Mace | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Mace is the dried, lacy red aril (outer seed covering) of the nutmeg tree Myristica fragrans Houtt., closely related to nutmeg but yielding a distinct, warmer flavour profile. It is widely used as a culinary spice, flavouring agent in processed foods, beverages, and sauces, and has a long history in Ayurvedic and Unani traditional medicine.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Mace and its essential oils are GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the US FDA at culinary doses; its key bioactive compound, myristicin, can cause psychoactive and anticholinergic toxicity at high doses (e.g., a spoonful or more), with symptoms including serotonin toxicity, hallucinations, and in rare cases reversible coma. Pregnant and breastfeeding individuals, children, and those with neurological conditions should avoid consuming mace in amounts exceeding culinary use, as high-dose anticholinergic effects may reduce lactation and pose CNS risks.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Mace (Myristica fragrans aril) is permitted as a natural spice and flavouring source in the EU under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings and the EU General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002). No E-number is assigned as mace is used as a whole/ground spice rather than an isolated additive. No specific ADI has been established by EFSA.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Mace is recognised as a permitted spice under Chapter 2.9 (Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products) of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. The product must have a characteristic aromatic flavour, be free from mould, living and dead insects, insect fragments, and rodent contamination, and be free from added colouring matter.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Mace and mace oil are listed as GRAS spices/natural flavourings under 21 CFR 182.10 and 21 CFR 182.20. No specific maximum daily intake or ADI has been established. There are currently no FDA regulations restricting the level of mace powder, oil, or oleoresins allowable in food products.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — In vitro studies indicate potential antiprogesterone activity for Myristica fragrans constituents, and high-dose myristicin poses CNS and anticholinergic risks; mace should not be consumed in amounts exceeding typical culinary use during pregnancy.

Lactation — Per PubMed PMID:30000898, mace and nutmeg in amounts higher than those used as food flavouring should be avoided during breastfeeding, as anticholinergic effects may reduce lactation and bioactive constituents may transfer into breast milk.

Infants — A published case report (PMID:39850188) documents accidental mace ingestion causing reversible coma in a child, confirming that infants and young children are highly susceptible to myristicin toxicity even at relatively low absolute doses.

Children — Children are more sensitive to myristicin's psychoactive and anticholinergic toxicity; consumption beyond trace culinary amounts is contraindicated based on documented paediatric toxicity cases.

Epilepsy — Myristicin, the principal active compound in mace, inhibits monoamine oxidase and has CNS-stimulant and psychoactive properties that could potentially lower seizure threshold at supra-culinary doses.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1PubMed. Nutmeg and mace, the psychotropic spices from Myristica fragrans. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2other. NTP Technical Report: Toxicity Studies of Myristicin (CASRN 607-91-0) Administered by Gavage to F344/NTac Rats and B6C3F1/N Mice. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Mace Poisoning: Accidental Toxic Ingestion in a Child Leading to a Reversible Coma, 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. Efficacy of mace (Arils of Myristica fragrans Houtt) plus pelvic floor muscle training on symptoms in mixed urinary incontinence: a randomized placebo-controlled trial, 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5FSSAI. FSSAI Guidance Document: Food Safety Management System (FSMS) for Spice Processing, 2018. fssai.gov.in
6PubMed. Nutmeg, 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched7 citations