Saffron, known to the Chinese since ancient times, is widely used by indigenous medical practitioners. Compared to the Ayurvedic system, the Tibbi system uses it more. Hippocrates and other ancient authors have written about saffron in their treatises. Although quite expensive, it is used to counteract spasmodic disorders and in the treatment of several digestive disorders, particularly flatulent Colic.
Being highly priced, it is often adulterated with other plant materials such as Sunflower, Calendula, Lyperia, etc. Sometimes, the anthers and corolla of crocus are also used for adulteration.
Saffron: A Profile
Latin Name: Crocus sativus
Indian Name: Kesar, Zafran, Kunkumapoo
Family: Iridaceae
Distribution: Cultivated in Kashmir, Bhersar and Chaubattia in U.P.
Appearance: A bulbous perennial
Useful parts: The dried stigmas and tops of the styles are used as spice and as dyestuff.
Saffron: How to use it
| Ailment | Prescription |
| Menstrual pains, lumbar pain accompanying menstruation, leucorrhoea | Boil 5 gm saffron in 125 ml water. Let it boil till it becomes 25 ml. Take 1 tsp of this decoction with 1 tsp water thrice daily. |
| Reproductive weaknesses | Mix 1 or 2 gm of saffron with milk. Take twice daily. |
| Cold and phlegm in children | Grind a little saffron in milk (preferably breast milk) and apply on nose, head, cheeks, etc. |
| For an easy delivery (large doses to be avoided by pregnant women) | Mix 15 to 25 mg with milk and take daily. (This can be eaten with betel leaf also.) |
| Urine retention | Soak a little saffron over night in 1/ 4 cup of water. Next morning drink it with a teaspoonful of honey. |
| For a fresh face | Mix 25 gm almonds, 30 gm suji (Rawa) and 10 gm saffron, and make a fine powder. Mix this powder with a little cow’s milk so as to make small tablets of 5 gm each. After drying, this can be stored. Make a tablet after having mixed it with cream (malai) and massage over face. Soap is to be avoided. |
| For better complexion | A pinch of saffron added to a table spoonful of milk and taken on empty stomach every morning. |
| Baldness | Grind liquorice root along with milk and a pinch of saffron into a fine paste. Apply this paste on the bald patches before going to bed for a few weeks. |
| Stomach, liver or spleen malfunctioning; fevers and melancholia | Regular intake of small quantities of saffron. |
| Diabetes | A little saffron crushed and ground with ghee, taken regularly. |
| Physical weaknesses | Saffron taken in betel leaf or with almonds. |