Nutmeg essential oil is steam distilled from the dried seeds produced by the tropical nutmeg tree. The tree is known botanically as Myristica fragrans syn. M. officinalis, M. oromata and Nux moschata.
Nutmeg oil is good for the treatment of arthritis, bacterial infections, bad circulation, digestive tract conditions, inflammation, menstrual troubles, pain, tension, anxiety, stress and sore muscles. This essential oil has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, bactericidal, carminative, digestive, emmenagogue, laxative, parturient, relaxant, sedative, stimulant and tonic therapeutic properties.
1. Treat Neuralgia
Add 1 to 2 to drops of nutmeg essential oil to 1 teaspoon of a carrier oil and apply a few drops of the blend to areas affected by neuralgia. You can also add 4 to 6 drops of the nutmeg oil/carrier oil blend to your bathwater for all-over relief of nerve pain and inflammation.
Use a lighter carrier oil for bath oil blends. Abyssinian oil, grapeseed oil and rosehip seed oil are nice, light carrier oils that are ideal for use as bath oils.
2. Improve Circulation
Blend 1 to 2 drops of nutmeg essential oil into 1 teaspoon of carrier oil. Apply the oil to the chest then the legs and arms or any other areas of the body where poor circulation is a problem.
3. Get Relief from Arthritis
Apply a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend to painful, arthritic joints to get relief from pain and inflammation. Nutmeg oil’s analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic therapeutic properties will provide quick relief. A 1% to 2% nutmeg oil blend can be used two to three times a day as necessary.
4. Treat Gout
Use the 1% to 2% nutmeg EO/carrier oil blend to alleviate gout pain and inflammation. You can also add rosemary essential oil to the blend. Mix 1 to 2 drops of nutmeg and 2 to 4 drops of rosemary essential oil to 1 teaspoon of carrier oil for quick and effective gout relief.
**BE VERY CAUTIOUS WITH NUTMEG OIL!**
*Using too much, either topically or through inhalation can over-stimulate or depress the central nervous system. Hallucinations, delirium, excessive sleepiness, convulsions, nausea, vomiting and visual impairment have occurred when too much of this oil was used.*
Important Note: Whatever you choose for an oil, make sure that the oils you purchase are high quality. Remember, you’re breathing this oil into your lungs so essential oil quality is a terrible place to cut corners.
5. Alleviate Symptoms of Raynaud’s
Apply a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend to the skin to alleviate symptoms of Raynaud’s disease. Its ability to relieve pain and increase circulation can help. You can also add 4 to 6 drops of nutmeg bath oil to a hot bath for a relaxing, symptom-improving soak.
Don’t hesitate to blend nutmeg essential oil with other essential oils to make it even more effective. A blend of 1 drop each of nutmeg oil and copaiba balsam oil with 2 drops of carrot seed oil in Abyssinian oil, grapeseed oil or rosehip seed oil would work well. A blend including nutmeg, lavender oil and geranium essential oil in a carrier oil would also be very effective for the treatment of Raynaud’s symptoms.
6. Calm Anxiety and Nervousness
Practice nutmeg essential oil aromatherapy to calm anxiety and nervousness. It will quickly soothe and relax you. Simply add 4 to 6 drops of nutmeg oil to your diffuser, along with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled water, and run the diffuser for 30 to 60 minutes at a time.
Nutmeg essential oil has a wonderful, spicy-woody fragrance on its own, but you can certainly add other relaxing essential oils to the diffuser, if you prefer a more complex fragrance. Copaiba balsam essential oil is very relaxing and adds a fresh, woodsy fragrance. Lavender essential oil and clary sage essential oil are also very soothing.
All of these essential oils can be used together. Be cautious until you figure out what works best. These oils are known to have a relaxing or sedative effect. Experiment with the blend when you don’t need to drive anywhere or be on your toes for a few hours, just in case they make you too sleepy.
7. Improve Mental Clarity
Enjoy 30 to 60 minutes of nutmeg essential oil aromatherapy to improve mental clarity and cognitive function. If you have an important meeting coming up or you are up against a deadline, take a 15- to 30- minute nutmeg aromatherapy break so you will be sharp as a tack. You can also just take a few deep inhales from the bottle, if you don’t have time for aromatherapy.
*A 1% to 2% dilution rate (1 to 2 drops of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil) is generally fine for nutmeg oil that contains a low percentage of safrole and methyleugenol. If the nutmeg oil you are using contains over 3% safrole and 1% methyleugenol, you shouldn’t use more than 1 drop per teaspoon of carrier oil.*
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8. Alleviate Fatigue
Practice nutmeg oil aromatherapy to put a little pep in your step when you are feeling tired and rundown. It will improve alertness and help you feel rejuvenated.
9. Improve Digestion
Add 4 to 6 drops of nutmeg essential oil bath oil to a hot bath and take a long, relaxing soak to enhance digestion. You can also massage your abdomen with a 1% to 2% nutmeg EO/carrier oil blend for this benefit. Diffusing nutmeg oil while you eat improves the digestive process, too.
10. Boost your Metabolism
Practice nutmeg aromatherapy to improve your metabolic functions or metabolism. Enhancing the digestive process and circulation naturally get your metabolism going.
