1. Maris, Mace

Maris, Mace. The arillode of the seed of Myristica fragrans, official 1850-1900. When fruit first gathered the fleshy pericarp is removed, the thin coating (arillode) enveloping the seed peeled off with a knife, then sprinkled with salt water, as a preservative, and dried by sun or fire; or it may be allowed to remain on the seed until thoroughly dry, when it freely cracks and peels off. It is a brilliant, scarlet (fresh), or brownish-orange (dry), brittle, in narrow bands, 2.5 Cm. (1') long, branched, lobed above, fatty when scratched or pressed, fracture short, showing many oil-cells; odor fragrant; taste warm, aromatic; contains volatile oil (oleum macidis) 4-9-17-35 p. c, resin 25 p. c, sugar 1 p. c., amylodextrin 1.8 p. c., fixed oil, mucilage, proteids (no starch), ash 1-3 p. c; solvent: alcohol. Tinctura Macidis, 20 p. c. (alcohol). Adulterations: Common (entire and powdered) - nutmeg, starch, ginger, and mace of M. malabar'ica and M. fatua; this latter readily being detected by darker reddish color, more fatty, resinous, lustrous surface, weaker taste and odor, yielding 10 times more ether-extract, and microscopic specimen turning dark brown with potassium hydroxide solution, becoming yellow with sulphuric acid. Stimulant, tonic, flavoring. Dose, gr. 5-20 (.3-1.3 Gm.).

2. False, Long, Wild, Male Nutmegs - M. jat'ua and M. argen'tea. - These are 4-5 Cm. (1 3/5 - 2') long, paler and less aromatic than official, the mace inodorous and less deeply lobed.