islamic traditional medicine (itm) is a holistic system of medicine. saffron (crocus sativus) is one of the most famous plants cultivated in iran and has a wide range of activities such as oxytocic, anti-carcinogenic, exhilarant, anti-depressant, and anti-asthma effects. in addition, saffron can increase the bioavailability and enhance absorption of other drugs. this study comprises a bibliogra...

current therapies for breast cancer are often limited by short-term efficacy due to the emergence of drug resistance. there has been increased interest in the use of naturally occurring compounds with chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects in the treatment of cancers. saffron, dry stigmas crocus sativus l., used in iran as a spice, is known for its anticancer properties. in this study, th...

saffron, crocus sativus l. (c. sativus) is rich in carotenoids and used in traditional medicine for treatment of various conditions such as coughs, stomach disorders, amenorrhea, asthma and cardiovascular disorders. these therapeutic effects of the plant are suggested to be due to its relaxant effect on smooth muscles. the effect of c. sativus and its constituents on different smooth muscles an...

The immunomodulatory activity of an Indian neutraceutical spice, saffron (Crocus sativus) was studied on Th(1) and Th(2) limbs of the immune system. Oral administration of alcoholic extract of Crocus sativus (ACS) at graded dose levels from 1.56-50 mg/kg p.o. potentiated the Th(2) response of humoral immunity causing the significant increases in agglutinating antibody titre in mice at a dose of...

FT-Raman Spectra of Saffron (crocus sativus L.) with a partial assignment is reported. Based on the Raman data, it is concluded that main pigments in saffron are crocins and crocetin. It is proposed that the quickly attainable FT-Raman spectrum of solid saffron, may be used as a means of saffron standardization.

Crocus sativus is a triploid sterile plant characterized by its long red stigmas, which produce and store significant quantities of carotenoid derivatives formed from the oxidative cleavage of beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. The present study reports on the genomic structures of two lycopene-beta-cyclase genes, CstLcyB1 and CstLcyB2a, and on their transcription patterns in different C. sativus ti...

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...