Introduction
Saffron’s scientific name is Crocus sativus L. of the family Iridaceae is also known as red gold or golden spice. It is basically a dried red-orange stigma or thread of the plant with distinct golden color, flavor, and aroma (1). The word saffron originates from the French word Safran, which was derived from the Latin term safranum and comes from the Arabic word as far that means “yellow. The saffron health benefits are sedative, expectorant, anti-asthma, emmenagogue, and adaptogenic.
What saffron use for
It is widely used as food coloring, flavoring agents, cosmetics, perfumery, textile dye-producing industries, and traditional herbal medicine since ancient times. Saffron is also used in confectionaries and liquors, fabric dye, particularly in China and India, and perfumery (2).
History
Saffron health benefits are known for a long time ago. It is hence used for medicinal purposes in Asian countries since at least the 7th century BC with over 2500 years and was classified in the Catalogues of Medicinal Plants in the European Pharmacopoeia from the 16th until the 20th centuries. In the ancient medicine of countries such as India, Spain, and China, saffron has been utilized to treat infertility and impotence.
Geographical distribution
It is popularly used in Greece, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Iran, Central Asia, India, China, Algeria, Morocco Afghanistan, and France.
Saffron nutrition facts
Saffron contains more than 150 compounds mainly three main metabolites
- Crocins are saffron-colored compounds.
- Picrocrocins which are the main substances responsible for saffron’s bitter taste
- Safranal is the volatile oil responsible for the typical saffron aroma (3).
Other components found in saffron are water, nitrogenous matter, anthocyanins, glycosides, monoterpenes, aldehydes, flavonoids, vitamins, volatile oil, proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, raw fibers, and gums (4).
| Compound | Amounts per 100 g. |
| Water | 11.9 g |
| Energy | 310 Kcal |
| Protein | 11.43 g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 5.85 g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 65.37 g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 3.9 g |
| Calcium | 111 mg |
| Iron, Fe | 11.1 mg |
| Magnesium | 264 mg |
| Phosphorus | 252 mg |
| Potassium | 1724 mg |
| Sodium | 148 mg |
| Zinc | 1.09 mg |
| Copper | 0.33 mg |
| Manganese | 28.41 mg |
| Vitamin C | 80.8 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.11 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.27 mg |
| Niacin | 1.46 mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 1.01 mg |
| Folate, DFE | 93 µg |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 27 µg |
| Vitamin A | 530 IU |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 1.58 g |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0.43 g |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 2.07 g |
Saffron health benefits
Some of the saffron health benefits protect the liver, heart. Treats neurodegenerative disorders and stomach problems, premenstrual problems.
1. Protect from cardiovascular disease
Crocin, and crocetin obtained from the saffron show a wonderful effect on diastolic blood pressure, lower cholesterol (50 %).
Saffron (100 mg) improves anti-inflammatory and antioxidant status which is helpful in maintaining healthy arteries and blood vessels (5).
Moreover, the intake of dried saffron (300 mg/day for 10 days) improves muscle blood perfusion and increases whole-body oxygen consumption and survival (6).
2. Antinociceptive and Anti-inflammatory properties
Compounds like crocetin, crocins in saffron show antioxidant and radical scavenger properties and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, alkaloids, and saponins of saffron also help in which blocking the sensory nerves responsible for pain thus shows antinociceptive properties (7).
3. Healthy liver
Saffron contains a bioactive compound that prevents lipid peroxidation and increases liver enzymes. Thus consumption of saffron prevents liver and spleen enlargement, reduces oxidative stress, and keeps the liver healthy (8).
4. Treat premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea, and irregular menstruation
Premenstrual syndromes (PMSs) are common health problems in 20–40 % of women of reproductive age. However saffron shows a wonderful effect on the treatment of female genitourinary system disorders.
Intake of the saffron capsule (30 mg/day or 15 mg twice a day) relieving symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (9).
Inhalation of saffron odor for 20 minutes may improve physiological and psychological properties Thus saffron is very effective in treating menstrual distress and useful to treat PMS, dysmenorrhea, and irregular menstruation (10).
5. Treat Depression
Now a day’s depression is a common problem. However many antidepressant drugs like imipramine and fluoxetine are available in the market but have their own side effects. Saffron may be used as a natural herbal remedy for the treatment of depression (11).
Saffron capsule 30 mg/day for 6 weeks is beneficial for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression due to its serotonergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuro-endocrine, and neuroprotective effects (12, 13).
