Saffron (kesar) is one of the most revered spices in human history. This is a flowering perennial plant, on each of the flowers of which there are only three stamens. That is why it takes about 160 flowers to get just one gram of this spice. The inflorescences are carefully picked by hand and then dried in the open air. Saffron has been actively used in Kashmir, China, Spain, Portugal and the Caucasus for the last three thousand years because of its delicate and pleasant aroma, color (used as a dye) and healing properties.
It is one of the most expensive used in Ayurveda, the Unani system, as well as in Chinese medicines and cosmetic products. Dried saffron florets are also widely used as a cooking seasoning and coloring agent in European, North African and Asian cuisines.
Ayurvedic properties
It has a pronounced sharp-bitter taste. Energy (Virya) - warming, the effect after digestion by the body (Vipak) - sharp, natural qualities (Guna) - light, thick.
Saffron improves immunity and vitality. According to the Ayurvedic tradition, the bitterness of saffron greatly increases the fire of the body, helping to restore balance and balance between all. Once in the body, the spice reduces Pitta and balances Vata and Kapha doshas.
Dried saffron stigmas or the extract as a whole contribute to the rejuvenation of the body, therefore it is traditionally used in Rasayana (the original Ayurvedic technique for restoring tissues and organ systems).
Medicinal properties
Saffron has invigorating, nourishing characteristics that can support the functioning of the circulatory, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. Clinical studies have shown that the essential oil contained in this spice helps to cope with a number of mental disorders, including depression. For example, taking 4 strands of saffron a day can be as effective as taking low-dose antidepressants.
In addition, regular intake of saffron relieves the symptoms of postmenstrual syndrome after two menstrual cycles, and also reduces the severity and duration of menstrual pain.
The spice is widely used as part of Ayurvedic preparations for the treatment of skin diseases, skin pigmentation disorders. Saffron oil is added as an active ingredient in therapeutic agents to treat erectile dysfunction, restore normal ejaculation, improve the quality and increase the quantity of sperm.
Saffron is used as an active ingredient in Unani preparations for the treatment of heart and liver diseases, as an antidote for Ama (toxins), body coolant, diuretic, tonic and a powerful aphrodisiac.
cosmetic application
Saffron plays an important role in the beauty industry. Today, this spice is used as one of the main ingredients in most. In addition to factory cosmetics, there are several traditional products that use saffron. Such drugs are often more effective and safer due to the absence of chemical additives.
To restore and rejuvenate the skin, faces with honey and a few strands of saffron have proven themselves. This tool perfectly fills the upper layers of the epidermis with oxygen and improves blood circulation.
Another option for regular facial skin care is saffron milk. Add a few strands of saffron to cow's milk and let it steep for two hours. Wipe the tincture on the face, neck, and then wash off the mask after twenty minutes with cold running water.
Another ancient recipe from Ayurveda for improving facial skin, treating acne and lightening dark pigments: mix one teaspoon of sandalwood powder, two to three pinches of saffron and two teaspoons of milk thoroughly. Apply the resulting paste on a clean, freshly washed face and massage thoroughly using small circular motions with your fingertips. Let dry and wash off with cool water after 20 minutes. Use this paste once a week.
To nourish the skin, you can mix a few strands of saffron or five drops of its oil with olive oil, or, and then massage the cheeks, neck, forehead and eyes with gentle circular movements.
Precautions
The use of saffron is contraindicated for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, as its active ingredients stimulate blood flow in the uterus. Do not take high doses of saffron, 1-5 strands per day are enough for a stable therapeutic effect. Those suffering from allergies to Lolium (cereals), Olea (oil plants, including olive oil), as well as Salsola (amaranth), it is not advisable to use saffron because of the essential oils that are similar in characteristics.
A wonderful spice came to us from the East, where it has long been used to get rid of many ailments and as a fragrant seasoning. Scientists from all over the world are studying the beneficial properties of saffron and confirm that the full healing power of the spice has yet to be known. Today I will talk about the medicinal properties of the plant, and how to take it correctly. The spice has a peculiar aroma, spicy and bitter taste. It is used for flavoring and coloring confectionery products, in the production of sausages, cheeses and liquor. In small quantities, spice is added to transparent soups, when cooking pilaf and other dishes from meat, chicken, beans, eggplant, rice.
Interestingly, in addition to coloring and flavoring properties, saffron also has a preservative effect. Food with the addition of spices stays fresh for several days.
Saffron is obtained from the dried stigmas of the flower of the saffron sativum, the iris family. At present, it is a food coloring and spice, and in ancient times it was used as an incense, a precious medicine, a dye and a fine seasoning for food.
Saffron - useful properties and contraindications
Why is saffron useful and why does it have contraindications? Each of the vitamins and microelements contained in the spice plays its own healing role in healing the body and treating various diseases. Magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese, copper, zinc, calcium, potassium - and that's not all. The vitamins most important for the smooth functioning of vital organs are also present: C, A, group B.
