Saffron

Crocus Sativus

Other Names : Crocus Sativus, Autumn Crocus, Azafrán, Azafron, Croci stigma, Crocus sativus, Indian Saffron, Kashmira, Kesar, Kumkuma, Saffron Crocus, Safran, Spanish Saffron, True Saffron, Zafran.
Saffron is a plant. The dried stigmas (thread-like parts of the flower) are used to make saffron spice. It can take 75,000 saffron blossoms to produce a single pound of saffron spice. Saffron is largely cultivated and harvested by hand. Due to the amount of labor involved in harvesting, saffron is considered one of the world's most expensive spices. The stigmas are also used to make medicine.

Special Precautions of Saffron

• Although saffron is considered safe when consumed as a food, use of saffron supplements may trigger several side effects (including dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, and headache).
• Taking large amounts of saffron is UNSAFE. High doses can cause poisoning, including yellow appearance of the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes; vomiting; dizziness; bloody diarrhea; bleeding from the nose, lips, and eyelids; numbness; and other serious side effects. Doses of 12-20 grams can cause death.
• Since saffron may affect mood, people with serious mood disorders (such as bipolar disorder) should avoid the use of saffron.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Don’t take saffron in amounts larger than those normally found in food. Larger amounts of saffron can make the uterus contract and might cause a miscarriage.
• Allergies to Lolium, Olea (includes olive), and Salsola plant species: People who are allergic to these plants might also be allergic to saffron.

The benefits of Saffron are

It has been used in traditional Persian medicine to relieve stomachaches, ease the pain of kidney stones, and treat depression. In traditional Chinese system, saffron was used as an agent to improve blood circulation and cure the bruise. Some studies suggest that saffron may also have benefits of anticancer and memory-enhancing activities. Some studies suggest saffron extracts may have benefits of memory-enhancing, anti-cancer and anti-oxidative activities.

• Cancer : There are piles of evidence of saffron benefits on cancers, however, clinical support is needed to verify the claim. Saffron may be able to against lots of cancers such as leukemia, ovarian carcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, papilloma, squamous cell carcinoma, and soft tissue sarcoma. In vitro study, sacrcoma's effect on carcinoma, sarcoma and leukemia cells is dose-dependent. In a study of rats, saffron delays tumor growth and increase the life span of the animals. It also delays the onset of papilloma growth and decreases the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma and soft tissue sarcoma. A study indicates its effect may be related to a significant inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis. It appears that saffron (dimethyl-crocetin) disrupts the DNA-protein interactions e.g. topoisomerases II, which is important for cellular DNA synthesis. It is believed that crocetin and / or crocin attribute(s) such activity. Please, note that these are either animal or in vitro studies,clinical studies are needed to support saffron health benefits.Research studies about saffron benefits on cancer. A recent study reports that crocetin is an anti-tumor agent in animal models and cell culture systems. It affects the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, enhancing anti-oxidative system, inducing apoptosis and hindering growth factor signaling pathways. In a study, rats were treated with diethylnitrosamine as to induce liver cancer Administration of saffron at doses of 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg/day was started 2 weeks prior to the diethylnitrosamine injection and was continued for 22 weeks. Saffron significantly reduced the number and the incidence of hepatic dyschromatic nodules. Another study demonstrates that crocin induces apoptosis and G1-phase cell cycle arrest of human pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC-3 cells! The study shows the effect of crocin (cell viability) is dose and time dependent. Similarly, ethanolic extract of saffron also decreases cell viability in malignant lung cancer cells as a concentration and time-dependent manner, in another study.
• Alzheimer's Disease : 15 mg of saffron twice per day was both safe and effective in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Some clinical research shows that taking a specific saffron extract (Department of Cultivation and Development of Institute of Medicinal Plants, Iran) significantly improves symptoms of PMS after two menstrual cycles.
• Menstrual discomfort. Some clinical research shows the taking a specific product containing saffron, anise, and celery seed (SCA, Gol Daro Herbal Medicine Laboratory) reduces pain severity and duration during the menstrual cycle.
• Atherosclerosis : Crocetin is a carotenoid (8,8'-diapo-8,8'-carotenoic acid) with seven double bonds and four methyl groups. It contributes the most health benefits of saffron. In addition to its effect on cancer cells, crocetin also enhances the oxygen diffusivity through plasma and other liquids, increases alveolar oxygen transport and enhance pulmonary oxygenation. In study of hemorrhaged rats, crocetin improves cerebral oxygenation and shows benefits on the atherosclerosis and arthritis treatment. In other animal studies, crocetin inhibits skin tumor promotion.
• neurodegenerative Disorders : Saffron extract, crocetin and crocin may have benefits on people suffered from neurodegenerative disorders accompanying memory impairment. Researchers believe that crocin may attribute this effect.
• Depression : Several human clinical trials provide preliminary positive evidence of antidepressant effects of saffron.
• oxidative stress : Rats were injected with saffron extract, crocin or vehicle over a period of 21days while being exposed to chronic restraint stress(6h/day). After this, they were trained and tested on a water-maze spatial memory task. Saffron and crocin prevented the impairment of learning and memory as well as the oxidative stress damage to the hippocampus induced by chronic stress.
• high lipid levels : In a study of hyperlipemia rats, crocin decreased cholesterol, triglyceride and density lipoprotein levels, and increased the content of high density lipoprotein.
• Researchers believe that crocin prevents atherosclerosis in hyperlipemia, via inhibition of both proliferation of smooth muscle cells and activation of p38MAPK.
• PMS : Saffron extract may help relieve symptoms of PMS, a 2008 study from the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. After taking saffron supplements daily throughout two menstrual cycles, study participants had a significantly greater decrease in PMS symptoms than those who took a placebo for the same time period.
• Aromatherapy for Vata Imbalance.
• Vision Problems: Saffron not only protects the vision cells (photoreceptors) from damage, but may also slow and possibly even reverse the course of blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa.

References

• Amin A et al, Hepatology. 2011 May 23. doi: 10.1002/hep.24433
• Bakshi H, et al, Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2010;11(3):675-9.
• Samarghandian S et al, Pharmacogn Mag. 2010 Oct;6(24):309-14.
• Ghadrdoost B, et al, Eur J Pharmacol. 2011 May 18.
• Sarris J et al, Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2011 May 20