Post by Angaridatha on Feb 14, 2005 23:59:07 GMT -5
Biological Name: Iridaceae Crocus sativus, Crocus saffron
Other Names: Saffron, Kum Kuma, Zaffran, Kesar, Autumn crocus, Spanish saffron, dyer's saffron, thistle saffron, bastard saffron, parrot's corn, American saffron
Parts Used: Dried stigmas
History: The name saffron comes from the Arabic za'faran (means yellow) - a sacred color chosen by Buddhist monks for their robes. Saffron is hugely expensive. 200,000 flowers have to be harvested by hand to obtain 1 pound of saffron - explains the high cost. Saffron had been prized as a dye medication and culinary spice since Greek and Roman times. Arab traders introduced the spice to Spain. Became a mainstay of many mediterranean diets. Due to the high cost, this herb is highly adulterated. Be careful in choosing.
Remedies For: Anodyne, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, appetizer, emmenagogue, expectorant, sedative. Saffron has been used, in small doses only, for coughs, whooping cough, stomach gas, gastrointestinal colic and insomnia. As an ingredient in herb liqueurs, it serves as a stimulant to appetite; and it is sometimes made into a salve for treatment of gout. Saffron is used in sedatives, as an antispasmodic and for flatulence. It is also used in perfumes and dyes. Ayurvedic Applications:
Action: Alterative, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, carminative, emmenagogue, rejuvenative, stimulant, stomachic.
Uses:Amenorrhea, anemia, asthma, cold, cough, depression, diarrhea, dysmenorrhea, hysteria, female reproductive blood circulator, food assimilation, impotence, infertility, headache, G.I. disorders, feukorrhea, menstrual pain and,irregularity; liver enlargement/regulator, lumbago, menopause, neuralgia, Pitta reducer, rheumatism; seminal weakness, spleen regulator, tissue growth stimulator of the reproductive systems, uterus toner.
Description: Saffron is a small perennial plant which is cultivated in many places, but particularly in France, Spain, Sicily, and Iran. In springtime, an onion-like corm produces basal, linear leaves which are surrounded as a group at the bottom by cylindrical sheaths. These gray-green leaves have hairy margins and grow to about 1 or1-1/2 feet feet long. About August or September, the corm produces a funnel-shaped, reddish-purple (sometimes lilac or white) flower.
Dosage: Infusion, milk decoction, powder Infusion: Steep 6 to 10 stigmas in 1/2 cup water. Take 1/2 to 1 cup a day, unsweetened, a mouthful at a time.
[glow=red,2,300]Safety: Do not use when pregnant; large doses is narcotic CAUTION: Saffron contains a poison that acts on the central nervous system and damages the kidneys. Large doses can have severe effects; 10 to 12 grams is a fatal dose for human beings. The high cost of saffron and the availability of synthetic substitutes make its use as medicine rare.[/glow]
Other Names: Saffron, Kum Kuma, Zaffran, Kesar, Autumn crocus, Spanish saffron, dyer's saffron, thistle saffron, bastard saffron, parrot's corn, American saffron
Parts Used: Dried stigmas
History: The name saffron comes from the Arabic za'faran (means yellow) - a sacred color chosen by Buddhist monks for their robes. Saffron is hugely expensive. 200,000 flowers have to be harvested by hand to obtain 1 pound of saffron - explains the high cost. Saffron had been prized as a dye medication and culinary spice since Greek and Roman times. Arab traders introduced the spice to Spain. Became a mainstay of many mediterranean diets. Due to the high cost, this herb is highly adulterated. Be careful in choosing.
Remedies For: Anodyne, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, appetizer, emmenagogue, expectorant, sedative. Saffron has been used, in small doses only, for coughs, whooping cough, stomach gas, gastrointestinal colic and insomnia. As an ingredient in herb liqueurs, it serves as a stimulant to appetite; and it is sometimes made into a salve for treatment of gout. Saffron is used in sedatives, as an antispasmodic and for flatulence. It is also used in perfumes and dyes. Ayurvedic Applications:
Action: Alterative, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, carminative, emmenagogue, rejuvenative, stimulant, stomachic.
Uses:Amenorrhea, anemia, asthma, cold, cough, depression, diarrhea, dysmenorrhea, hysteria, female reproductive blood circulator, food assimilation, impotence, infertility, headache, G.I. disorders, feukorrhea, menstrual pain and,irregularity; liver enlargement/regulator, lumbago, menopause, neuralgia, Pitta reducer, rheumatism; seminal weakness, spleen regulator, tissue growth stimulator of the reproductive systems, uterus toner.
Description: Saffron is a small perennial plant which is cultivated in many places, but particularly in France, Spain, Sicily, and Iran. In springtime, an onion-like corm produces basal, linear leaves which are surrounded as a group at the bottom by cylindrical sheaths. These gray-green leaves have hairy margins and grow to about 1 or1-1/2 feet feet long. About August or September, the corm produces a funnel-shaped, reddish-purple (sometimes lilac or white) flower.
Dosage: Infusion, milk decoction, powder Infusion: Steep 6 to 10 stigmas in 1/2 cup water. Take 1/2 to 1 cup a day, unsweetened, a mouthful at a time.
[glow=red,2,300]Safety: Do not use when pregnant; large doses is narcotic CAUTION: Saffron contains a poison that acts on the central nervous system and damages the kidneys. Large doses can have severe effects; 10 to 12 grams is a fatal dose for human beings. The high cost of saffron and the availability of synthetic substitutes make its use as medicine rare.[/glow]