Is Coconut a Nut? Is Nutmeg from a tree nut?

Question

My son is allergic to all nuts and people tell me that a coconut is not a nut its a fruit, but I can't find a documented answer. Also, is nutmeg from a nut?

Answer 1

no and no

Answer 2

coconut is not a nut, and im not sure about nutmeg. if you call up your son's allergist he will be able to give you a list of all specific things your son is allergic too. ask for a copy of the prick test they first performed on him (the test where they place a substance on the forearm eg peanut oil and do a pin prick so it reacts with blood to observe a reaction).

Answer 3

A coconut is a 'fruit' as it contains liquid, and nutmeg can be toxic (read below)...

"Botanically, a coconut is a simple dry nut known as a fibrous drupe. The husk, or mesocarp, is composed of fibres called coir and there is an inner stone, or endocarp. The endocarp is the hardest part. This hard endocarp, the outside of the coconut as sold in the shops of non-tropical countries, has three germination pores that are clearly visible on the outside surface once the husk is removed. It is through one of these that the radicle emerges when the embryo germinates. Adhering to the inside wall of the endocarp is the testa, with a thick albuminous endosperm (the coconut "meat"), the white and fleshy edible part of the seed.

Although coconut meat contains less fat than other dry nuts such as peanuts and almonds, it is noted for its high amount of saturated fat[3]. Approximately 90% of the fat found in coconut meat is saturated, a proportion exceeding that of foods such as lard, butter, and tallow. However, there has been some debate as to whether or not the saturated fat in coconuts is healthier than the saturated fat found in other foods (see coconut oil for more information). Coconut meat also contains less sugar and more protein than popular fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges, and it is relatively high in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc.

The endosperm surrounds a hollow interior space, filled with air and often a liquid referred to as coconut water, not to be confused with coconut milk. Coconut milk, called "santan" in Malaya, is made by grating the endosperm and mixing it with (warm) water. The resulting thick, white liquid is used in much Asian cooking, for example, in curries. Coconut water from the unripe coconut, however, can be drunk fresh. Young coconuts used for coconut water are called tender coconuts. The water of a tender coconut is liquid endosperm. It is sweet (mild) with aerated feel when cut fresh. Depending on the size a tender coconut could contain the liquid in the range of 300 to 1,000 ml. It is known in Tamil/Malayalam/Kannada as "elaneer".

When viewed on end, the endocarp and germination pores give the fruit the appearance of a coco (also Côca), a Portuguese word for a scary witch from Portuguese folklore, that used to be represented as a carved vegetable lantern, hence the name of the fruit.[4] The specific name nucifera is Latin for nut-bearing.

When the coconut is still green, the endosperm inside is thin and tender, often eaten as a snack. But the main reason to pick the nut at this stage is to drink its water; a big nut contains up to one liter. The meat in a young coconut is softer and more like gelatin than a mature coconut, so much so, that it is sometimes known as coconut jelly. When the nut has ripened and the outer husk has turned brown, a few months later, it will fall from the palm of its own accord. At that time the endosperm has thickened and hardened, while the coconut water has become somewhat bitter.

Coconuts sundried in Kozhikode, Kerala for making copra, which is used for making coconut oil

Coconuts sundried in Kozhikode, Kerala for making copra, which is used for making coconut oil

When the nut is still green the husk is very hard, but green nuts only fall if they have been attacked by moulds, etc. By the time the nut naturally falls, the husk has become brown, the coir has become drier and softer, and the nut is less likely to cause damage when it drops. Still, there have been instances of coconuts falling from palms and injuring people, and claims of some fatalities. This was the subject of a paper published in 1984 that won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2001. Falling coconut deaths are often used as a comparison to shark attacks; the claim is often made that a person is more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than by a shark. However, there is no evidence of people being killed in this manner.[5] However William Wyatt Gill, an early LMS missionary on Mangaia recorded a story in which Kaiara, the concubine of King Tetui, was killed by a falling green nut. The offending palm was immediately cut down. This was around 1777, the time of Captain Cook's visit.

In some parts of the world, trained pig-tailed macaques are used to harvest coconuts. Training schools for pig-tailed macaques still exist both in southern Thailand and in the Malaysian state of Kelantan[6]. Competitions are held each year to find the fastest harvester."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut

and

The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace.

Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20 mm to 30 mm (1 inch) long and 15 mm to 18 mm (¾ inch) wide, and weighing between 5 g and 10 g (¼ ounce and ½ ounce) dried, while mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering or arillus of the seed.

Several other commercial products are also produced from the trees, including essential oils, extracted oleoresins, and nutmeg butter (see below).

Toxicity:

In low doses, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response. Large doses of 60 g (~12 teaspoons) or more are dangerous, potentially inducing convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain[1] In amounts of 10-40 g (~4-8 teaspoons) it is a mild to medium hallucinogen, producing visual distortions and a mild euphoria. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor.

A test was carried out on the substance that showed that, when ingested in large amounts, nutmeg takes on a similar chemical make-up to MDMA (ecstasy)[citations needed]. However, use of nutmeg as a recreational drug is unpopular due to its unpleasant taste and its side effects, including dizziness, flushes, dry mouth, accelerated heartbeat, temporary constipation, difficulty in urination, nausea, and panic. A user will not experience a peak until approximately six hours after ingestion, and effects can linger for up to three days afterwards.

A risk in any large-quantity (over 25 g, ~5 teaspoons) ingestion of nutmeg is the onset of 'nutmeg poisoning', an acute psychiatric disorder marked by thought disorder, a sense of impending doom/death, and agitation. Some cases have resulted in hospitalization.

Fatalities occur with lower doses with children. An 8-year-old boy who consumed just two nutmegs fell into a coma, only to die 20 hours later.[2]

Nutmeg is an abortifacient, and as such any significant doses should be avoided by pregnant women who desire to remain pregnant.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg

Answer 4

Question 1) Is Coconut a Nut?

Answer 1 ) No coconut is a fruit of Drupe type .

It is mostly safe and not allergy causing .

Click on the links below=

http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/scie...

It is due to inner hard coat it is called nut by layperson .

scroll down on the link below for 'Drupe "=

http://www.jburroughs.org/science/resour...

Another one =

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/nlc_biology...

Question 2 ) Is Nutmeg from a tree nut?

Answer 2 )The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace.

Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20 mm to 30 mm (1 inch) long and 15 mm to 18 mm (¾ inch) wide, and weighing between 5 g and 10 g (¼ ounce and ½ ounce) dried, while mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering or arillus of the seed.

Nutmeg is a sedative in any form ( Seed or the aril )

Read more =

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg

On the link below is a sectional view of nutmeg =

The black part is the seed used medicinally . On it the red part is called MACE  it is botanically third seed coat called Aril .It is also used medicinally .

Remaining part is actually the fleshy fruit ( IT IS ALSO NOT A NUT )

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:...

Read the following info. about nutmeg=

http://www.truthtree.com/Nutmeg.shtml

nutmeg tree =

http://homestaymountview.com/images/nutm...

http://homestaymountview.com/SpicesFarm....

Click and scroll down . good about spices =

http://www.mobot.org/education/05actfork...

From = A Botanist