Mace
What the research shows
Not enough
published research on this page yet
A spice made from the covering of a nutmeg seed.
It is used as a food spice.1
What research says
Animal and lab studies only
-
Open question
How the body breaks down medicines2
In lab studies, mace blocked two liver enzymes that break down some medicines.
-
Open question
Liver DNA damage3
In rats, other natural compounds in mace cut safrole's liver DNA damage by about half.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
Products
The 6 most-scanned of 795 products on Open Food Facts that list mace.
- Vegan Bouillon powder Marigold · 150 g 0 additives
- Filets de tofu à la japonaise Taifun · 160 g 0 additives
- Tofu à l'Ail des Ours Taifun · 160 g (2 x 80 g) 0 additives
- ROAST CHICKEN TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE SOUP YORKSHIRE PROVENDER · 560 0 additives
- Baked Beans in tomato sauce Sainsbury’s Organic · 400 g 2 additives
- MEAT-FREE TASTY SAUSAGES RICHMOND · 304 g 3 additives
References
- 1Nutmeg. Wikipedia. Accessed September 29, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 2Kimura Y, Ito H, Hatano T. Effects of mace and nutmeg on human cytochrome P450 3A4 and 2C9 activity. Biol Pharm Bull. 2010;33(12):1977-82. doi:10.1248/bpb.33.1977
- 3Martati E, Boonpawa R, van den Berg JH, et al. Malabaricone C-containing mace extract inhibits safrole bioactivation and DNA adduct formation both in vitro and in vivo. Food Chem Toxicol. 2014;66:373-84. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2014.01.043