What is saffron and what is its nutritional value?
In the past, saffron was used not only to perfume and color foods, but also to perfume the body, make up the face and even treat diseases such as insomnia. At present, saffron still has various uses and it is widely used for beauty and skin rejuvenation, treatment of diseases and, of course, coloring and glazing foods. Follow us to introduce you to different uses of saffron.
What is saffron and what is its nutritional value?
For thousands of years, humans have used saffron for a variety of purposes, from cooking to dyeing fabrics and cosmetics. Saffron is actually the orange string that grows among the purple petals of saffron flowers.
To produce 450 grams of saffron, about 170,000 saffron flowers are needed, and the process of producing and harvesting saffron is done entirely by hand, and therefore its cost is very high. It is not without reason that saffron is called red gold because it is as expensive as gold.
The nutritional value of saffron
Saffron is rich in vitamins and minerals. Copper, calcium, manganese, iron, zinc, magnesium and many other minerals are found in saffron. Saffron is also rich in antioxidants and contains many vitamins such as vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B3 and vitamin C.
The most important chemical compounds of saffron are safranal and picrocrocin, from which the taste of saffron originates. The crocin in saffron also creates its golden color and is very effective. Carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, eucalyptol, pinene, berneol, graniol, limonene, cement and linanol are other chemical compounds in saffron that are the source of the antioxidant properties of this precious spice.
Because saffron is rich in vitamins, minerals and, of course, antioxidants, it not only has a high nutritional value as a food, but also has significant healing properties.
What are the types of uses of saffron?
The most important use of saffron can be divided into three categories: cooking, healing and cosmetic:
Cooking with saffron
In addition to the high nutritional value of saffron, its taste and aroma are also very important in cooking. It is interesting to note that in the Middle Ages, saffron was used to flavor stored food to eliminate the bad smell of stored food (which decayed quickly due to the lack of a refrigerator).
Currently, the use of saffron spices in Asian and European dishes is very common. Saffron dye is used as a natural dye to yellow various sweets, soups, rice and many other foods.
The use of saffron is very common in Iranian, Indian and Arabic dishes because of its aroma and taste, and saffron can be considered as one of the main spices in preparing various foods of these countries.
European countries mostly use saffron in bread and sweets, but Asian and Middle Eastern countries consider saffron as the main spice of foods such as rice and fish. In general, cooking can be named as the most important and of course the most common use of saffron.
Therapeutic properties of saffron
Traditional medicine has used saffron a lot in the past. The Sumerians, for example, used saffron to make healing potions. At present, many scientific and medical researches have proved the healing properties of saffron. Saffron is used in the preparation of some medicines and oral consumption of saffron is recommended for home treatment.
Saffron is one of the main sources of antioxidants. The antioxidant properties of saffron are due to the crocin, picrocrocin and safranal in the herd. Antioxidants have many healing properties and therefore saffron is very effective in treating diseases. Saffron also has anti-inflammatory properties. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of saffron make it a healing and miraculous food.
It is generally said that saffron is effective in treating cough, asthma, cancer, reducing menstrual symptoms, enhancing sexual potency, and treating depression and insomnia. According to oral studies, saffron can reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease over time because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Saffron is also very effective in reducing pain and menstrual symptoms.
Preventing high blood sugar and reducing high blood pressure are other healing properties of saffron. Saffron can also improve asthma symptoms and prevent coughing. However, the healing properties of saffron are not limited to physical health. Saffron is also very effective on mental health.
According to research, one of the most important therapeutic properties and uses of saffron is reducing depressive symptoms. It seems that saffron has better performance in treating depression than antidepressants such as fluoxetine and citalopram.
Also, saffron can be effective in treating depression and reducing its symptoms by reducing anxiety and improving sleep. Because one of the main complications of depression is lack of sleep and saffron can improve the sleep process in the body. The antioxidants in saffron can improve mood by increasing dopamine levels in the brain.
Saffron and skin beauty
Other uses of saffron include its use in cosmetics and skincare products. The sweet and warm aroma of saffron is used in the preparation of various colognes. Its yellow and gold colors are also used to make cosmetics such as lipstick and blush.
The ancient Iranians used saffron to perfume their bodies. Currently, saffron has attracted a lot of attention in the cosmetics industry.
Crocin and kaimferol are chemical compounds that are widely used in cosmetics and saffron is rich in these two chemical compounds. Saffron can protect the skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays. According to research, saffron has a better performance than sunscreens.
Saffron also has moisturizing properties and can maintain skin moisture and prevent dryness. The antioxidant properties of saffron are also effective in treating acne and protecting the skin against skin cancer. Saffron can also make the skin clearer and brighter by reducing skin melanin. That is why saffron is used as a raw material for skin lightening creams.
It is said that saffron can improve blood circulation in the skin and has exfoliating properties. For this reason, it seems that saffron is effective in preventing skin aging and has rejuvenating properties. It is not without reason that saffron is used in the preparation of face masks and rejuvenating creams.
From the past to the present, saffron has been used in cooking, treatment of diseases, and of course for beauty. For these reasons, the use of saffron can be sought in its nutritional value and properties.