- With the help of potassium, the work of the entire cardiovascular apparatus will improve. No wonder saffron is included in the list of useful foods for the heart.
- Useful properties of saffron help strengthen blood vessels, reduce pressure. They will alleviate the condition of patients at the initial stage of angina pectoris, hypertension, ischemia and atherosclerosis.
- Thanks to saffron, brain cells and the whole body are stimulated.
The spice is also good as an antiseptic and tonic. - Saffron will bring effective help with nervous disorders, alleviate various types of pain.
- Healers advise taking spice in case of menstrual irregularities, diseases of the genitourinary system.
- Saffron is also very useful for vision. Especially with aging. The spice reduces the level of fatty acids in cells and has an antioxidant effect.
- There is evidence that the beneficial properties of saffron have a positive effect on cancer. Taking saffron tincture slows down tumor growth by stopping malignant cells.
- Saffron is a powerful aphrodisiac, thanks to its use, blood rushes to the reproductive organs, which contributes to sexual desire. No wonder he was so popular in the East, there, in the sultans' harems, they knew a lot about love affairs.
- A small dose of spice will help relieve a hangover.
- The kidneys will be cleansed, the bladder - sand will be removed.
In addition, saffron is effective for:
- Cold.
- Menstrual pains.
- asthma.
- Insomnia.
- depression.
- Some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
How to take saffron for health
For the treatment of most diseases, saffron is taken in the form of an aqueous tincture. How to do it correctly, I wrote below, and now carefully read how to take the infusion:
For medicinal purposes, take an aqueous infusion of saffron, one tablespoon three times a day. It will be more effective if you do this before meals. The action of the infusion increases if you add ginger and black pepper.
- Mastopathy. With inflammation of the mammary glands, compresses are applied from gruel of saffron. The spice acts as a softening and anti-inflammatory agent.
- Diseases of the genitourinary system. With urolithiasis, cystitis, urethritis, an aqueous infusion of spices is taken. Another collection: take an equal amount of daisy flowers, cornflower, 1 gr. saffron. Steep a tablespoon of this mixture with two cups of boiling water and let it brew. Drink every hour and a half for a tablespoon.
- Haemorrhoids. An aqueous infusion of spices also helps with hemorrhoids - it relieves pain, relieves inflammation. Apply saffron in the form of compresses.
- Eye diseases - cataracts. Make lotions from water infusion of saffron. The spice rejuvenates the muscles of the eyes, is indicated for age-related weakening of vision. Conjunctivitis will be cured by compresses from the following collection: take cornflower, snapdragon, calendula flowers in equal proportions, add a gram of saffron and make a water infusion.
- Cardiovascular disease, angina pectoris. Pour one gram of spice with a glass (200 ml) of boiling water. When 20 minutes have passed, strain and take a tablespoon before each meal. Another good pick: take a teaspoon of a mixture (in equal proportions) of saffron flowers and evening primrose. Pour in 300 ml. boiling water and strain after 30 minutes. Drink every 2-3 hours.
- Increased sexual activity. Consume water infusion in combination with black pepper and ginger.
- Healing of wounds, especially purulent ones. Make compresses from water infusion of saffron.
- Bronchitis. Helps water infusion of spices: pour 2 gr. saffron with a glass of boiling water. After 20 minutes, strain and take two tablespoons before meals.
How to prepare saffron infusion
To prepare an aqueous saffron infusion, take a teaspoon of saffron stigmas and pour a glass of boiling water (200 ml.). Let it brew for half an hour and strain thoroughly.
How to take saffron essential oil
Essential oil of saffron is widely used in diseases of the respiratory organs. Helps with insomnia, increases appetite.
Use an aroma lamp by adding a few drops of saffron essential oil.
Saffron - how to take for the beauty of hair and skin
- Saffron mask. Make a slurry of saffron and water, and lubricate dry, rough and dull skin of the face. The skin will receive a powerful vitamin charge, moisturize, become soft and acquire an even healthy color. The mask is applied for 20 minutes.
- A hair mask will help strengthen hair, reduce hair loss. Make a saffron gruel mask for 20 minutes.
How to take saffron for children
The beneficial properties of saffron are also used in pediatric medicine. The spice will help with dry cough, whooping cough - kids are given an aqueous tincture of saffron.
Water infusion acts as a mild sedative, especially helps with childhood hysteria.
Contraindications for use
Saffron is a rather toxic plant. Therefore, it is not worth taking it recklessly. Read carefully about the contraindications of the plant and be careful. Do not forget that even the most wonderful medicines can bring not only health, but also harm if they are not taken correctly. An overdose is especially dangerous in the case of saffron.
- It is strictly contraindicated to use saffron for women who are expecting a baby. The plant stimulates the tone of the uterus, which can provoke a miscarriage.
