Saffron or Kesar is considered as one of the most expensive spices in the world and is most commonly known from its unique color. Basically, saffron is dried threads of a flower of a plant called Crocus sativus. You can find this plant in many European nations, such as Greece, France, Italy, Turkey, and Spain. This plant is also famous in India too.

As a spice, of course saffron would be beneficial to add some taste and flavor in various ingredients. Aside from its main use to add some taste in foods, saffron would be very beneficial too to cure various ailments. This is because it contains a lot of nutritions and healing properties. We bet that you already know that saffron will bring you a lot of advantages associated with your health whenever you consume it. So, what are the health benefits of saffron? In the article below you will find a lot of saffron’s advantages for your health:

1. Boost Your Mood

Saffron is very well known for its active compounds that have many effects in our endocrine system. Surprisingly, this spice will be very beneficial to stimulate the release of certain hormones that keeps us happy and thus, it will improve our overall mood.

Specifically, if you’re a women and you consume saffron on a regular basis, then this spice will cause a positive effect as antidepressant. It will relieve your anxiety and stress because it will act as an aphrodisiac. So, no wonder that saffron is hailed as one of the greatest natural source to improve your overall mood.

2. Cancer Prevention

This is one of the greatest benefit that you can get if you consume saffron regularly. If you want to stay away from cancer in your life, then it’s good for you to start consuming saffron. Many research studies have shown that saffron contains a lot of antioxidants that will be very good to neutralize and get rid of the free radicals. As you already know, the free radicals are few of many factors that can cause cancer. The antioxidants that contained in saffron will also boost your immune system too and thus, it will prevent the cancer from developing and spreading all over your body.

3. Healthy Nerve Function

Healthy nerve functions are highly required by your body. If you have a healthy nerve function, then you will be prevented from many diseases that arises from the poor function of the nervous system, such as bladder control problems, muscle function loss, etc. So, consuming saffron will improve the health of your nervous functions. This is because this spice contains a lot of Vitamin B complex, especially Vitamin B6. The Vitamin B6 will help our nervous system to run smoothly. Thus, your chance to get diseases that caused by the poor nerve function will be decreased.

4. Anti-inflammatory Properties

Do you know that you can use saffron for external use rather than consume it? Yes, it turns out that this spice will be very beneficial for you too if you’re applied it externally. This is because saffron has anti-inflammatory properties so that it will speed up the healing process of your external wounds. As already mentioned before, the antioxidant compounds that contained in saffron will be a perfect remedy to relieve the pain and discomfort that you feel throughout your body because of the external injuries.

5. Perfect Analgesic Qualities

This benefit summed up the benefits that already mentioned above. So, saffron has a perfect analgesic qualities that enable this spice to cure and soothe the pain and discomforts that you feel throughout your body. This is because saffron has a special compound called safranal that will act as a sedative. Thus, it will shut down the pain, makes you become more relaxed, and improve your overall mood. So, there is no surprise that saffron is considered as one of the greatest natural remedy for external pain. In fact, until now, it is being used as a herbal medicine by many doctors for their patients.

6. Prevent Diabetes

There is no doubt that diabetes is one of the deadliest disease in this world. This is because diabetes will lead to a lot more severe results as the time goes by. If you want to stay away from this disease, consuming saffron on a regular basis will be a good choice. This is because saffron contains a lot of manganese, a compound that will be very beneficial to optimize the sugar level in your body and it will also help to regulate the glucose and insulin levels. If the blood sugar in your body is well controlled, then the chance of you having a diabetes type II will also be decreased. In case you already have the diabetes type II, then consuming saffron would also be beneficial because it will help to manage its symptoms in the future.

7. Improves the Production of Red Blood Cells

There is no doubt that the proper amount of production of the red blood cells in your body is very important to support your overall health. The red blood cells are essentials to transport the blood and the nutritions that you get from the foods to the entire body. Saffron is one of many natural sources that have a great amount of iron in it. As you already know, the iron components of the food is very essential to improve the production of the red blood cells in the body. Since saffron is classified as a non-heme iron, then you need to consume foods that contain a high amount of Vitamin C so that its nutritions will be easily absorbed by your body.

