Myristicin

Myristicin (or methoxysafrole) is a phenylpropene, a natural organic compound present in small amounts in the essential oil of nutmeg and anise, in several members of the carrot family, and to a lesser extent in other spices/herbs such as parsley and dill. In such plants, it acts as a natural bioactive agent, specifically as an insecticide or acaricide.For the psychoactivity of nutmeg to be experienced, the metabolic conversion of the two components of nutmeg essential oil, myristicin and elmicin into compounds similar to amphetamine has to take place... metabolism of myristicin leads to 3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxy amphetamine... Myristicin (or methoxysafrole) is a phenylpropene, a natural organic compound present in small amounts in the essential oil of nutmeg and anise, in several members of the carrot family, and to a lesser extent in other spices/herbs such as parsley and dill. In such plants, it acts as a natural bioactive agent, specifically as an insecticide or acaricide. Myristicin is also psychoactive, and acts as an anticholinergic agent. It is a precursor for the illicit synthesis of the psychedelic and empathogenic drug MMDA. Myristicin is soluble in ethanol and acetone, but insoluble in water. Myristicin is a naturally occurring acaricide (agent that kill members of the arachnid subclass Acari, which includes ticks and mites) as well as an apprent general insecticide. Widelski and Kukula-Koch note in a textbook chapter in their 2017 Pharmacognosy that myristicin, 'present in the volatile oil of M. fragrans, is a potential chemopreventive agent, by way of its ability to induce the activity of the detoxifying enzyme system, glutathione S-transferase', an activity that is widely discussed alongside a variety of apoptotic, anticancer, and other activities. Myristicin is also known to be a weak inhibitor of monoamine oxidase, a liver enzyme in humans that metabolizes neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine), and its action, alone and in combination with other drugs, may contribute to circulatory disorders upon its ingestion.