From the above pull down menu on the left, here are a few notes on the saffron articles.
• Riboflavine and thiamine contained in Saffron 1953
• Saffron effects Uterus and estrus cycle 1964
• Saffron both platelet aggregation inducer and inhibitor 1990
• Saffron anti-tumor activity
• Saffron lowers blood pressure 2003
• Curcurmin (saffron) coupled with garlic has an increased anti cancer activity 2004
• Saffron protect platelets from aggregation 2005
• Crocetin (saffron) protects Parkinson's in rat model 2005
• Saffron protects against genetic damage 2006
• DNA Saffron 2007
• Saffron anti proliferation effects on cancer cells 2007
• Protective Effect of Crocus sativus Stigma Extract Crocin (trans-crocin 4) on DNA Damage in Mice Organs. 2008
• One study revealed that crocetin is helpful in preventing Parkinson's Disease
• Anticonvulsant effects of crocus sativus in mice.
• Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: A pilot double-blind randomized trial.
• Saffron is derived from the Arabic word za'faran meaning yellow.
-It has been used as an anti-depressant herb Saffron extracts have been shown to significantly prolong-almost by three-fold-the life spans of mice undergoing experimental chemotherapy with the toxic anticancer drug, cisplatin.
-When saffron was combined with two other substances, the amino acid cysteine and the antioxidant vitamin E, it had a protective effect against the toxicity of cisplatin. Together, these three protective agents significantly reduced blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and blood glucose levels, as well as reduced many other harmful chemical changes in the body (el Daly, 1998)
• Same Indian authors reported that giving saffron by mouth to lab animals significantly slowed the growth of two different kinds of cancer
cells (DLA and S-180). The authors suggested that the increased levels of carotenes and Vitamin A may have accounted for this anticancer
effect.
• In 1999, Spanish scientists reported that crocin, one of the carotenoids isolated from saffron, increased the survival time and decreased the growth of colon cancer in female rats, without, however, having any significant effects on the tumors in male animals.
References for the above:
1. Abdullaev FI, Frenkel, G.D. Effect of saffron on cell colony
formation and cellular nucleic acid and protein synthesis. BioFactors,
3(3): 201 204, 1992a.
2. Abdullaev FI, Frenkel G.D. The effect of saffron on intracellular
DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in malignant and non-malignant human
cells. BioFactors, 4(1): 43 45, 1992b.
3. Abdullaev, F. Cancer chemopreventive and tumoricidal properties of
saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Exp Biology and Medicine, Vol. 227(1): 20
25, 2002.
4. Abdullaev FI, Cabalerro-Ortega H, Riveron-Negrete L, Pereda-Miranda
R, Rivera-Luna R, Hernandez JM, Perez-Lopez I, Espinosa-Aguirre JJ.
Evaluacion in vitro del potencial quimiopreventivi del azafran. Revista
de Investigacion Clinica, 54(5): 430-436, 2003.
5. Abdullaev FI, Riveron-Negrete L, Cabalerro-Ortega H, Hernandez JM,
Perez-Lopez I, Pereda-Miranda R, Espinosa-Aguirre JJ. Use of in vitro
assays to assess the antigenotoxic and cytotoxic effects of saffron
(Crocus sativus L.) Toxicology In Vitro, 17: 731-736, 2003b.
6. Duke, JA. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC
Press, 1985.
7. el Daly ES. Protective effect of cysteine and vitamin E, Crocus
sativus and Nigella sativa extracts on cisplatin-induced toxicity in
rats. Journal de Pharmacie de Belgique, 53(2): 93 95, 1998.
8. Escribano , Alonso GL, Coca-Prados M, and Fernandez JA. Crocin,
safranal and picrocrocin from saffron (Crocus sativus L,) inhibit growth
of human cancer cells in vitro. Cancer Letters, 100:23-30, 1996.
9. Martinez, Mercedes. Investigan el extracto de azafrán por su efecto
anticarcinógeno. Diario Medico, November 10, 2003. Search:
diariomedico.com.
