Eating too much nutmeg can be dangerous, uncomfortable

By Matt Cantor, Newswer

A dusting of nutmeg on your eggnog won’t send you to the hospital—but a couple of tablespoons of the stuff might lead to a very unhappy experience. Nutmeg has long been known to have some dangerous effects. It was believed to be poisonous enough to induce abortions in the Middle Ages, the New York Times reports, and some young people are known to abuse it today. There’s a history behind such use, the Atlantic has pointed out: Nutmeg’s effects on the mind have been acknowledged since the 12th century. The spice contains two chemicals, myristicin and safrole, that are used in various illegal synthetic drugs. Knowing that, “a junior chemist” consuming the spice “might think that you are going to end up with a similar effect,” says an expert.

What that junior chemist could find, however, is that taking too much of the spice leads to…