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Saffron - The king of spices
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Tuesday, 15 April, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Rashmi H Poojara
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fiogf49gjkf0d No spice is more special than saffron. It has an unmistakable flavour that is earthy yet aristocratic and subtle. It has had a plethora of uses through millennia. In the writings of Galen and Hippocrates, saffron was mentioned as a cure for coughs, colds, stomach ailments, insomnia, uterine bleeding, scarlet fever, heart trouble and flatulence.
Saffron in filaments is the dried, dark red stigmata of Crocus sativus flowers and is used as a spice, food colorant and a drug in medicines. It is well known as red gold in producer countries. The plant is native to Southwest Asia and belongs to the family Iridaceae. The dried trifid stigmas with a small portion of the yellow style attached are used to make saffron spice. It takes about three years for the plant to grow from seed.
Saffron blooms once in a year and is collected in a very short time between October and November. Approximately two lakh dried stigmas obtained from 70,000 flowers yield 500 gram of pure saffron. It is a versatile herb and has many culinary, medicinal, cosmetic and commercial benefits. Saffron is largely cultivated and harvested by hand. Due to the amount of labour involved in harvesting, saffron is historically considered one of the world's most expensive spices per unit weight. The stigmas are also used to make medicine. It has been used in folk medicine for various purposes.
Saffron has nearly 150 volatile and aroma yielding compounds mainly terpenes, terpene alcohol and their esters - a biochemical symphony that ensures that its mystery can never be unearthed. Characteristic components of saffron include Crocin (responsible for the colour), Crocetin, Carotene, Picrocrocetin (responsible for the bitter taste), Lycopene, safranal (responsible for the odour and aroma) and Zeaxanthin that attribute specific health benefits. The carotenoid Crocin comprises greater than 10% of dry saffron mass and is responsible for the rich golden yellow hue created when saffron is added to dishes.
The numerous health-promoting properties of saffron are attributed primarily to Crocin, a unique water-soluble carotenoid with powerful antioxidant property. Picocrocin a bitter glycoside is responsible for the flavour of saffron. Dry saffron is extremely sensitive to fluctuating pH levels and rapidly breaks down chemically in the presence of light and oxidising agents.
It has been used in folk medicine and Ayurveda as a sedative, emmanagogue, aphrodisiac and expectorant. Saffron has a number of therapeutic uses and this may be due to the strong antioxidant and radical scavenger properties against a variety of radical oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The specific health benefits of saffron can be listed as below:
Anticancer properties of saffron- Picrocrocin and lycopene in saffron have potent anticancer properties. Crocetin is attributed to affect the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, enhancing antioxidative system, inducing apoptosis and hindering growth factor signalling pathways. It has significant antitumorigenic properties and suppresses cell growth in neoplastic cells. All isolated carotenoid ingredients of saffron demonstrate cytotoxic activity against in vitro tumor cells. Saffron along with its carotenoid components can be used as a potential cancer chemo preventive agent.
Saffron in improving blood circulation- Crocetin has been found to improve oxygen supply in myocardial areas. It increases microcirculation. Some metabolites of the spice have hypolipidemic properties and are cardio protective. It is also known to decrease lipoprotein oxidation. Saffron has an effect on peripheral resistance thus reducing the blood pressure. Crocin exerts antiatherosclerotic effects through decreasing the level of oxidative LDL that plays an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis.
Antioxidant properties of saffron- Zeaxanthin, a carotenoid that is present in saffron, has been found to filter and shield the retina from UV light and prevents free radical damage to the retina and the lens of the eye. Crocin analogs significantly increased the blood flow in the retina as well as the choroid and facilitated retinal function recovery in ischemic retinopathy and age related macular degeneration. Crocin scavenge free radicals, especially superoxide anions, and so may protect cells from oxidative stress.
Skin care- Saffron is considered good for the skin; it is used for the treatment of acne and dry skin. Often used as an anti-blemish agent and anti-ageing agent in cosmetics. Scars that remain after chicken pox and small pox too are treated with saffron. It is a blood purifier and thus regular use makes the skin appear a few shades lighter.
Menstrual discomfort and anti-inflammatory effects- Saffron is known to relieve the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. It also soothes lumbar pain severity and duration of the menstrual cycle. Saffron stigma and petal extracts exhibited antonociceptive effects in chemically-induced pain test as well as acute or chronic inflammatory activity. It gives relief from chronic joint pains and increases the enzymes that help the body to track down toxins.
Neurodegenerative disorders and memory impairment- Saffron extract and two extracts, crocin and crocetin improve memory and learning skills. It can be used in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and related memory impairment. Crocin has been shown to inhibit the aggregation and deposition of amyloid Beta peptide fibrils in the human brain, which may be the causative factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
Antitussive property- Saffron is used for asthma, cough and as an expectorant. It has been shown to reduce cough and also aid recovery from Whooping cough.
Anxiolytic activity and relaxant property- Saffron has shown to reduce anxiolytic activity and promote relaxation in many studies. It can be a cure for insomnia and a treatment for mild to moderate depression. Crocin has been reported to calm the nerves. Supplementation with saffron has been shown to improve the moods of people and the effects were comparable to the antidepressant drug Prozac.
Antidiabetic property- Active components of saffron were observed to improve insulin resistance and reduce the formation of advanced glycation end products resulting in diabetic vascular complications. It also has weightloss promoting properties via appetite suppression that may help to achieve glycaemic control.
Saffron is also known for its hepatoprotective, carminative, anti-catarrahl, antispasmodic and anticonvulsion properties. There is some research that indicates the role of saffron in the prevention of obesity by increased peripheral utilisation of glucose. Saffron also boosts immunity by aiding the maturation of the White Blood Corpuscles. In lieu of the cost, saffron is frequently adulterated with cheaper substitutes such as marigold flowers and safflower. The substances used as a substitute may belong to three categories namely - Substitution by other materials that have some external resemblance to saffron, exhausted saffron recovered by dyes and substances added to saffron in order to increase its weight. Saffron is generally not associated with toxicity when ingested in culinary amounts. Toxic effects have been reported at 5 gram. Ingestion of high doses can cause severe purpura, thrombocytopenia and severe bleeding.
(The author is assistant professor, department of home science, St Teresa’s College, Ernakulam. She can be contacted at rashmipoojara@gmail.com)
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