Saffron is a plant widely known and used throughout the world for over a thousand years. Saffron is used as a spice, as well as a pigment, an ingredient in perfumes and cosmetics, and a substance with healing properties.
Why is saffron considered the most expensive spice in the world? What properties can it have? How can it be used in everyday life?
Various Origins
In Poland, under natural conditions, saffron crocus is found, growing in the Alpine pastures of the Tatra Mountains, coloring them in purple. Other varieties, such as magnificent saffron, Turkish crocus, and golden crocus, can be purchased from garden stores and used to decorate home gardens.
Nevertheless, the cultivated crocus, which is grown on an industrial scale, is of great importance. It is from this plant that the spice known as saffron is extracted, with its intense color and unique aroma. Cultivated crocus is distinguished by a beautiful lilac calyx, in which the red stigmas of the pistil are hidden. Saffron is made from red stigmas clustered around the pistil, which is a small part of the inflorescence. Obtaining saffron is a complex and time-consuming matter, and the number of nevi on one plant is small. To obtain 1 kg of nevi, up to 150,000 saffron flowers are required. That is why the plant is considered the most expensive spice in the world, and due to the red color of the nevus, it is called “red gold”. It should be remembered that when dissolved in water, saffron acquires a yellow color.
Cultivated saffron naturally grows in areas of the Middle East, as well as in Greece. Currently, however, it is most widely grown in Turkey, Iran and Hungary, as well as in the Mediterranean region.
History of the Precious Plant
The first evidence of the use of saffron, due to its health-improving properties, dates back to the Bronze Age and was discovered during excavations in Santorini. Saffron was also described in an Assyrian botanical treatise dating back to the 7th century BC, and its properties are also mentioned in the Bible. The plant was used by the Sumerians and the ancient Greeks as a spice, as well as a dye and perfume ingredient. The ancient Iranians, as well as Arab scientists, were well aware of the beneficial properties of crocus.
In addition, saffron was used in ancient Rome to dye formal togas yellow. The plant found a similar use in India, China and Tibet.
In Poland, saffron was also widely used many years ago. The spice was used for baking “saffron babs”, that is, yellow and fluffy yeast pies, as well as for decorating Easter cakes.
Active ingredients of saffron
Saffron contains many different active substances. More than 150 aromatic volatile compounds can be isolated in the plant. The pistil threads of the saffron flower, in particular, contain substances such as essential oils, including pyrocrocin and safranal, carotenoids, B vitamins, pectin, sugar, fats, polyphenols.
Saffron’s Properties
The health-promoting properties of saffron may be due, in part, to the plant’s content of compounds such as crocetin, picrocrocin, and safranal.
Saffron can reduce nervous tension and feelings of anxiety. This is because the substances that saffron contains can affect the level of serotonin and dopamine and improve mood. In addition, the spice may be helpful in relieving premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and reducing symptoms such as tension, nervousness, or anxiety. Since saffron has long served as an aphrodisiac, it can be helpful in boosting libido or sexual desire. It helps to improve erection and be effective in eliminating sexual dysfunction.
The active substances contained in saffron, namely safranal, crocin and crocetin, can have a beneficial effect on cognitive abilities. The spice can have a positive effect on memory and concentration, as well as on the efficiency of thought processes.
Due to the plant’s high antioxidant potential, saffron may also provide support for cardiovascular disease. In addition to its antioxidant properties, its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties may contribute to a cardioprotective effect. The plant can also lower blood pressure.
In addition, saffron may be beneficial for diabetics. It can alleviate the symptoms of diabetes and reduce its complications by improving metabolic factors, lipid profile and glycemic control.
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Favorable for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Saffron extracts can be considered as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative eye diseases. Studies have shown that saffron may have beneficial effects on conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa, among others.
Good For Weight Loss
There is evidence that saffron may be a promising weight loss agent. While its mechanism of action is not fully understood and further research is needed to confirm its beneficial effect on weight loss, saffron may show promise as a weight loss agent as it may help reduce calorie intake by blocking the digestion of dietary fat.
Uses of Saffron
Saffron is a very expensive resource. It can easily cost ten thousand dollars per kilo. That’s because its culture is very hard to maintain.
It is used primarily in cooking, either as a powder or whole, as an aromatic spice that is defined as slightly tangy, slightly pungent and musky. Already a small amount of saffron gives the dishes a rich and unique flavor and colors them yellow. However, keep in mind that too much saffron can add bitterness to the dish.
Saffron is widely used in cooking around the world. In Spain, it is an ingredient in paella, a rice dish with chicken and peppers. In Poland, saffron has long been used to improve the taste of fish and offal. And in France, saffron is an essential ingredient in bouillabaisse, a Marseille fish soup, while in Italy it is added to panna cotta. In addition, it can be used as an ingredient in homemade liqueurs and liquors, as well as to enhance the taste of vegetables – it goes well with tomatoes or asparagus. In Iran, the plant’s flowers are present in almost all the traditional and national plates.
