It is not in vain that saffron can affect a person not only on the physical level, but also on the spiritual level, because he is able to heal both the body and the soul. This seasoning not only makes dishes and drinks more tasty and aromatic, but also helps to fight a number of different diseases.

What is saffron and its beneficial properties

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. And this cost is quite justified, because its cultivation and harvesting is very costly, and also carried out manually. Saffron is the stigma of crocus flowers that bloom only one week a year. They have to be collected early in the morning, before sunrise, and preferably on the first day of flowering.

Important! Only Crocus sativus is suitable for saffron production, because other species of this flower are poisonous.

To get 1 kg of spices, you need to pick about 200 thousand crocuses. The petals and leaves of this plant also have nutritional and medical value. In the wild, this plant is rare. It is cultivated in Iran, Spain, India and some other countries.

There are many varieties of saffron, whose prices range from 400 to 4,000 dollars per kilogram. But since milligrams of this very fragrant spice are taken for food, it is quite possible to buy the required amount. An adult needs no more than 1 gram per year.

Real saffron is very good for health, besides it favorably emphasizes the taste and aroma of various dishes and drinks. And it is also used in cosmetology as a rather effective remedy.

High-quality spice is a stigma of flowers of dark red or burgundy color, with a brown tint and yellow blotches. They consist of many threads intertwined with each other. In one gram about 400 such strings. For cooking usually use 3-5 pieces, and for brewing tea - 1-2.

Saffron gives the dishes a unique taste with spicy bitterness and a floral-vanilla aroma. Above all, Indian and Spanish saffron is valued. But the spice that is grown in Iran is not so valuable, but no less high-quality. Iranian saffron is 80% of the total number grown worldwide.

• Due to its rich composition, this spice has the following healing properties:
• strengthens and rejuvenates the body;
• helps fight cancer cells;
• effectively relieves pain and cramps;
• increases hemoglobin and normalizes blood pressure;
• helps to maintain good vision for a long time;
• improves the functioning of the kidneys and the genitourinary system;
• increases libido, especially in women;
• relieves menstrual pain and normalizes the cycle;
• enhances attempts and helps cleanse the body after childbirth;
• improves brain activity, strengthens memory and prevents the appearance of atherosclerosis;
• helps restore vision in general, and in particular photoreceptors;
• struggles with alcohol addiction and relieves hangover;
• facilitates the course of Alzheimer's disease;
• acts as a strong antioxidant;
• normalizes the liver and gall bladder;
• treats headache and ear pain;
• effectively fights parasites;
• helps with diseases of the upper respiratory tract, providing an expectorant and antiseptic effect;
• positive effect on metabolism;
• in small amounts acts as a mild tonic;
• promotes the release of serotonin;
• improves potency in men;
• helps to cure infertility, has a beneficial effect on the production of male and female sex hormones;
• calms nerves, eliminates insomnia and depression;
• rejuvenates the skin and helps fight wrinkles.

Did you know? Crocus stigma oil is used in rituals that allow you to see the future.

Where can I use it

Due to the fact that the benefits of using stigmas of crocus can hardly be overestimated, it is used in cooking, in cosmetology, and even in traditional medicine. It is added in the production of very effective cosmetics, as well as in healthy and tasty dishes and drinks.

Seasoning in cosmetology

Since saffron has a very beneficial effect on the skin, moisturizes it, softens and smoothes wrinkles, it is often used for this purpose by manufacturers of expensive cosmetics. It is added to creams, masks, shampoos, gels and balms. Since not everyone can afford such cosmetics, it is possible to make no less effective skin care products at home.

It is said that Queen Cleopatra herself maintained the beauty of her skin and hair with a special mask, which included components such as honey, wine, chamomile flowers, rose oil, cardamom, hyacinth and juniper in equal proportions with a pinch of saffron. Thanks to this tool, the hair became thick and silky, and the skin of the face and body became soft and smooth.

How to make tea

In order for tea with stigmas of crocus to turn out tasty and fragrant, it is necessary to brew it in the following sequence:

1. Pour 2 teaspoons of black tea with 0.5 liters of boiling water in a teapot.
2. In the cups toss the saffron on the tip of the knife.
3. Pour brewed tea into cups.

