Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is now generally perceived to be the dominant operating system in conventional medicine. It is unsurprising then that some have counseled complementary and alternative medicine practitioners to resist EBM . The efficacy of medicinal herbs does need to be established and toxicity, contraindications and side effects also need to be investigated, and this is best done...

objective: in the present study, the effects of aqueous saffron extract (crocus sativus l.) on the acquisition and reinstatement of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (cpp) in mice were investigated. materials and methods: subcutaneous administration of morphine (40 mg/kg for four days) produced place preference. intraperitoneal administration of aqueous extract (40 and 80 mg/kg for ...

conclusions: saffron, as an antioxidant, is positively effective on sperm parameters in rats exposed with cadmium. objectives: the aim of this study was to determine the effects of saffron on the results of semen parameters (sperm concentration, motility and viability in cauda of epididymis) in rats exposed to cadmium. materials and methods: thirty wistar male rats were divided into four groups...

background: obesity is pandemic worldwide and a strong risk factor for cardio-metabolic disorders. the few approved anti-obesity drugs have poor efficacy and safety profile. thus, there is an urgent need for new anti-obesity agents. according to the traditional medicine and a clinical trial, saffron may have anorexigenic and anti-obesity effects which need further investigation. objectives: eva...

background: recent studies have indicated potential of saffron for applying in a wide variety of diseases such as psychiatric and neurologic disorders. the concurrent use of saffron with ssris can lead to reducing the dose of ssris. saffron at a dose of 200 mg may change some hematological and biochemical parameters. objective: the goal of this trial was to assess the safety of concomitant admi...

background: saffron (crocus sativus l.) is a common but very expensive herbal medicine. as an important traditional medicine, it has an outstanding effect in treating irregular and painful menstruation. recently, the over-demand tendency of saffron results in an unusual phenomenon in the medicinal markets. adulterants and saffron-like substitutes are intentionally mixed into medicinal markets a...

background: there is much debate about effects of medicinal plants such as saffron (crocus sativus) on human health. women are highly involved in farming and processing of this plant. this study is aimed at evaluating the saffron impacts on miscarriage rate of female farmers working in saffron fields. methods: this was a prospective case-control study on pregnant female farmers during harvestin...

objective: the present study was designed to investigate the putative antidepressant effects of crocin and crocetin, two major active ingredients of crocus sativus l. (saffron) using mice in two different regimens of acute and sub-acute administration. material and methods: in acute treatment, antidepressant-like activities of crocin and crocetin (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) were evaluated using...