The golden medicine for contemporary health problems

In a review article published in the journal NutrientsThe authors summarized the results of previous research on the importance of saffron and its by-products in the prevention and treatment of a number of human diseases.

Review: Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and its by-products: health effects in internal medicine. Photo source: ZhakYaroslav / Shutterstock

Background

Saffron, scientifically called Saffron L., is an pricey and valuable spice from Asia, obtained exclusively from dried stigmas. In addition to food, beverages, and cosmetics, saffron is widely used in time-honored medicine for its numerous health benefits, including antimicrobial, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects.

Saffron and its by-products are considered a valuable source of many bioactive compounds that play a preventive and therapeutic role in many diseases, including degenerative maculopathy, depression and anxiety, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndrome, cancer and chronic kidney disease.

The authors of this review article searched various scientific databases to identify studies that investigated the preventive and therapeutic properties of saffron and its byproducts. This review includes studies published in English between 1990 and 2024.

Bioactive compounds in saffron

The main bioactive compounds found in saffron are crocins, safranal and picrocrocin. Crocins are hydrophilic carotenoids. About 15 crocin esters have been identified in saffron stigma.

Picrocron is a degradation product of zeaxanthin. It loses glucose and is converted to safranal during an enzymatic process. In addition to the most bountiful safranal, 60 volatile compounds have been identified in saffron stigma.

Various flavonoids have also been identified in saffron stigma, including kaempferol-3-sophoroside, kaempferol-3-sophoroside-7-glucoside, kaempferol-3,7,4′-triglucoside, kaempferol-tetrahexoside, kaempferol-3-dihexoside, quercetin, rutin, and naringin.

Parts of C. sativus L.

Saffron By-Products

Various classes of flavonoids have been found in saffron leaves, including flavonols and anthocyanins. The most bountiful flavonols are kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin derivatives, and kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside. The most bountiful anthocyanins are delphinidin and its derivatives, petunidin and its derivatives, and malvidin derivatives.

The bioactive compounds contained in saffron leaves include kaempferol and its derivatives, quercetin and its derivatives, luteolin and its derivatives, organic acids and phenolic compounds.

Saffron in Internal Medicine

Saffron and its by-products have numerous beneficial effects in internal medicine.

Potential beneficial effects of C. sativus L. in internal medicine. Abbreviations: ↑, enhance or improvement; ↓, decrease; 5-HT, serotonin; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Degenerative maculopathy

It is a neurodegenerative disease of the retina caused by genetic and environmental factors. The main characteristics are oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. The disease is characterized by hyper- or hypopigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium, which can lead to visual impairment.

Crocetin, the main compound contained in saffron, inhibits the expression of caspases, preventing retinal damage and counteracting retinal cell death.

A clinical study in patients with early degenerative maculopathy showed that taking saffron daily could improve visual acuity and snail-paced down disease progression. Carotenoids have also been reported to have a positive effect on retinal sensitivity to flicker.

Depression and anxiety

Saffron’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and serotonergic properties make it a potent natural antidepressant. Daily exploit of various forms of saffron reduces oxidative stress in depressed patients by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

Safranal, crocin, and crocetin have been shown to work synergistically to reduce neuroinflammation, which is a key hallmark of depression.

Depression is characterized by decreased serotonin levels. Saffron has been found to enhance serotonin bioavailability, possibly by exerting an antagonistic effect on the serotonin receptor present on neurons.

A clinical study of patients suffering from anxiety and depression found that taking saffron stigma for 12 weeks was associated with improvement in the condition.

Neurodegenerative diseases

The main bioactive compounds contained in saffron, including safranal, crocin and crocetin, have been shown to counteract neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease) by synergistically preventing neuroinflammation, modulating the metabolic pathways of autophagy and apoptosis and reducing oxidative stress.

Crocin and crocetin have been shown to inhibit beta-amyloid peptide aggression and delay synaptic loss, leading to neuroprotection against cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease patients who consumed saffron in any form showed improved cognitive function.

Metabolism Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions characterized by obesity, diabetes, hypertension and lipid profile disorders.

Saffron and its components have been shown to enhance total antioxidant capacity, improve fasting blood glucose levels, reduce serum insulin levels, and inhibit the production of advanced glycation end products in animal models of diabetes.

Saffron intake for 12 weeks has been found to improve serum oxidant-antioxidant balance in patients with metabolic syndrome. Saffron intake in combination with resistance training has been found to reduce inflammation and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly patients with hypertension.

Cancer

Saffron stigma extracts have been shown to inhibit prostate cancer cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Anticancer effects of saffron stigma extracts have also been reported in human lung, breast, and cervical cancers.

Safranal and topotecan have been shown to act synergistically to induce DNA double-strand breaks and reduce the expression of DNA repair enzymes in lung and colon cancer cell lines.

Saffron petal extract has been shown to have free radical scavenging and cytotoxic effects on liver cancer cells. Saffron stigma extracts and flower extracts have been shown to reduce the viability of kidney and bladder cancer cells.

Chronic kidney disease

Crocetin and safranal have been shown to reduce oxidative stress by increasing serum nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, and glutathione S-transferase activity in animal models of chronic kidney disease.

Saffron consumption has been found to lower serum creatinine levels, enhance renal blood flow, and induce a diuretic effect in the distal convoluted tubules.