When we first hear the alarming words ‘Household Hazards’ the first things that often come to mind are pesticides or cleaning supplies that children can get a hold of when we’re not looking. We also tend to think about matches and cigarette lighters that can easily injure children and that can also cause deadly household fires. We also add unguarded or unattended personal fans to the list of potentially deadly household hazards since a child could potentially stick his or her finger into the area where the fan blades are operating.

However, we don’t often think about such things as nutmeg since most kitchens across the world contain this particular spice since it is used for food preparation. We also overlook cinnamon since we like to add it to our favorite beverages since we enjoy the aroma as well as the taste.

If a child were to consume too much cinnamon it could cause an unexpected drop in his or her blood sugar, which could cause coma and even death. Plus if the child were to survive his or her ordeal with exposure to too much cinnamon in a single serving there could be serious lingering psychological problems that could potentially persist since the brain needs sugar or glucose in order to survive and to function optimally. The absence of this important substance for an extended period of time could be a game changer for a tiny person that cannot tell you what’s wrong or why they’re sweating or why they’re about to pass out or why they’re shaking or why they’re bumping into things since they cannot see due to extremely low levels of blood sugar.

Parents who are not fully aware of the potential dangers of spices that can be abused or misused often leave certain items like cinnamon within the reach of children since they don’t understand the dangers that common household spices can pose for the unsuspecting teenager or child who doesn’t understand what can happen to them if they consume too much of the legally purchased food item. The same at risk teenagers and children who find innocuous looking household spices in the kitchen cupboard and who start self-administering them out of complete ignorance and without adult supervision don’t realize that their actions can result in an emergency room visit if they consume more than the recommended safe serving.

The sudden drop in blood sugar after abusing cinnamon is why some teenagers that have been foolish enough to experiment with cinnamon have suddenly passed out. The adolescents that we often see in YouTube videos and who decide to take several tablespoons of cinnamon in a single setting obviously don’t understand  that cinnamon can cause them to experience extremely low blood sugar.

Education is the key!

Nutmeg is another spice that can cause some unwanted side effects if taken in high doses or in tablespoons like some unsuspecting teenagers and children are currently doing since they simply don’t understand what it can do to them and since their parents think that all spices are created equal when they most certainly are not.

When taken orally in higher than recommended doses or servings, nutmeg, which is found in households all around the world, can cause extreme drowsiness, which can potentially lead to a deadly automobile accident if the-nutmeg-intoxicated-party that has become extremely intoxicated by taking nutmeg, and who is suffering from delayed reaction times as a result of nutmeg intoxication, is irresponsible and decides to get behind the wheel of a car while he or she is under the influence of nutmeg. High doses of nutmeg can also cause an individual to experience delirium as well as instant sleep, which means that the intoxicated party can suddenly run off the road due to falling asleep behind the wheel of a moving car.

Myristica oil is found in nutmeg and accounts for the physical effects that occur in the human body (i.e., the drowsiness and eventual sleep and delayed reaction times). Plus the exterior covering of the nutmeg seed contains a hallucinogenic compound called myristicin which can cause a child or a young adult or an adult to have some serious hallucinations that are akin to the ones that mescaline users are known to experience. As little as 14 grams of nutmeg can place an individual in a powerful dreamlike state. Plus the person that decides to abuse nutmeg will also experience a rapid heartbeat which is frightening in and of itself. The same nutmeg abuser will also experience a dry mouth as well as agitation and a marked sense of impending doom which could eventually lead to violence if the right circumstances exist.

An example of this potential violence can be realized when a person believes that a number of enemy troops are coming to his or her home to apprehend him after watching a movie or after listening to a news report on the radio. The nutmeg abuser may arm his or herself with a weapon and may unintentionally harm another person or the first innocent cat or dog that suddenly appears out of the blue. The-nutmeg-intoxicated-party will not realize who or what it is until it’s far too late since he or she will be under the influence of nutmeg.

Educating children about the potential dangers of spices is essentially the only way to responsibly protect them.

Nathaniel Armstrong, Jr.

Cerritos, CA –

This article was also published by Examiner.com