Yesterday morning we took a walk on the trails of Bosque del Cabo, an eco-lodge that is one of our neighbors here on the peninsula. It's common to find large tree seeds on the ground whenever you go for a walk through the forest. These are a species of wild nutmeg, known as fruta dorada, or golden fruit. I found some of the seeds where the fruit had already opened and the distinct red aril had been eaten, probably by large birds or maybe monkeys. From Tropical Plants of Costa Rica: "There are many species in the Amazon Basin. Resin from some species, especially V. theiodora, is famous for its use by Amazonian shamans in hallucinogenic snuff preparations and as an arrow poison. Various alkaloids in the resin cause a lack of muscular coordination, nasal discharge, visual distortion (seeing things larger than they are), nausea, and hallucinations. This family also includes true nutmeg (the seed) and mace (the aril), both from the same plant, Myristica fragrans, which originates in Indonesia."
So basically, you gotta go to the Amazon or Indonesia for the good stuff. What we have here is for the birds.
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