With alcohol one quickly receives the effect and can easily monitor the amount used. With nutmeg the effects begin very slowly, growing in intensity until about the 5th hour when they peak. Therefore one might be tempted to overdose, thinking the dosage ineffective, when the effects are imminent. That nutmeg is widely available, even in your mother’s kitchen, not to mention legal, contributes to the notion that it has no narcotic effect. Nothing could be further from the truth! Nutmeg can lay a man down as easily as alcohol. Do not enter into nutmeg thinking it is harmless or weak. Nutmeg is enormously more potent than alcohol by weight and volume.

I researched nutmeg carefully on Erowid before using. I recommend this practice to anyone. The users seem to have a consensus that 2 tablespoonfuls are the appropriate dosage to feel the narcotic effects. I myself would advise against consuming more than that, especially the first time out. I had a total of 3 tablespoonfuls of freshly ground nutmeg. Try one tablespoonful. If you happen to like the effects, then on subsequent explorations, perhaps use slightly more. Take care to avoid eating MAO inhibitors during the nutmeg session, or from mixing drugs, which may have unknown effects.

If you have already taken more than 2 tablespoonfuls as you read this, do not worry overmuch, but try to be calm and think positive thoughts. To an extent, a person can guide a drug trip into positive territory with conscious effort. Thinking calming, relaxing thoughts does help, along with plenty of water and some salted crackers.

At 7:30pm, I began my nutmeg journey by shaving a tablespoonful from a fresh nutmeg, mixing with skim milk and sugar, stirring, and drinking. (Note to those unskilled in culinary arts: one shaves a nutmeg using a file.) This simple and non-fat concoction tasted very pleasant. Felt no immediate effects. I drank plenty of water to be safe, then went for a walk in the park with a friend for about 3 miles. Again, no effects were felt.

Upon returning at about 8:30pm, I still felt no effects and decided the dose had been insufficient. I shaved my second tablespoonful of fresh nutmeg again into skim milk with sugar and drank this while watching a movie. I also ate a substantial supper composed of spagettios, pumpernickel bread and kippers, and continued drinking water.

The immediate physical effects began mid-way into the movie. First I felt a mild, controllable sense of nausea, which was countered by sitting down and not moving about, though I felt no desire to sleep. I enjoyed the movie. The nutmeg did not seem be producing any psychological effects. At some point I felt mild heat around my extremities, and not just hands and feet if you know what I mean. This was augmented about an hour later by the familiar feeling (to marijuana users) of cottonmouth. I kept a large glass of water nearby and continuously drank water throughout the entire evening to counter the cottonmouth and prevent dehydration.

These effects were unimpressive, and seeking hallucinogenic and euphoric effects, I again decided to increase dosage. I shaved about one or one-half tablespoonful (did not carefully measure this time) more nutmeg and drank. Total nutmeg consumption for this evening was about 3 tablespoonfuls, which is 9 teaspoonfuls, over the course of 2 to 3 hours.

After the movie ended, I could by this time feel a warmth on my eyes and looked in the mirror to notice they were red and bloodshot, again a very familiar experience to a marijuana user. Nutmeg’s physical effects mimic the marijuana high, but the overall effect more strongly resembles flu. I may have felt a mild sense of euphoria, primarily I suspect from the satisfaction at having succeeded in drugging myself at little cost, along with pride over my own investigation that resulted in learning about the obscure narcotic. Nutmeg is cheap, easy and completely legal. Eager anticipation of euphoria probably induced euphoria by itself—the 'Pavlov' effect. I felt little psychological effects at this point.

Around 11pm, my spouse returned home. I talked with him for a while and revealed having taken the nutmeg. It is best for close friends, those that are around you, to know of such things. My speech with him at one point became rapid and continuous, as sometimes happens during a marijuana high. But I soon became tired and lost my desire to talk. Throughout most of the nutmeg high, the desire to communicate, either listening or speaking, diminished. Nutmeg seemed to encourage withdrawal. Mostly I wanted to do my own thing, which inevitably required little of energy or effort.

After midnight, when I was lying in bed, I noticed the nutmeg intoxication increasing in intensity. This was now almost five hours since I had consumed it, and I felt alarmed at the delayed effect, now powerful, and worried that more might be in store for me. My body’s extremities were very warm, though my forehead was normal temperature, and I did not sweat. I worried about overheating. Cottonmouth now was very prevalent and very unpleasant. Unease and anxiety began to surface, worry of what would happen next. I had never tried nutmeg before nor known anyone who had. Was it possible to overdose on nutmeg? Thoughts of illness, nausea or death occurred, but I did not take these fears seriously. Instead I asserted control over my emotions, like a good Anglo-Saxon, and countered the fears with calm and pleasant alternative thoughts. This helped considerably and diminished the power of the fears, though a sense of discomfort and nervousness remained. It was impossible to stay in bed lying down. I felt too warm and the cottonmouth was too unpleasant. Breathing seemed slightly constricted and shallow. The intoxication felt more intense when lying down then sitting up. When I laid down, my body seemed much more hot than when I sat up.

Nutmeg intoxication did not seem particularly euphoric in any way or pleasing to me. This may be why nutmeg remains legal and why few people, given alternatives to nutmeg, choose nutmeg anyway. The nutmeg high more strongly resembled flu than a marijuana high as others have claimed. I felt no pleasant sensations from this drug whatsoever, though conversely, I did not feel especially bad either. Mostly feelings of unease and nervousness dominated. I felt very eager to return to normal so that I could go to sleep. Nutmeg interrupted my ability to sleep. I had consumed too much for comfort.

