Throughout history saffron has been used for many things. Although it is known as the most expensive spice in the world, it was and still is commonly used as a dye and as a spice by wealthy people in many parts of the world. Crocus sativus, also known as saffron, is one of the most expensive spices in the world due to the extensive harvesting process which has to be done manually. While it is historically known for being a spice as well as a dye, it also has been discovered to have some very interesting medicinal effects, such as improving glycemia (diabetes), reducing cancer, and improving impotency in males. Because of these recent discoveries, humans must have wanted to produce saffron for more biological reasons than to be visual or pleasing to the palate.
Originally known as Crocus cartwrightianus, the saffron plant belongs to the family Iridaceae which contains many varieties of lilies (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). Over the course of history, Crocus sativus has been completely domesticated and therefore relies on human intervention to pollinate the plant so it can reproduce (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). It is a perennial bulb that flowers in the fall and contains two flowers per bulb (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). The stigma of the flowers is the part of the plant that is harvested to produce what we know as saffron (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). It was originally used in Egypt by healers in order to treat urinary infections, internal hemorrhaging and poisoning (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). It can also be poisonous in high doses, however the quantity found in most food won’t have these effects. The first documentation of i...
... middle of paper ...
...Med. Retrieved September 23, 2013 from Pubmed.gov.
Sharifi, G. (2010). Etymology, history and application of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in ancient Iran. Acta Horticulturae, 850, 309-314. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from CAB
Abstracts Database.
Sharma, A., Singh, J., Hussain, M., Tyagi, D.B., Singh, N.P. (2012). Economics of saffron (Kesar) cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir. Environment and Ecology, 30 (3C),
1070-1075. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from CAB Abstracts Database.
Ulbricht, C., Conquer, J., Costa, D., Hollands, W., Iannuzi, C., Isaac, R., Jordan, J.K., Ledesma, N., Ostroff, C., Serrano, J.M.G., Shaffer, M.D., Varghese , M. (2011). An evidence-based systematic review of saffron (Crocus sativus) by the natural standard research collaboration. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 8(1), 58-114. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from CAB Abstracts Database.
Sclauser Pessoa, I. B., Costa, D., Velloso, M., Mancuzo, E., Reis, M. S., & Parreira, V.F.
Ultima, an elderly curandera, teaches a young boy about herbal remedies by gathering plants growing in the llano to cure the sick. She uses herbs like juniper, yerba del manso, oregano, manzanilla, and osha. Juniper can be used for nausea, headaches, and even some bug bites. It is also used for ceremonial fires. “Of all the plants we gathered none was endowed with so much magic as the yerba del manso” (Anya 39). Yerba del manso could cure burns, sores, piles, colic in babies, bleeding dysentery, and even rheumatism. Oregano can be used for coughs, fever, asthma, and bronchitis. “We wandered on and found some oregano, and we gathered plenty because this was not only a cure for coughs and fever but a spice my mother used for beans and meat" (Anya 40). Ultima also gathers an herb called manzanilla. Manzanilla is used to calm anxiety and settle stomachs. It also eases heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. Ultima uses it to cure a man’s mollera illness. “We were also lucky to find some osha, because this plant grows better in the mountains . It is like yerba del manso, a cure for everything” (Anya 40). Osha helps with coughs, colds, cuts, bruises, stomach troubles and rheumatism. It can also keep poisonous snakes
Hooker, S.K., Fahlman, A., Moore, J., Aguilar de Soto, Y., Bernaldo de Quiros, A., Brubakk, O., Costa, D.P., Costidis, A.M., Dennison, S., Falke, K.J., Fernandez, A., Ferrigno, M., Fitz-Clarke, J.R., Garner, M.M., Houser, D.S., Jepson, P.D., Ketten, D.R.,Kvadsheim, P.H., Madsen, P.T., Pollock, N.W., Rotstein, D.S., Rowles, T.K., Simmons, S.E., Van Bonn, W., Weathersby , P.K., Weise, M.
Pittet, D., Hugonnet, S., Harbarth, S., Mourouga, P., Sauvan, V., Touveneau, S., & Perneger, T.
Nalepa G, Enzor R, Sun Z, Marchal C, Park SJ, Yang Y, Tedeschi L, Kelich S, Hanenberg H and
Cox-Foster, D. L., Conlan, S., Holmes, E. C., Palacios, G., Evans, J. D., Moran, N. A.,…
Although there is a clear resemblance between cassia and cinnamon, one must be “the better spice.” Dating back to the 2nd Century AD, Galen stated that the finest cassia differs so little form the lowest quality cinnamon that the first may be substituted for the second, provided a double weight of it is used. In other words, cassia ...
Forsyth, K., Taylor, R., Kramer, J., Prior, S., Richie, L., Whitehead, J., Owen, C., & Melton, M.
Van den Heede, K.V., Florquin, M., Bruyneel, L., Aiken, L., Diya, L., Lesaffre, E., &
Even during the ancient times, Star Anise Essential Oil was already commended for its multi-purposeness. Not only was it used as a way to spice up or add flavor to the food, but, also, it was used as a way to treat insect bites, insomnia even. Now, it is proven to have had a lot more uses, from being an antiseptic and decongestant to a mouth freshener, surely, it is more beneficial than it seems to be.
Voltarelli, J. C., Couri, C., Stracieri, A., Oliveira, M. C., Moraes, D. A., Pieroni, F., Burt,
Khan, B. A., Calvo-Ayala, E., Ionescu, R., Buckley, J. D., Farber, M. O., Campbell, N., & ...
Dunn, R., Craig, M., Favre, L., Markus, D., Pedota, P., Sookdeo, G., Stock, J., & Terry, B.,
Ornstein, R., Rosen, D., Mammel, K., Callahan, S., Forman, S., Jay, M., Fisher, M., Rome, E., &
Stuart, G. L., Moore, T. M., Elkins, S. R., O’Farrell, T. J., Temple, J. R., Ramsey, S. E.,