Description of Saffron and Benefits in Daily use and Medicines.

• As you know Saffron contains more than 100 components, but the three most promising appears to be : (1) Crocin which is responsible for its orange color, (2) Picrocrocin which provides its bitter taste, and (3) Safranal which gives its aroma.

• The Crocus sativus plant grows to about 5-10 cm in height and bears lavender colored flowers during each season which lasts from October till November. Each flower features perianth which consists of stalk, known as “style”, connecting to the three “stigmas” or “threads” to the rest of the plant. These orange-yellow colored stigmas along with the style constitute "saffron" which is used as spice.

• In order to understand commercial saffron, it is important to understand the make-up of the saffron plant. More importantly, it is the easiest way for you, as a consumer, to be sure you are buying good saffron. Commercial saffron comes from the bright red stigmas of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) which flowers in the fall in many different countries, including India, Iran, Greece and Spain.

• In medicine saffron is used in fevers, melancholia, and enlargement of liver and spleen. In Ayurvedic medicine it is used to heal arthritis, impotence and infertility. It has wide range of uses in Chinese and Tibetan medicines.

• It has a long history in traditional healing and has been recently recognized for treating respiratory infections and disorders such as coughs and colds, scarlet fever, smallpox, cancer, hypoxia, and asthma. Other targets included blood circulatory disorders, insomnia, paralysis, heart diseases, stomach upsets, gout, chronic uterine haemorrhage, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, baby colic, eye disorders, digestive stimulant, women menstrual pain, menopausal problems, and depression.

• It also helps with memory loss, male impotency, encourages oxygen flow, speeds the healing of wounds, and prevents cell death.