8. Boost the Bone Strength

It turns out that saffron will also be very beneficial to improve the bone strength in your body. Many research studies have shown that saffron contains some mineral and organic compounds that will be essential to optimize the nutrition intake that we got from foods, particularly calcium. As you already know, calcium is a very important nutrient to improve the strength and density of the bones in our body. As the result, if you consume saffron on a regular basis, then the probability of you having diseases associated with the poor bone strength such as osteoporosis and other age-related degenerative disease will be decreased.

9. Improves the Respiratory Health

If you have some problem related to your respiratory system, then you might want to try to overcome it with saffron. So, it turns out that saffron has a lot of of compounds that enable this herbal source to act as an expectorant. Because of that, saffron, whether you consume it or applied externally, could be used to treat and relieved various diseases associated with the respiratory system, such as asthma, cough, or just simply loosen the phlegm.

10. Cure Gastrointestinal Problems

Another health benefits that you can get from consuming saffron on a regular basis is that you will have a healthy gastrointestinal. This is because saffron also has a well known effects to prevent many problems associated with gastrointestinal. In case you already got problems related with your gastrointestinal, then this natural herbs could also be a powerful weapon to overcome it. As already mentioned above, saffron has a sedative and anti-inflammatory effects that help to calm the inflammation, as well as cure the upset stomach and more severe conditions like gastric ulcers.

11. Improves the Health of the Heart

There is no surprise at all that heart disease is one of the most deadly disease in the world right at the moment. So, it is very important for us to keep the health of our heart. It turns out that consuming saffron will cause a positive effect for the health of our heart.

This is because saffron is rich in potassium, the nutrient that will be very essential to improve the health of our heart. Potassium acts as vasolidator, which will lower the pressure in the arteries and blood vessels. Because of that, of course the strain around cardiovascular system will be decreased. As the result, you will be prevented from severe conditions such as atherosclerosis, strokes, or heart attacks.

12. Good For Pregnant Women

If you’re pregnant women and you’re wondering whether is it good to consume saffron during the pregnancy or not, well, the answer seems will be encouraging you to consume this herbal source more than before! Saffron will be very good to consume during the pregnancy period.

This herbal source will be very good for enhancing the blood flow around the pelvic and reduces the probability of having a common pregnancy problem such as cramps. Also, don’t forget that saffron has the ability to improve the overall mood. Because of that, it will be very beneficial to overcome the mood swing that occurs oftenly during the pregnancy period.

13. Increase the Blood Circulations

If you want to maintain or improve the health of your metabolism, then consuming saffron will also be a good idea. As already mentioned above, saffron is very essential to increase the blood circulation around your body. Thus, it will increase the metabolism of your body. Also, saffron can increase and encourage the production of red blood cells which then of course will improve the blood circulations around your body. If your body has a great metabolism and blood circulations, then the probability of you having disease associated with poor blood circulation like anemia will be prevented.

14. Increase the Cellular Function

Saffron contains a lot of nutrients that will bring a positive effect on your body, including your cellular function. The nutrients like potassium and magnesium are very beneficial to stimulate the cell growth and repair the damage around tissues. Thus, there is no surprise that saffron is really beneficial to repair the cellular function of your body.

Saffron Benefits for Diet Treatment

Thus, there are many health benefits of saffron, one of them works for beauty treatments.

15. Support Your Diet

Do you know that consuming saffron regularly will also support your diet program? So, what is the relationship between saffron and the diet program? Many research studies have shown that consuming saffron regularly will stimulate the production of serotonin hormone. Serotonin is a hormone that will be very beneficial to suppress your appetite. According to the researchers, high levels of serotonin mean that your appetite to eat will be decreased, whereas low levels of serotonin in the body will cause the opposite thing. So, if you want to prevent obesity or if you want to reduce your body weight, then consuming saffron will be a good start.

16. Improves the Digestive System

As an herbal source, there is no surprise that saffron would be very beneficial to improve and maintain the health of the digestive system. Specifically, saffron will be very good for the digestive system because of the presence of the various compounds that will act as an anti-convulsant, which will stimulate the digestion. Also, saffron has a high amount of Vitamin C which could encourage the absorption of the nutrients from the foods to the entire body. In addition to that, the mix between water and saffron can strengthen the stomach function.