Furthermore, saffron capsules show a wonderful effect on posting percutaneous coronary intervention patients who generally suffer from depression (14).
6. Enhance sexual performance
Aphrodisiac properties of saffron improve sexual behaviors thus cure impotence. Saffron tablet (200 mg) for ten days shows a beneficial effect on sexual function with increased number and duration of erectile events (15, 16).
Moreover, the intake of saffron (50 mg) in milk for 3 months and 3 times a week show a positive effect on sperm morphology and motility in infertile men (17).
7. Treat ocular disorder and age-related macular degeneration
Saffron is a rich source of carotenoids crocin and crocetin which increase the blood flow in the retina, improves oxygenation and nutrient supply of retinal structures and choroid, and smooth the progress of retinal function recovery (18).
Therefore saffron (20 mg/day) for 3-month consumption prevents retinal degeneration induces by stress, improves retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic maculopathy (19, 20).
8. Anticancer properties of saffron
Crocin, crocetin, diglucosylcrocetin, and dimethylcrocetin in saffron helps to fight against different types of cancer. It regulates the cell growth and cell cycle progression, and induction of apoptosis.
Thus, saffron act as natural antitumor agents which scavenges free radical and play an important role in cellular function (21, 22).
9. Treat respiratory disorders
Safranal and crocin obtained from saffron reduce inflammatory cells especially eosinophils. Thus alleviate clinical pulmonary symptoms in allergic asthmatic patients.
Saffron also has a relaxant effect on tracheal smooth muscle and prevents cough formation (23, 24). Therefore, saffron (100 mg daily) may use as a lung tonic which has a preventive effect on lung inflammation in asthma (25).
10. Treat the neurodegenerative disease
Crocin and crocetin of saffron protect the central nervous system. These compounds have high antioxidant properties which show possess sedative and neuroprotective actions. Thus, treat neurodegenerative disease-associated memory impairment (26, 27).
Saffron capsule (30 mg/day) for 22-week also improves cognitive function with Alzheimer’s disease thus saffron is helpful to treat patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (28). Furthermore, the intake of saffron (15 mg) is safely tolerable in patients with schizophrenia (29).
11. Anticonvulsant and Anti- Seizure properties
Saffron contains safranal which is very beneficial to reduce the seizure duration, delay the onset of tonic convulsions and treat different kinds of neuropathic pain (30, 31).
12. Saffron treats digestive system disorder
Saffron plays an important role in the treatment of different gastrointestinal tract disorders such as liver cancer, hepatotoxicity, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, stomach cancer, ulcer, colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, and pancreas cancer and ileum contractions via chemopreventive, inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects and radical scavenging, Geno protective properties (32).
13. Treats kidney injury
Saffron and its active constituent, crocin, and safranal reduce reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation thus prevents renal, brain, and skeletal ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced oxidative injury (33, 34).
14. Anti-obesity properties
Satiereal and other polyphenols/carotenoids found in saffron decrease calorie intake by blocking dietary fat digestion, suppressing food intake by increasing satiety, or the feeling of fullness, and enhancing glucose and lipid metabolism. Thus, intake of saffron for the 8-week reduction in snacking and an increase in weight loss (35).
15. Anti-diabetic properties
Consumption of saffron (40 mg/kg/day) alongside exercise could improve diabetic parameters such as improved glucose uptake and decrease serum glucose levels (36).
16. Boost immune system
Saffron health benefits are because of carotenoids such as crocin, crocetin, and safranal which act as an immunoregulatory agent that affects immunity by controlling most inflammatory processes in the immune system. Thus, saffron may be useful for the treatment of immune disorders (37).
Side effects of Saffron
How much saffron should we take?
Daily intake of saffron up to 1.5 g/day has not been found any adverse effect. However, doses higher than 5 g are toxic, and at 20 g are lethal. A high dosage of saffron over 10 g may cause abortion, therefore, it should be avoided in pregnancy owing to its uterine stimulation activity (38).
Side effects of a high dose of Saffron
It causes nausea, head fullness, dizziness, vomiting, uterus bleeding, hematuria, gastrointestinal bleeding, anxiety, sedation, nausea, headache, hypomania, appetite suppression, Skin yellowing, dry mouth, constipation, abdominal pain, and damage to the nervous system (39,40).
Edited By: Dr. Asha Jyoti Bharati