23 Jun2016

Saffron benefits (Crocus Sativus)

Saffron Benefits

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world! It is produced from the saffron crocus flower (Crocus sativus). It is actually the dried stigmas (which are the insides of a flower that catch pollen) and has a deep auburn colour and sweet flavour. The stigmas can only be picked by hand as machines are not delicate enough. It takes 250,000 stigmas to make just half a kilo of saffron, hence its high price, however you only need a pinch as it is very strong.

23 Jun2016

What is Saffron Good For

Botanical name: Crocus sativus

Saffron belongs to the iris family, and has had a plethora of uses throughout millennia. As far back as the writings of Galen and Hippocrates, saffron was mentioned as a medical treatment for coughs, colds, stomach ailments, insomnia, uterine bleeding, scarlet fever, heart trouble, and flatulence.

Saffron is a plant. The dried stigmas (thread-like parts of the flower) are used to make saffron spice. It can take many saffron blossoms to produce a single pound of saffron spice. 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.

Saffron is used for asthma, cough, whooping cough (pertussis), and to loosen phlegm (as an expectorant). It is also used for sleep problems (insomnia), cancer, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), intestinal gas (flatulence), depression, Alzheimer’s disease, fright, shock, spitting up blood (hemoptysis), pain, heartburn, and dry skin.

Some early research suggests that drinking an herbal tea mixture containing saffron along with anise, black seed, caraway, cardamom, chamomile, fennel, and licorice may reduce asthma symptoms in people with allergic asthma. also Some early research shows that taking a chemical from saffron called crocetin might decrease fatigue in men during exercise.

Saffron cultivation

Saffron flower

Saffron plant

Saffron strands