Flower extract from Crocus sativus, the true saffron, a plant from the swordline family, which was probably originally native to Greece. The extract is used in cosmetic products as a skin care product.
The main components of the extract are essential oil (safranal), colorants and bitter substances.
The dried stigmas (threadlike parts of the flower) are used to make saffron spice. It can take 75,000 saffron flowers to produce a single pound of saffron spice. The bulb is grown primarily in Iran, but also in India, Greece and Spain. Saffron is largely grown and harvested by hand. Due to the high amount of work involved in harvesting, saffron is considered one of the most expensive spices in the world.
In food, saffron is used as a spice, yellow food colouring and as a flavouring.
In industry, saffron extracts are used as a fragrance in perfumes and as a dye for fabrics.
The medicinal use of saffron or Crocus sativus L. (C. sativus) has a long history that began in Asian countries in the late Bronze Age. Recent studies have shown some potential to reduce the risk of various diseases (Poma A et al. 2012).
The main components of saffron, which are extracted from the saffron stigmas, are:
natural carotenoid compounds. The mean lethal doses (LD50) of C. sativus are 200 mg/ml and 20.7 g/kg in vitro and in animal studies, respectively.
Saffron is described as effective in the treatment of a variety of conditions. These include coronary heart disease, eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome (Crocin) and diabetic maculopathy (Ali S et al (2021). Furthermore, saffron extracts have been used in autoimmune disorders (Korani S et al 2019), arterial hypertension, "gastric distress", dysmenorrhea, and learning and memory disorders (Heitmar R et al 2019).
In addition, several studies have indicated that saffron has pleiotropic anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective effects. The efficiency of C. sativus in the treatment of mild to moderate depression has been described in some clinical studies (Noorbala AA et al. 2005, Khazdair MR et al. 2015).
Medicinally, saffron is used for depression, anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea), and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). However, there is no good scientific evidence to support these indications.