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Senci Green Garden

African nutmeg 05 seeds (Monodora myristica) Calabash Nutmeg

African nutmeg 05 seeds (Monodora myristica) Calabash Nutmeg

Regular price $20.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $20.00 USD
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African nutmeg  seeds (Monodora myristica)

"African nutmeg is a deciduous tree with a huge, lush crown; it can grow from 10 - 35 metres tall. The bole can be up to 2 metres in diameter. The tree is particularly valued for its aromatic seed, which is used as a condiment, medicinally, and also to make rosaries and necklaces. Usually harvested from the wild, the seeds are often sold in local markets in W. Africa. The tree is also occasionally cultivated for its seeds on the Antilles and in Indonesia. A very ornamental tree with its attractive leaves and orchid-like, conspicuous and scented flowers."

Habitat
Evergreen and deciduous forest, often of riverine or lakeside fringing type; at elevations from 1,140 - 1,800 metres.
Here's the cleaned-up version of the cultivation details and uses section without the unwanted numbers and brackets:

Cultivation Details
Prefers a deep, fertile loam soil and a sheltered position in full sun or light shade. Trees seldom set fruit when cultivated because they lack the beetle that normally pollinates them in the wild.

Edible Uses
The aromatic seeds are ground into a powder then used as a condiment in food, providing a flavour resembling that of nutmeg. The seeds are embedded in a white sweet-smelling pulp of a fruit that can be 20cm long by 15cm in diameter.

Medicinal
- The bark is used to treat haemorrhoids, stomach-ache, and febrile pains.
- The bark is used in a vapour-bath as a defatigant and to relieve febrile lumbago.
- The juice expressed from the bark is used to paint over itch.
- Combined with the bark of Monodora tenuifolia, a lotion is prepared for use in various eye-troubles.
- The aromatic seeds are antiemetic, aperient, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic. They are used as a stimulating addition to medicines. Ground to a powder, they may be taken to treat digestive problems and relieve constipation.
- Applied externally in the form of a powder, or made up into an oily pomade, the seed can be applied to sores, especially those caused by the guinea-worm. It is also applied to rid the body of fleas and lice. The seeds are chewed up and applied to the forehead to relieve headaches and migraine.

Other Uses
- The seeds smell like nutmeg and are used to make aromatic necklaces and rosaries. They are also used to repel fleas and lice.
- The seeds contain 5 - 9% of a colourless essential oil consisting largely of terpenes and with a pleasant taste and smell. It is of inferior value for perfuming soap.
- The seeds contain about 35 - 36% of a reddish-brown fixed oil, of which 46.9% is linoleic acid, and 35% oleic acid. It is not of economic value.
- The white or greyish wood is hard, somewhat tough, does not split well, and is easy to work. It is suitable for carpentry and turnery, and also used for making walking sticks.

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