I have often used saffron in my cooking without really understanding the health benefits. A couple years ago I heard about saffron having anti-cancer benefits on the Dr.Oz show. Having just been through my bout of cancer, I decided to add it to my cancer prevention regiment. I recently read this article give 16 other benefits of Saffron ranging from healing acne to fighting anemia, depression and macular degenration. So thought I should share.
Saffron comes from the dried stigmas of the autumn-flowering
Crocus sativus linnaeus. Stigmas are picked by hand over a six week period, with an equally hands-on intensive drying process to follow. True saffron is therefore worth its weight in gold.
Grown in India (Kashmir), Iran, Spain, and Italy in large quantities, there are also artisan-style saffron growers in countries like New Zealand. When choosing your saffron, there are some things to note, so that you know you're getting the real deal. While choosing saffron look for the color (dark red), smell (floral), texture (strand, tips or powder). The powder form is the easiest to adulterate, but if you buy a good brand it should be ok.
Top 17 Healing Wonders of SAFFRON:
- Disease Prevention: Saffron contains the compounds crocin and crocetin that promote learning, memory retention, recall capacity, and are beneficial against fever, flu and cold. It protects the central nervous system from oxidative stress keeping Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at bay. It also helps in protecting against kidney, liver, and urinary bladder related diseases.
- Anti Depressant: Saffron contains 5-hydroxytryptophan, which boosts blood flow to the brain, and produces serotonin, which helps in elevating the mood, reducing depression and anxiety.
- Digestive properties: Saffron improves blood circulation in the digestive system, coats the membranes of stomach and colon, soothing gastrointestinal colic and acidity. Saffron is considered as a blood purifier and anti convulsant.
- Maintains Heart Health: Potassium helps maintain blood pressure and keeps heart diseases at bay. Antioxidants in saffron help in lowering cholesterol and triglyceride. Crocetin helps reduce lipoproteins in the blood stream, aids in oxygen distribution and blood circulation, and removes plaque from the arteries preventing atherosclerosis.
- Fights Anemia: Abundant iron in saffron is critical for haemoglobin formation and it is a co-factor in the red blood cell production.
- Treats Acne and Blemishes: The antifungal and anti-bacterial content of saffron makes it effective for the treatment of acne, blemishes and blackheads, and freshens up dull skin, erases dark circles under the eyes, exfoliates your skin, stimulate blood circulation and prevents wrinkles.
- Combats Hair Loss: Saffron, mixed with licorice and milk, and applied to bald spots combats combat hair loss (alopecia) and promotes hair growth.
- Aphrodisiac: Saffron benefits men’s vitality by healing impotency, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, assisting in maintaining a healthy sexual life.
- Respiratory Soother: Saffron is used to treat asthma, cough, whooping cough (pertussis), and to loosen phlegm (as an expectorant). Saffron helps in clearing the narrow airways and reduces lung inflammation, preventing and reducing the severity of an asthmatic attack.
- Soothes Menstrual Cramps and PMS: Saffron reduces pain severity and duration during the menstrual cycle, lowers the level of cortisol and stress, and increases estrogen level, in women suffering from pre menstrual syndrome (PMS).
- During Pregnancy: Saffron enhances pelvic blood flow, suppresses cramps, gas and bloating, and controls mood swings, anxiety, and depression through the release of serotonin hormone, during various stages of pregnancy. Saffron tea suppresses nausea and morning sickness.
- Fights Athritis: Saffron has anti inflammatory properties that provide relief from joint pains, eases fatigue and muscle inflammation, and reduces bone erosion by helping the tissues to get rid of lactic acid which gets built up after strenuous exercise.
- For Insomnia: Saffron is a mild sedative used to treat insomnia and depression.
- Improves Vision: Saffron contains carotenoids that protect against aging diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts, shields against harmful sun radiations, and regulates the fatty acid of the cell membrane in the eyes.
- For Strong Gums: Massaging the gums with saffron helps strengthen the gums, reduces soreness and inflammation and swelling in the mouth and the tongue.
- Anti Cancer: Crocin and safranal in saffron inhibits the growth of tumour in the body through their anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic properties. The carotenoids in saffron possess chemo preventive properties against colon, liver and ovarian cancer.
- Saffron Tea Benefits: American saffron tea acts as a natural cleanser of toxins, treats stomach ulcers and lacerations, psoriasis, intestinal disorders, negates gas accumulation in the stomach and intestines, thus preventing gastritis.
Here's my interest in this topic:
The anti-cancer property was first described in papers by the Indian scientist S.C. Nair in
1991. Dr. Abdullayev confirmed and extended Nair's findings the following year.
In the last decade, research
on saffron's antitumor effects has been published in about 40 experimental and
review articles. The
anticancer research on saffron is also a multinational effort, and involves
scientists from Azerbaijan, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, Spain, USA
and other countries
In terms of the Anti-cancer benefit -- Dr Oz explained that cancer cells grow through bringing and building their own blood supply in your body. The saffron can actually enter the cancer cells and send a signal that causes the cancer to “commit suicide.” Though expensive, you need only a small pinch. Besides, my rationale is that its better to pay the grocer than the doctor in this case :)
The article also talks about some precautions and side effects, so please read through the following links
http://www.curejoy.com/content/17-healing-wonders-of-saffron-the-spice-of-kings/
http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai142_folder/142_articles/142_saffron.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron
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