A microbiological study of saffron spice was undertaken in the context of a European research project (Methodologies for Implementing International Standards for Saffron Purity and Quality, the acronym for which is SAFFIC), analyzing 79 samples obtained from the main producer countries, namely Greece, Iran, Italy, Morocco, and Spain. Current microbiological quality criteria are the same as for ...

Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, is got by Crocus sativus L. stigmas. The production of this substance has attracted human interest, since ancient cultures, for its medicinal and culinary properties. Because of saffron high economic value, sometimes, since Middle Ages, it is adulterated with other vegetal materials, dyes or synthetic molecules. Object of this work was the study o...

Objectives. In a previous randomized clinical trial (Falsini et al. (2010)), it was shown that short-term Saffron supplementation improves retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the observed functional benefits from Saffron supplementation may extend over a longer follow-up duration. Design. Longitudinal, interv...

In modern pharmacological medicine, saffron is used for various purposes due to its antioxidant effect. This study evaluated retinal function after treatment with saffron supplementation during a follow-up period of 6 months to provide further insight into the efficacy and safety considerations of this treatment. Sixty patients with wet or dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were randoml...

The central nervous system undergoing degeneration can be stabilized, and in some models can be restored to function, by neuroprotective treatments. Photobiomodulation (PBM) and dietary saffron are distinctive as neuroprotectants in that they upregulate protective mechanisms, without causing measurable tissue damage. This study reports a first attempt to combine the actions of PBM and saffron. ...

The present study investigated the cytogenetic and testicular damage induced by the antiepileptic drug, sodium valporate (SVP) in albino rats and the effect of saffron aqueous extracts. Treating rats with SVP caused a significant increase in the chromosomal aberrations either structural or numerical and decreased the mitotic index. Besides, animals administered SVP showed DNA damage appeared in...

Crocus sativus L. (Saffron, Fam. Iridaceae) is a medicinal, commercial, historical and economically important plant that has been used in the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. Saffron, which generally by public to add flavor color dishes, difficult cultivate harvest due use only dried stigmas known as most expensive spice world. The macroscopic microscopic properties samples so...

Although it is well established that chronic stress impairs spatial learning and memory, few studies have investigated possible ways to prevent its deleterious effects. Here, we investigated the effects of Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, and its active constituent crocin on learning and memory loss and the induction of oxidative stress in the hippocampus by chronic stress. Rats we...

Objectives A correlation between hyperhomocysteinemia, and depression has been reported. Saffron (Crocus sativus) is recommended for treatment of depression; hence, in this study the effect of co-administration of saffron and fluoxetine on plasma homocysteine and depression was evaluated. Material and methods This was a 4-week randomized and double-blind clinical trial which was conducted fro...