The name of saffron comes from the Arabic phrase Za'faran, "be yellow", which refers to the color and the high cost of spices. Saffron is called the "golden spice", to get a pound of spices, you must manually process 75,000 saffron flowers for 400 hours.
150 volatile substances were found in saffron, of which, due to the significant mechanism of action, taste and smell, croccoside glycoside, picrocrocin chemicals and safranal aldehyde are isolated.
The term "crocina" refers to the main carotenoids of water-soluble spices that improve their orange-red color.
Picrocrocin is responsible for the bitter taste, and safranaldehyde gives it smell and aroma. Saffron is a source of campferol, a flavonoid molecule with antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor properties.
Saffron exhibits an antioxidant effect: it reduces inflammation, fights free radicals and increases the amount of antioxidant proteins in the body.
The antioxidant effects of the spice slow down the effect of aging and protect the skin from sunlight, which can cause cancer. For this reason, saffron is used as an ingredient in sunscreens and lotions.
Similarly, saffron supplements protect the body from the toxic effects of certain chemicals after chemotherapy, with antibiotics and analgesics.
In a group of 45 healthy people who took saffron extract for 3 months once a day, the number of leukocytes in the blood serum increased compared to placebo.
The addition of saffron prevents the replication of the virus and its penetration into the cells, which improves the ability of the immune system to fight viral infections.
Saffron improves heart function by increasing the pumping capacity of the heart's ventricles, which is associated with the presence of campferol, which reduces the frequency of heart attacks and coronary heart disease.
Krocin, after conversion to crocetin, lowers cholesterol and strengthens blood vessels, preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
According to scientists, taking the supplement improves sexual function in men and women with sexual disorders during the treatment of personality disorders, although a large experiment involving men with general erectile dysfunction was a failure.
When obese women who did not follow a control diet took saffron preparations for 8 weeks, they had less snack. There was also a decrease in hunger, combined with a slight loss of weight.
Saffron was used in traditional medicine to treat pulmonary spasms and asthma attacks.
The spice relaxes the smooth muscles of the lungs when experimenting with mice. However, the purpose of saffron exposure is unknown and additional clinical trials are needed to prove its effectiveness in humans.
Spices are combined with opiates and other analgesics in traditional medicine. In rats with damaged nerves, treatment with saffron extract for 40 days reduced pain associated with damage to structures, but their anesthetic properties have not yet been confirmed in humans.
In muscle cells, the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream increases. When taken with insulin, it improves your activity and sensitivity of the cell to insulin.
Saffron extract in supplements improved blood flow to the eyes and increased vision in animals with age-related changes. This effect is mediated by crocina, which dilates the vessels that carry blood to the eyes.