Zafran – A Famous Plant

Saffron is a famous plant. And in different countries known by different names: in Pakistan, as( زعفران ) in India as (ज़ाफ़रान) in both languages Saffron is pronounced as Zafran

 And its scientific name is Crocus sativus.

This is a pungent stigma of the autumn crocus. This one is a complicated species to harvest. Because for growing the saffron a lot of handwork is required to pick up the flowers. That’s why the yields of this plant are very low.

Saffron is mainly cultivated in Iran, 90% of the world is grown in Iran and also grown in Spain, France, Italy, and parts of India. It contains some chemical components like:

• ·         Picrocrocin
• ·         Crocin
• ·         Safranal

Which enhances its price.

Saffron uses:

Zafran is usually the world’s most expensive spice.

 As a culinary spice, this is popular in their harvested region. Spain and Portugal make great use of this herbal product. Spain’s national dish paella, a huge collection of meats and seafood gets its brilliant golden color from Zafran.

In India’s grand Mutual cuisine, saffron is used.

Use this herbal plant with cardamom to flavor coffees in the Middle Eastern.

Saffron is also used to enhance beauty:

·         Fighting Acne: It has amazing anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial qualities that help in treating acne and breakouts. Its medical properties can help in clearing the acne pores.

·         Reducing pigmentation: It is an effective natural ingredient to lessen pigmentation, brown spot, and another mark on the skin.

·         Healing scars: It is used to alleviate the scars, which helps the process of skin recovery. Applying saffron on wounds or injured skin will help to heal them faster. Saffron also helps in lightening the marks.

·         Glowing skin: Pollution, harsh weather, and external factors are the reasons to make the skin dull and lifeless. With the help of regular applications, saffron can breathe life into your skin, making it radiant.

·         Improving complexion: It is greatly used in skin fairness cosmetic products. Regular use of Zafran will give you a healthy and fair complexion.

Health Tips:

• ·      It contains an excellent variety of plant compounds that act as antioxidant molecules that help to protect your cells against free radicals and oxidative stress.
• ·         Safranal gives It a clear taste and aroma. Research shows that it may help in improving your mood, memory, and learning ability and protect your brain cells against oxidative stress.
• ·         Kaempferol is present in its flower petals. Kaempferol is a compound linked to health benefits, such as reduced inflammation, anti-cancer properties, and antidepressant activity.
• ·         Through the help of test-tube study, saffron, and its compounds have been shown to selectively kill colon cancer cells or stop their growth while leaving normal cells unharmed.
• ·         It is also used to remove symptoms like PMS  (premenstrual syndrome). PMS is a term that describes physical, emotional, and psychological syndrome occurring before the start of the menstrual period.

Health Benefits of Saffron

Following are the important benefits of saffron:

• ·         It helps in reducing the cancer risk.
• ·         It may help fight inflammation and arthritis.
• ·        It boosts vision health.
• ·       It helps in insomnia treatment.
• ·         It promotes brain health.
• ·        It promotes digestive health by treating human gastrointestinal issues.
• ·        It is rich in carotenoids that help to impact immunity.
• ·         The crocetin in the saffron indirectly regulates blood cholesterol levels and reduced the severity of atherosclerosis.

Side Effects:

• As we know the overuse of everything is harmful. Cooking with saffron is the best way to add saffron to the diet without the risk of consuming too much of the spice.
• Taking up to 1.5 grams of saffron per day is generally safe, but consuming too much can be toxic. Research considers 5 grams to be a toxic dose.