One interesting foot note is that during the nutmeg high’s peak, I occasionally detected movement in my peripheral vision. Upon turning my eyes to the target area, the movement would cease. This was strange, but I paid it little heed since I knew it was the nutmeg. My nervousness manifested itself in alarm at sudden noises of any kind. If the clock chimed for the hour, or the refrigerator motor stopped, I turned my head quickly and shuddered in surprise which quickly dissipated. Silence and calm felt best for me. I had fears about losing control over my actions, or at one point of ceasing to breathe. To some extent this was simply inexperience with nutmeg and fear over its effects. However I did notice a few times that I had forgotten to inhale. I would nod my head forward, doze briefly and then open my eyes and realize I needed to inhale again.

About 2:00am at the very peak of the nutmeg high, I decided to sit by my computer and play chess and masturbate to test the purported aphrodisiac properties of nutmeg. Orgasm was relatively easily achieved, though the pleasure was not in any way more intense or more satisfying. I speculate that intercourse might prove disappointing due to the lack of energy and reduced motor skills under nutmeg. I would recommend a mild (no more than 1 tablespoonful) dose of nutmeg to lovers seeking a new experience. The trouble with nutmeg is that it takes a very long time to fully activate, and users are tempted to consume more before the effects turn up.

I tried to combat the effects of the nutmeg by drinking plenty of water and eating salted crackers. This seemed to help. What probably happened is that together the water and the salt, which is a diuretic, encouraged me to urinate and pass some of the nutmeg more quickly out of my system. Engaging in one of my familiar activities, using the computer, also helped to calm me and relieve some of the anxiety I was feeling. I felt myself doing activities, like moving the mouse and clicking on Internet sites, that I always did, and that returned a feeling of normalcy to me. The paranoia may have been a function of my own mind rather than the nutmeg, though I’m not sure since other users seem to have reported similar fears. Unfamiliarity with the drug, not knowing what to expect, is probably a leading cause of the paranoia. Also, the long wait for effects to appear lulls the user into a sense of complacency, followed by surprise and alarm when the nutmeg high comes on 5 or more hours later!

After the orgasm, and by 3:30 am, I finally returned to bed and was able to sleep. Of course males tend to sleep after orgasms and this was one factor that I had in mind to begin with. I woke up by 9am. Some nutmeg users report having slept 8 – 16 hours after a nutmeg high, but perhaps they are in poor physical condition, or else used a stronger dose than I did, or combined it with MAO inhibitors or alcohol. I got by with only 5 hrs of sleep. I attribute this solely to being in excellent physical condition.

I did wake up very groggy, with eyes still red and still suffering a milder cottonmouth. Bright light made my head hurt. I find that soft light and silence are best. Talking with my spouse this morning, I again felt withdrawn and disinclined to listen to another person, though I spoke for a while, mainly about the nutmeg experience. My spouse did not approve of the nutmeg mainly because it kept me awake late, caused social withdrawal, warmed my hands so much. (Normally my hands are cold and this seemed unusual.) My motor skills seemed mildly impaired. I spilled a glass of water on the table through clumsiness. I am inclined to believe other users’ reports of trouble walking after a high dosage.

Overall, nutmeg did not seem to have much psychological effect upon me other than sedation strangely combined with nervousness. A conscious attempt to think about pleasant subjects helped. The physical effects are long-lasting cottonmouth and red eyes, heat in bodily extremities without fever or sweat, mild nausea that fades after the first several hours, and lack of energy. I will probably not take nutmeg in such a large quantity (3 tablespoonfuls) again, though I may try a smaller dose of 1 tablespoonful. Nutmeg would be very easy to overdose upon, and users’ experiences that were more unpleasant than mine probably resulted from people losing patience and thinking the nutmeg had no effect on them after only 1 – 3 hours. Nutmeg creeps up on the user about five hours after consumption. Another thing to remember is that fresh nutmeg is more potent than the already ground variety.

I do not recommend nutmeg overall. Marijuana is far more pleasant and probably safer when eaten, since from what I have read online, nutmeg contains safrole, a carcinogen that is bad for the liver. Nutmeg must not be eaten with other MAO inhibitors. I carefully avoided those foods. On this, the morning after my nutmeg high, I find that my eyes are still red and I have cottonmouth even now, at noon the next day. My extremities still feel warm. However, most of the intoxication has worn off. I am left with a feeling of sedation and lethargy. Any feelings of nervousness or unease have gone now, and I feel much more sober, though I still feel inclined to be withdrawn and avoid social contact. Quiet, calm, and avoidance of bright light seem very beneficial. I do not have a headache nor feel inclined to sleep either.

My future project will be to brew an extract of nutmeg, using the same rather simple method as TrakMan.Du suggests for Morning Glory seeds, in an attempt to avoid the unpleasant effects such as nausea and cottonmouth. I will also consume in the morning, after breakfast, so as to avoid interruption of sleep. I also plan to try Morning Glory seeds using TrakMan’s recipe, with some modifications, but that may require several days off from work in order to recuperate!

Exp Year: 2001	ExpID: 7537
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jun 19, 2003	Views: 102,591
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Nutmeg (41) : Alone (16), First Times (2)