Parents in Ireland are being urged to keep a common household spice away from children.
The National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) is urging parents to keep nutmeg out of sight and out of reach from kids.
If ingested in large quantities, nutmeg can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, or even hallucinations.
Nutmeg has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a slightly sweet taste. It is used to flavour many kinds of baked and cooked foods as well as some hot and cold drinks.
The toxicity of the spice is due the presense of a substance called myristicin oil, a naturally occurring compound that is often used as an insecticide. The compound is understood to be a derivative to MMDA and MDMA, but behaves in a similar manner to LSD.
In the early 2010s a phenomon known as 'nutmeg high' spread across the USA, in which people took large amounts of the spice to illicit an LSD-like high.
Speaking to ABC News at the time, Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida dubbed nutmeg "the flavour of the month", but went on to state that the "nasty side effects" mean "the rewards are not worth the risks."
Ireland's National Poisons Information Centre say that accidental ingestion of nutmeg in children of any amount above normal culinary use cause will require medical assessment in a hospital.
Their advice is to always store nutmeg out of reach and sight and to call the NPIC on 01-8092166 if you suspect your child may have ingested the spice.