Saffron Benefits for Sexual Health

17. Good For Sexual Health

If you want to keep the health of your sexual organ, then it will be very good if you start to consume saffron on a regular basis. Saffron is an herbal source that has been used to treat various sexual problems since a long time ago. For men, saffron is believed to be a very good source to improve and boost fertility. Also, it is believed to be a potent remedy to deal with premature ejaculation. Meanwhile in women, saffron will be a very good addition if you recently have a pre-menstrual syndrome and menstrual cramps. So, it will be very beneficial to consume saffron if you want to keep the health of your sexual thing.

Saffron Benefits for Beauty Treatment

Thus, here are the health benefits of saffron for beauty.

18. Improve the Overall Health Of Your Skin

Aside from its benefit whenever we consume it directly, saffron also offers a magnificent benefit whenever we applied it externally, especially when we used it as a facial mask. Saffron facial mask will be very good to improve the health of our skin. This is because saffron has natural skin lightning qualities because of the Vitamin A, B, and C in it. So, if we used it as a facial mask, then our skin will be smoother than before and we also will have a glowing skin. In addition to that, if you have a problem with acne, then saffron facial mask will be very beneficial too since it has an antifungal property.

19. Prevent Hair Loss

Do you know that saffron also becomes a good natural source when it comes to the health of your hair? Yes, saffron is a very good herbal source to improve the overall health of the hair, especially to fight against the hair loss. As already mentioned before, saffron contains a lot of antioxidants. Those antioxidants will be beneficial to promote the hair growth and also, it will repair hair follicles from damages. If you want to get this benefit from saffron, the way to apply it is very simple, you just have to apply saffron in your scalp, leave it for a few minutes, and then wash it gently.

20. Excellent Toning Agent for Skin

Aside from its benefits to improve the overall health of your skin, saffron in fact also an excellent toning agent for your skin. The antioxidant components from saffron makes it a very good choice if you want to stay away from blackheads and clogged pores. In case you already have blackheads or you have clogged pores, then using saffron as a facial mask will be a great addition to deal with that. Saffron also  will get rid of free radicals and also improve the blood circulation around your face, which then of course will make your face look firmer than before.

How to Buy and Storage Saffron

So, after you read all of the health benefits that already mentioned above, we bet that you want to consume saffron as soon as possible. If you’re planning to buy saffron, we have some tips on how to buy a high quality saffron as well as how to store it. It is important to store saffron properly so that you will get the full benefit of this spice. These are the tips on how to buy and storage saffron:

• You can buy saffron in the spice markets that widely available in all over the places. Try to buy the dried stigma instead of the powdered saffron. This is because the powdered saffron oftenly gets aldutered. Make sure that the dried stigma that you buy is well sealed in its package.
• If you’re confused to choose which saffron is fresher when you want to buy it, just look at its color. A fresh saffron has a bright crimson-red color. Another option, try to rub it with your finger. A fresh saffron will release a pleasant aroma as soon after you rub it. Avoid buying the stigma that has light spots and grey color in its streaks.
• Make sure that you store the dried stigma in a closed, cool, and dark place. Keep it away from the direct sunlight because it will significantly reduce the saffron flavor.

Precautions and Warnings

Although saffron will give a lot of benefits for your health, of course this spice has a special precaution. This spice might not be good to consume for some people with special conditions. So, here are the precautions and warning related to saffron that you need to know:

• Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women Need to Avoid Saffron. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are not recommended to consume saffron since this spice would make the contraction in the uterus. Because of that, the probability of having a miscarriage would be greatly increased. Although further studies are needed about this theory, but it is better to stay on the safe side and not consuming saffron whenever you’re pregnant.
• Could Induce Bipolar Disorder. If you have a problem related to your mood, it is better to avoid saffron as well. This is because consuming saffron will stimulate the excability and impulsive behavior among people with bipolar disorder.
• Avoid Saffron If You Have a Low Blood Pressure. As already mentioned above, one of the benefits that you will get from consuming saffron is that this vegetable would lower the blood pressure. So, if you already have a low blood pressure, then try to avoid saffron. This is because this vegetable will make your blood pressure become lower. Thus, it will be very dangerous for your health and cause a lot severe health conditions in the future.

So, now you already know everything about saffron. You already know its health benefits, how to buy and store it, until its precautions and warnings. If you’re looking at the health benefits that this spice will offer to your body, then there is no doubt that saffron is considered as one of the most healthiest spices in the world. As a spice, you can simply mix saffron with your favourite dishes and just enjoy the greatness of saffron!