mace
Herbs & Spices
Trigger checker for mace
See mace rated across every trigger — FODMAP, histamine, salicylate, oxalate, tyramine and more — plus diet compatibility, all in one quick ingredient profile.
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Compare mace across criteria
Sensitivities
What mace contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where mace fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about mace
Mace is the lacy crimson aril that wraps the nutmeg seed, so mace and nutmeg come off the same fruit of the same tree (Myristica fragrans) and share the same chemistry. That includes myristicin, the compound behind nutmeg poisoning, which mace carries too. On the everyday trigger criteria mace is mild: moderate salicylate, a slight histamine-liberating tendency, a little free glutamate, and clean on histamine, nickel, tyramine, sulfites and all FODMAP groups. The thing worth knowing about mace is not an intolerance, it is the dose ceiling.
Watch for
- Same source as nutmeg, so mace is not a substitute if you are avoiding nutmeg for reasons of chemistry rather than flavour
- Contains myristicin, elemicin and safrole.Around 5 g of ground nutmeg is enough to cause nausea, racing heart, confusion and hallucinations, and mace has produced the same picture, including a documented case of a child needing hospital care after accidental ingestion
- Culinary use sits nowhere near that.A blade of mace in a béchamel or a pinch in a spice blend is a small fraction of a gram, which is why the spice is on the shelf at all
- Moderate salicylate, so it adds to the load in the warm-spice blends it usually appears in rather than being an issue in isolation
- Ground mace loses aroma fast, which pushes people to use more of it than a recipe intended
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FAQ
What does the FODMAP rating mean for mace?
Low FODMAP: usually easier for most people, still watch portion size.
Is mace generally well tolerated?
Salicylates (Moderate) and Histamine Liberators (Low) Start with those if you react.
What should I check next?
Compare within the Herbs & Spices group.