10. Nair SC, Salomi MJ, Pannikar. B, Pannikar KR. Modulatory effects of
the extracts of saffron and Nigela sativa against cisplatinum induced
toxicity in mice. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 31:75 83, 1991(a).
11. Nair SC, Pannikar B, Pannikar KR. Antitumour activity of saffron
(Crocus sativus). Cancer Letters, 57(2): 109 114, 1991(b).
12. Nair SC, Salomi MJ, Varghese CD, Pannikar B, Pannikar KR. Effect of
saffron on thymocyte proliferation, intracellular gluthathione levels
and its antitumor activity. BioFactors, 4(1): 51 54,1992.
13. Riverón-Negrete L, et al. The combination of natural and synthetic
agents: a new pharmacological approach in cancer chemoprevention.
Procedures of the Western Pharmacology Society, 45:74-75, 2002.
14. Tarantilis PA, Morjani H, Polissiou M, and Manfait M. Inhibition of
growth and induction of differentiation promyclocytic leukemia (HL-60)
by carotenoids from Crocus sativus L. Anticancer Res, 14: 1913-1918,
1994.
15. Garcia-Olmo DC, Riese HH, Escribano J, Ontañon J, Fernandez JA,
Atienzar M, Garcia-Olmo D. Effects of long-term treatment of colon
adenocarcinoma with crocin, a carotenoid from saffron (Crocus sativus
: an experimental study in the rats. Nutrition and Cancer, 35(2): 120
126, 1999.
QUESTION What does saffron do?
ANSWER Saffron helps to maintain the integrity of the walls of the blood vessels so they do not burst as easily. Saffron stimulates the body to lay down blood vessels around any blockage or bursting. Cysts will bleed if blood pressure is elevated; or if the kidneys or the liver is enlarged with numerous cysts; or if there is some trauma to cystic organs.
1. Ease the pain from a cystic liver or cystic kidneys
2. Lowers blood pressure
3. Diminishes spontaneous bursting of tiny capillaries
4. Helps diminish bursting cysts
5. Stimulates the body to lay down new blood vessels
6. Protects the integrity of DNA
7. Helps a cystic liver by increasing the metabolism of estrogen through the liver
8. Aphrodisiac effect
9. Anti convulsive
10. Helps depression
The intense orange color of saffron hints of its medicinal nature. It is particularly rich in carotenoids, which are antioxidants that protect the body from free radical damage. Anything that protects the integrity of DNA (as saffron does), this helps prevent the two hit phenomenon from continuing to propagate increasing cysts throughout our organs
QUESTION How do you make a saffron tea infusion?
ANSWER Saffron tea ingredients 1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads
1 cup of water
Simmer on the stove top in a pot (approximately 7 minutes or longer) until it is reduced to a half cup of liquid. Strain, cool and sip it. click here for saffron recipes.
QUESTION Where do you purchase saffron?
ANSWER Vanilla Saffron Imports in San Francisco, California. This is an Internet site that imports excellent saffron from Iran and it supplies most restaurants and their chefs with saffron. This is their site. One can purchase a half ounce for $38 or one ounce for $65. A half ounce lasts about 2-3 months. 1 ounce = 28.3495231 grams.
QUESTION What type of saffron do you find useful for liver cysts?
ANSWER I take Crocus Sativus or true saffron. Saffron is collected from Crocus sativus (Iridaceae), which originated in the Middle Eastern region of the Eurasian continent, from Greece to Persia (Iran). The plant does not propagate by seeds; the underground portion, corms (also called bulbs), divide to produce new plants. Flowers emerge in autumn; the outstanding feature of the lilac to mauve colored flower is its three stigmas 25-30 mm long, which droop over the petals: that is what is collected as saffron. There are also three yellow stamens, which lack the active compounds and are not collected. The stigma is attached to a style, which has little of the active components and is only included with the lower grades of saffron. Saffron is a wonderful herb. I enjoy a tea infusion made from saffron.
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