11. Stimulate your Appetite
Add 4 to 6 drops of nutmeg essential oil to your diffuser and turn it on in the room where you intend to have a meal about 10 to 15 minutes before you sit down to eat. Leave the diffuser on until you finish eating. The nutmeg vapors will naturally stimulate a sluggish appetite.
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12. Get Relief from Indigestion
Massage the abdomen and lower back with a 1% to 2% nutmeg EO/carrier oil blend for relief from indigestion, constipation and abdominal cramps. Aromatherapy or a hot nutmeg oil bath can also give relief.
13. Alleviate Nausea, Vomiting and Diarrhea
Practice nutmeg essential oil aromatherapy to alleviate nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A hot nutmeg oil bath or abdominal massage can also provide relief.
14. Ease Gallstone Discomfort
Take a hot nutmeg oil bath or massage the abdomen with a 1% to 2% nutmeg EO/carrier oil blend for relief from the discomforts caused by gallstones. Gently massage the upper right abdominal area. This is where the gallbladder is. You can continue down the rest of the abdomen for further symptom relief.
15. Improve Liver Function
Practice nutmeg aromatherapy to stimulate and detox the liver. You can also massage a 1% to 2% nutmeg/carrier oil blend into your upper right abdomen for this benefit.
*Put a drop of a 1% to 2% nutmeg oil/carrier oil blend on your skin in an inconspicuous area and wait a few hours to test for skin sensitivity.*
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16. Treat Kidney Stones and Infections
Use the 1% to 2% nutmeg EO/carrier oil blend to massage the abdomen and lower back for relief from painful kidney stones and infections. Its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties will ease your discomfort and help fight bacterial infections.
17. Improve Adrenal Health
Apply a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend on your back just above your waistline and kidneys to improve adrenal health. Nutmeg aromatherapy is also beneficial for the adrenal glands.
Other essential oils that you can add to the diffuser or adrenal massage oil include clary sage oil, rosemary oil and lavender oil. Just 1 or 2 drops of each in the diffuser is all you’ll need. You can also add these oils to your nutmeg massage oil.
**Do not use nutmeg essential oil to treat children under six years of age.**
18. Support your Immune System
Practice nutmeg oil aromatherapy for 30 to 60 minutes at a time or apply the 1% to 2% nutmeg/carrier oil blend to your skin to support your immune system. Apply it in the same way you would for adrenal gland health.
19. Treat or Prevent Bacterial Infections
Use a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend to treat or prevent bacterial infections in wounds and sores. Its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties will alleviate discomfort and kill the bacteria.
20. Soothe Muscle Aches and Cramps
Massage a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend into sore, achy or crampy muscles for quick relief. Nutmeg’s antispasmodic properties will stop muscle spasms while its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties relieve the pain and inflammation. A 1% to 2% nutmeg oil can be used two to three times a day on sore muscles.
*Nutmeg essential oil should only be used when working very closely with a trained aromatherapist or medical practitioner if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or using it to treat a young child that is six years old or older.*
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21. Relieve Joint Pain
Apply a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend to sore, achy joints. A chemical compound called myristicin, which is found in nutmeg essential oil, has been clinically proven to reduce inflammation. The oil’s analgesic properties will help alleviate joint pain.
22. Get Rid of Bad Breath
Add 1 drop of nutmeg essential oil to an 8-ounce glass of warm water. Gargle with the solution after meals or anytime to freshen your breath. The nutmeg oil will kill the bacteria that causes bad breath.
23. Alleviate PMS and Menstrual Cramps
Massage a 1% to 2% nutmeg essential oil/carrier oil blend into the lower abdomen and lower back for relief from PMS symptoms like irritability and fatigue as well as menstrual cramping. You can apply it two to three times a day, if needed. Nutmeg aromatherapy can also provide relief.
24. Improve Menstrual Regularity
Apply the 1% to 2% nutmeg EO/carrier oil to the lower abdomen and lower back to improve menstrual regularity. Its natural emmenagogue properties are excellent for this.
25. Get a Good Night’s Rest
Massage a 1% to 2% nutmeg oil/carrier oil blend into your chest, shoulders, neck and temples to help you relax and get a good night’s rest. A 30- to 60-minute nutmeg aromatherapy session or a hot bath with nutmeg bath oil added to the water will also help you to fall asleep more quickly. What also helps is just better sleeping gear. Make sure you have the right mattress for your sleeping habits and the right pillow for your spinal alignment.
Was this list helpful to you? Nutmeg is such a useful spice oil, it should be in every essential oil collection, just like the spice is in nearly every cook’s cupboard. Just be sure to check the safrole and methyleugenol content before you begin using the nutmeg oil you purchase and adjust the dilution rates accordingly.
Please leave a comment to let me know if this list helped and share your own experiences with nutmeg essential oil, if you have already used it. We can all learn from each other’s experience and keep adding to the on-going list of its great uses. Be sure to share, too, so that others can become aware of all of this oil’s great therapeutic benefits.
References:
1. Hopewell: Nutmeg Oil
2. Ayurvedic Oils: Nutmeg Essential Oil
http://ayurvedicoils.com/tag/ayurvedic-health-benefits-of-nutmeg-essential-oil
3. Organic Facts: 18 Best Benefits of Nutmeg Essential Oil
4. Mercola: If You Enjoy the Taste of Nutmeg, You’ll Probably Love its Essential Oil, too