- Healers do not recommend taking saffron to young children, especially those under two years of age.
- An overdose of saffron, more than 2 grams at a time, sometimes causes vomiting or severe diarrhea.
- With hypertension, an overdose of the plant can also cause irreparable harm: severe dizziness and even convulsions may appear.
- Some cardiovascular diseases may also be a contraindication.
- You do not need to use saffron for diabetes.
A bit of saffron history
Saffron has long been the most expensive spice. In the East, in ancient times, it was 15 times more expensive than black pepper! This is explained by the fact that the collection process is very laborious. Only three stigmas are harvested from each flower, and as many as 80,000 saffron flowers are needed to get a kilogram of spice.
The plant has been known since ancient times, not so long ago, on one of the islands of the Aegean Sea, Tire, in 2004 ancient frescoes were found, the age of which is amazing: three and a half thousand years. The fresco depicted a goddess presiding over the collection of the plant. In those days, saffron was known and used as a medicine.
But you will gasp with surprise even more if you find out that in Iran, when examining a prehistoric human site, they found saffron paints! It is difficult to imagine how long saffron has been used by man.
In Russia, saffron was known, our ancestors baked bread with saffron. And in “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” it is said about vodka infused with saffron.
And now interest in the plant has not faded, even more - saffron is becoming more and more popular, especially among women who monitor their weight. It turns out that the plant helps to get rid of extra pounds. Use saffron, use its beneficial properties, my dear. And be healthy! And I do not say goodbye to you, ahead of us is waiting for a lot of interesting things.
Saffron extract it is convenient to use in confectionery or in cooking, because you do not have to grind and dissolve the stigmas, you just need to add a couple of drops to a dish or preparation to get an unimaginable taste at the end.
Saffron "king of spices" is a perennial flower from the iris family, native to the Middle East, India and Asia Minor. Its name is crocus (lat. Crocus sativus), it can be distinguished by long standing narrow leaves growing from the ground, and beautiful purple flowers. Crocus blooms very little - about seven days. Only three burgundy stamens each flower contains. Dried, sometimes crushed, stigmas are a world-famous condiment that has a strong aroma and a spicy bitter honey taste.
Application in cooking
Saffron spice (extract) is a fragrant spice that gives the dish a warm and cheerful mood and a charming musky aroma.
In European cuisine, saffron extract is successfully used to flavor confectionery flour products (cookies, muffins, Easter cakes, buns), sweets, refreshing drinks (lemon-saffron sorbet), to emphasize mousses, dessert creams, fruit sauces and creams. In the Middle East, in Italian and Spanish cuisine, it occupies an important place in the recipe of rice dishes (sweet rice puddings, spiced rice, various pilafs), as well as in the flavoring of milk drinks. Saffron extract is useful in risotto, paella, pilaf, and in fish soups and goulash, and in garlic mayonnaise, and in oriental sweets, and Cornish saffron buns. Saffron milk is widely known, which is called the drink of all sultans (it is recommended for spouses to drink at night). Saffron milk, among other things, helps with fears and worries.
The secret to using saffron extract is in moderation. If you want to achieve a warm, delicate aroma, add very little extract, otherwise the dish will acquire "pharmacy" flavor notes. You need to know that saffron extract is considered the most expensive among others.
Saffron (liquid extract). Beneficial features
Regular eating restores the cells of the brain and body, cleanses the liver, blood, improves complexion, rejuvenates the body and improves mood (as it promotes the production of a special substance in the human body - serotonin - the “hormone of joy”). This is what modern science explains the “ability” of saffron to relieve a person from pain, depression and melancholy. Saffron has been proven to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic properties. Saffron has always been valued more than gold.
- Saffron literally rejuvenates eye cells, so it is especially useful for age-related vision problems.
- Decoctions of saffron stigmas and crocus flowers also restore brain cells and improve memory, strengthen nerves and save from neuroses. Saffron is an excellent antidepressant and a source of great mood, while it is completely harmless and does not cause addiction.
- In vascular diseases, in the initial stages of atherosclerosis and hypertension, saffron is also recommended. It is also useful in many diseases of the kidneys and the genitourinary system.
- Saffron has long stood guard over women's health: it normalizes the menstrual cycle, heals the female genitourinary system, and even enhances sexual desire. By the way, saffron also has the last effect on the male body - it is a kind of aphrodisiac seasoning.
- Many cosmetic lines today use saffron essential oil. It miraculously acts on the skin, rejuvenating and refreshing the complexion, removes spots, acne and wrinkles. Saffron improves metabolic processes in the skin, relieves inflammation and heals wounds.
STORAGE CONDITIONS:
"SAFRAN EXTRACT" is a food flavoring agent based on natural plant aromatic aromatic substances. Passed certification and meets the requirements of the technical regulation of the Customs Union "on food safety".
Saffron extract should be stored at t 15-20 C, in a place protected from light and in a tightly closed container.
