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Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae)

(Syns.: C. officinalis (L.) Honck.; C. orsinii Parl.; C. pendulus Stokes; C. setifolius Stokes)

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Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Crocus sativus is a small, perennial stemless plant, mainly cultivated in Iran, Greece, Spain, India and France. Saffron consists of a small portion of the style and three long tubular stigmas of a rich orange color. Saffron is the most expensive spice by weight in the world. Saffron has a rich ancient history of use from the East (India, Persia, China, Arabia) to the West (Rome, Greece, Spain), in various forms. Cultivation and human use of saffron for medicinal purposes spans more than 3500 years, including its use against cancer and depression. Mesopotamians used it in religious celebrations and for health benefits, Phoenicians used it as dye, and Romans used it as dye, in perfumes, and in healthcare. It was considered diuretic, astringent, deobstruent, and emmenagogue, and used as cardiac stimulant, aphrodisiac, improving skin complexion, increasing brilliancy of eyes, and promoting childbirth. Razi, the great Persian physician, said ‘it is a diuretic and a stimulant of sexual desire, and is a digestive drug with astringent properties; it cleanses the stomach.’ Saffron is also antispasmodic, and is used in cases of amenorrhea, chlorosis, seminal debility, leucorrhea, dysmenorrhea, flatulent colic, spasmodic asthma and cough, rheumatism and neuralgic pain. In traditional Chinese medicine it has been used as an anodyne or tranquilizer, antipyretic and to improve circulation. Chemical analysis of saffron stigmas has shown the presence of more than 150 volatile, non-volatile and aroma yielding compounds, including safranal, zeaxanthin, lycopene, α- and β-carotenes and carotenoids; they also include fat, minerals, protein, crude fiber, and sugars, including starch, reducing sugars, pentosans, gums, pectin, and dextrins. Saffron extracts and crocins ameliorate experimentally-induced impairment of learning and memory processes in animals, and pretreatment with aqueous extract significantly attenuated cerebral ischemia-induced neurobehavioral and neurochemical changes in rats. Saffron , its hydroalcohol extract, and the petals treatment was effective in patients with mild to moderate depression, comparable to fluoxetine and imipramine, and also ameliorated some of the fluoxetine-induced sexual dysfunction in women, including arousal, lubrication, and pain.

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    Shahid Akbar

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Akbar, S. (2020). Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae). In: Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16807-0_78

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