Botanical Name : Myristica fragrans Houtt.
Family : Myristicaceae
Introduction :
Jatiphala is used along with Chandana for external application . Nutmeg plants make up the family Myristicaceae. The most common nutmeg tree is classified as Myristica fragans.
Names in different Indian languages :
English : Nutmeg,Mace
Hindi : Jay ka pet,jayphal
Kannada : Jalikay
Malayalam : Jati,jatikamaram
Sanskrit : Jati,Jaatiphala
Tamil : Jaathikkai,Saadikai(nutmeg);Saadippatthiri,
Telugu : jajikaya
Unani : Jauzbuwaa (seed), Bisbaasaa(mace)
Synonyms :
Jaatishasya, Maalatiphala (seed kernel). Jaatipatri, Jaatipatra, Jaatipatraka, Jaatikosha (mace).
Morphology :
Evergreen aromatic tree, usually dioecious, 9-12 m high.
Bark— greyish-black.
Leaves— Coriaceous, elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, deep green above and greyish beneath, redish-grey when ripe.
Flowers— creamy-yellow, fragrant, borne in umbellate cyrnes.
Fruits— globose or broadly pyriform, 6-9 cm long, pear shaped, glabrous, often drooping, yellow; pericarp fleshy, 1.25 cm thick, splitting into two halves when mature.
Seed— arillate, albuminous, broadly ovoid, with a shell-like purplish-brown testa; aril fleshy, laciniate, red.
Distribution & Habitat :
Native of Moluccas. Grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Nilgiris and West Bengal.
Chemical Constituents :
licarin-B, dehydro diisoeugenol, beta-pinene, terpinene, safrole, methyleugenol, myristicin,
elemicin, trimyristin, dihydro-disoeugenol, myristic acid, epicatechin, cyanadin, nectandrin B, verrucosin; lignans and neolignans etc.
Medicinal uses :
External uses: Analgesic, stimulant and deodorant. Its paste is used in headache. arthralgia. Ointment is used as deodorant and an analgesic in skin diseases. Its oil is used for massage in cases of cold and skin laxity. In impotency, nutmeg oil is applied on the penis and then betel eaves are tied over it. Its powder is applied oil foul smelling wounds. In case of common cold and fever of children, nutmeg oil is applied on the Forehead. Nutmeg and dry ginger power in water alleviate headache due to common cold. In diarrhoea, powder is applied on the umbilicus.
Internal Use :
Central nervous system : It analgesic and vatashamak. Excessive dose is intoxicant. The actions of camphor and nutmeg on brain are similar. It is useful in insomnia. It also alleviates vata disorders like pain, convulsions etc.
Digestive system : Nutmeg reduces bad breath temporarily. It improves the taste, It is a stimulant. an appetizer, digestive, liver stimulant, carminative, astringent and anthelmintic. Hence it is used along with other medicines in anorexia. indigestion, liver disorders, diarrhoea, colitis and helminthiasis. It reduces the foul smell and blackness of stools. Nutmeg is given in excessive thirst and emesis. In cholera, water boiled with nutmeg is used (after cooling).
Circulatory system : Low dose acts as a circulatory stimulant, Respiratory system : Being an expectorant and kaphaghna, it helps in chronic rhinitis. cough, dyspnoea, hiccoughs.
Reproductive system : Being an aphrodisiac and stimulant of menstruation, it is used in impotency and premature ejaculation. It is also used in dysmenorrhoea.
Temperature Nutmeg is used when fever and diarrhoea occur simultaneously.
Satmikaran : it is used as a tonic in post diarrhoeal weakness and post- sprue debility.
Part used : Nutmeg, mace.
Important Yogas or Formations :
Jatiphaladi churna, Jatiphaladiguti.
Srotogamitva:
Dosha : Kaphavataghna.
Dhatu: Ashti, majja, shukra
Mala : Purisha (astringent), anthelmintic,
Organ : Heart.
