Why saffron is good for health

Apart from that, it also helps in boosting immunity, which is essential to sustain virus attacks and other ailments. Loaded with the goodness of potassium, consuming saffron everyday helps in dilating the blood, which further removes blockage from the arteries. This further reduces blood pressure and prevents heart attacks and strokes. A weekly guide to the biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing delivered to your inbox. Thank you for subscribing!

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A few strands of saffron will transform a long list of dishes, adding an x-factor to everything from risottos and milk puddings to rich curries and fish stews. Avoid the powdered sort: it's liable to fraud and adulteration and generally disappoints.

Get the maximum from your saffron stigmas strands by warming them very gently for a few seconds, pounding them lightly and then infusing them in liquid for a minute or two to help release their glorious colour and aroma.

Why is saffron good for me? It has long been used in traditional medicine around the world, and modern scientific study suggests that saffron could also have a role to play in fighting disease.

Research suggests that the carotenoid compounds responsible for saffron's striking colour safranal, crocetin, crocin could play a part in inhibiting the growth of tumours. The active constituents in saffron could help alleviate gastric problems, heart disease, insulin resistance, depression, premenstrual syndrome, insomnia and anxiety. Eating saffron also appears to help vision by retarding the degeneration of the retina that occurs with age.

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. There also have been recent reports about its pharmacological activity and medicinal properties 1. As per the writings of Hippocrates often regarded as the Father of medicine , saffron is a wonderful treatment for colds and coughs, stomach issues, uterine bleeding, insomnia, flatulence, and even heart trouble. Modern research has some interesting findings of saffron.

In this post, we will explore what studies say about this spice. The two major carotenoids in saffron, crocin, and crocetin may have antitumor effects.

These compounds may also reduce inflammation risk. Safranal, another compound in the spice, was found to promote retinal health. Saffron is rich in two major carotenoids, namely crocin, and crocetin. Preclinical evidence demonstrates that certain carotenoids may have potent antitumor effects 2. Literature data indicate that saffron could be used as a potential cancer chemopreventive agent. Even though some of the data looks convincing, more well-designed clinical trials in humans are warranted to ascertain the anticancer effects of saffron 2.

As per another report, though the exact mechanism of the anticancer effects of saffron is unclear, its carotenoids could play a role. More trials in humans are needed to arrive at a definite conclusion 3. Saffron and its components have also been suggested as promising candidates for cancer prevention. Crocin, one of its compounds, was found to have high potency as a chemotherapeutic agent 4. An Italian study states that the crocetin in saffron promotes cerebral oxygenation in rats and positively acts in arthritis treatment.

This effect could most likely be attributed to its antioxidant activity. However, these results have been obtained only in vitro or on laboratory animals and not yet on humans 5. Extracts of petals of the saffron plant were also found to have chronic anti-inflammatory activity. This effect could be attributed to the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, and saponins.

However, the other chemical constituents of saffron and their mechanisms are yet to be investigated 6. In rat studies, safranal, a constituent of saffron, was found to delay retinal degeneration. The compound could also reduce rod and cone photoreceptor loss. These properties make safranal potentially useful for delaying retinal degeneration in retinal pathologies 7. Saffron supplementation was also found to induce a mid-term, significant improvement in the retinal function in the case of age-related macular degeneration.

However, more research is warranted with respect to saffron supplementation in clinical practice 8. In rat studies, the crocin in saffron was found to boost non-rapid eye movement sleep. Other clinical trials also indicate that saffron supplementation could help improve symptoms of depression in adults dealing with major depressive disorder.

One of the symptoms, as per research, is insomnia. However, further long-term follow-ups are required before firm conclusions can be made in this regard Being rich in antioxidants, saffron fights off all the free radicals. So, saffron is a must-have, if you want to keep seasonal flu at bay.

Saffron is rich in potassium and consuming it daily can help to reduce blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels, thereby reducing the risk of any blockages and heart diseases. A study published in the Indian 1 found that saffron can reduce bad cholesterol levels that damage the tissue.

Saffron tea, also known as Kashmiri kahwa is a traditional Kashmiri drink. You can prepare the tea by infusing saffron, cloves and cinnamon in water, and then flavour it with cardamom. The other spices are also warm in nature, and can add more benefits. The easiest and simplest way to have saffron is by adding a pinch of it in a hot cup of milk. Prepare your milk the way you prepare it, just add the saffron, and you are done!