Mace

Mace, the Aril (q.v.) or inner covering of the Nutmeg (q.v.). It is a lacerated membrane, blood-red when fresh, varying in length according to the variety. There are two varieties of nutmeg cultivated, one named 'Royal,' the other 'Green.' The former bears the longer and finer quality of mace. The mace is removed from the nutmeg and dried in the sun a few days, when it quickly loses its fine red colour and becomes light brown. It is then sprinkled with sea-water to preserve it and render it flexible, and is pressed flat, in which condition it is exported, chiefly from Penang and Singapore. Mace is the most aromatic part of the fruit, and yields both fixed and essential oils. The former, obtained by expression, is highly fragrant, of buttery consistency, and brown colour. It is powerfully stimulant, and in India is employed as a liniment and embrocation in rheumatism. The essential oil is extracted by distillation. It possesses the fragrance of mace, and is yellow in colour. Mace is a native of the Mohecas and neighbouring islands, but is cultivated in Java, Penang, Sumatra, Mauritius, and other parts of the East, and in Cayenne, Martinique, and some of the West India Islands. The aril of other species of Myristica (Nutmeg) of inferior quality occasionally appears in commerce.