doses, however, nutmeg refines mashed potatoes, gratins, vegetables and sauces.