It is necessary to cook it, observing such conditions that the teapot does not absorb the smell of spice. Tea is better to choose plain black, without additional flavors.

In which cases take saffron

Saffron is used as a medicine for many diseases. With it, you can cook saffron infusions, decoctions and tinctures at home that help get rid of certain diseases, and also strengthen the human body as a whole.

With bronchitis

The stigmas of crocus are very effective in combating a strong cough, helping to remove phlegm in bronchitis and pneumonia. In order to prepare a home-made medicinal drink, it is necessary to brew 15 threads in 500 ml of boiling water. First, the threads are poured with a small amount of water, heated, then all remaining water is poured.

The broth should be kept on fire until heated, and removed, not bringing to a boil. When the drink cools down and the spice drops down, you can drink it in a glass a day before meals. It not only helps to cope with diseases of the upper respiratory tract, but also strengthens the whole body.

With kidney stone disease

Saffron very well established itself as a means of contributing to the crushing and removal of kidney stones. To prepare the medicine, it is necessary to insist 50 saffron threads in 100 g of liquid bee honey for 2-3 days. It is necessary to take this remedy on a teaspoon every morning on an empty stomach. The result will not appear immediately, and it will depend on the regularity of admission.

For eye diseases

Due to the fact that the substances contained in this incredibly useful spice are able to penetrate deep into the cells and interact with the fatty acids in them, they can affect various negative processes that cause visual impairment and blindness.

For these reasons, saffron is used to prepare ophthalmic products that treat the retina and restore photoreceptors. Due to these properties, saffron helps maintain the quality of vision and treat eye diseases.

To prepare saffron eye compresses, it is necessary to perform the following steps:

1. Grind into a fine powder 5 threads seasoning.
2. Mix with rose water in equal proportions.
3. Put the resulting mixture on your eyes and hold for about 15 minutes.

This remedy helps fight inflammatory eye diseases such as barley and conjunctivitis. But the regular use of spices in food will help maintain vision for a long time.

Can saffron be added to dishes

Saffron is called a golden spice, not only because it is very expensive, but also because of its ability to color dishes cooked with it in yellow. The main thing is to add it in small quantities, because an overdose can lead to poisoning.

Important! If you take more than 5 g of saffron at a time, there will be a stupefying effect, and 15 g can cause severe poisoning and even death.

In cooking, saffron is used for such purposes:

• as a natural colorant for products, for example, for cheese, butter and various drinks;
• as a seasoning to give dishes a refined taste;
• in the preparation of vegetable and meat dishes;
• as one of the seasonings that are added to pilaf;
• for stewing and cooking valuable breeds of fish in European cuisine;
• as an aromatic additive to coffee and tea;
• in baking (muffins, pies, cookies with it are tastier and more aromatic, especially on the second day);
• to extend the shelf life of products.

In hot dishes, spice is added 5 minutes before cooking, and in the dough - during kneading. It is best to take whole saffron hairs, lightly fry in a dry frying pan, and only then grind and add to food.

The peculiarity of the stigma of crocus is that they do not mix well with other seasonings, so it should be added to the mixture with other herbs and spices with caution and only in those recipes where it is permissible and tested in practice.

Harm and contraindications

• Since saffron is a very effective drug, it has its own characteristics of use and contraindications:
• this spice must be taken in very small doses, because an overdose can be very harmful to the body, and sometimes even fatal;
• due to the strong tonic effect, which can increase uterine tone, the drug is contraindicated in pregnant women;
• saffron should not be consumed by children under 3 years old;
• it is not recommended to take it to people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes;
• do not be treated with saffron during lactation.

An overdose of this fragrant and useful seasoning leads to severe overexcitation, the appearance of uncontrolled laughter, uterine bleeding and poisoning, accompanied by diarrhea and yellowing of the skin, so you need to use it in authorized doses and only after consulting a doctor.

Did you know? In ancient times, saffron mixed with egg white was used to draw manuscript illustrations.

Saffron is not for nothing called the “king of spices”, because he not only brings a spicy zest to dishes and gives them an unsurpassed aroma, but also heals the human body. It is useful for women and men. The main thing is to follow the rules of its use and not to increase the dose. And you need to beware of fakes, which are now very much on the spice market.