Saffron

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- Saffron -

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Observations:

Saffron

What in the world ever led them to try this? I take it that saffron has been used in traditional medicines for thousands of years. In addition to treating neurodegenerative disease, a quick search of PubMed shows that it is also being studied to treat cancer, retinal degeneration, and a host of other diseases.

Wikipedia entry:

Saffron (pronounced /ˈsæfrɒn/) is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the Iridaceae. A C. sativus flower bears three stigmas, each the distal end of a carpel. Together with their styles—stalks connecting stigmas to their host plant—stigmas are dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent. Saffron, long the world's most expensive spice by weight,[1][2] is native to Southwest Asia.[2][3]

Saffron's bitter taste and an iodoform- or hay-like fragrance result from the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal.[4][5] A carotenoid dye, crocin, allows saffron to impart a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes and textiles...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron

Eating Saffron Could Lower Alzheimer's Risk
FoxNews.com Published November 02, 2010
By Chris Kilham

Recent studies show that saffron may play a valuable role in delaying mental decline in cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

But before I get to those studies, here's a little background on saffron: The world’s most expensive spice by weight, saffron is the stigmas of a variety of crocus flower. Stigmas are thread-like female reproductive parts of the flower. In the case of saffron, the stigmas are brilliant red or orange, and have been used since antiquity in cooking and in medicinal preparations. The spice was popular in ancient Egypt and in Rome, and was cultivated in both places. Originating from central Asia, saffron is commercially cultivated primarily in the Mediterranean region. This is a highly labor-intensive spice, typically requiring more than 100,000 flowers to yield one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of dried saffron spice... We have seen such activity with another spice, turmeric, which is also a yellow dye. In studies of a primary ingredient in turmeric called curcumin, researchers have found that the development of beta-amyloid plaque can be inhibited...
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/11/02/eating-saffron-lower-alzheimers-risk/

Saffron in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a 16-week, randomized and placebo-controlled trial.

Akhondzadeh S, Sabet MS, Harirchian MH, Togha M, Cheraghmakani H, Razeghi S, Hejazi SSh, Yousefi MH, Alimardani R, Jamshidi A, Zare F, Moradi A.

Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Institute of Medicinal Plants (ACECR), Department of Neurology, Tehran, Iran. s.akhond@neda.net

Abstract

WHAT IS KNOWN: Herbal medicines have been used in the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia but with variable response. Crocus sativus (saffron) may inhibit the aggregation and deposition of amyloid β in the human brain and may therefore be useful in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess the efficacy of saffron in the treatment of mild to moderate AD.

METHODS: Forty-six patients with probable AD were screened for a 16-week, double-blind study of parallel groups of patients with mild to moderate AD. The psychometric measures, which included AD assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), and clinical dementia rating scale-sums of boxes, were performed to monitor the global cognitive and clinical profiles of the patients. Patients were randomly assigned to receive capsule saffron 30 mg/day (15 mg twice per day) (Group A) or capsule placebo (two capsules per day) for a 16-week study.

RESULTS: After 16 weeks, saffron produced a significantly better outcome on cognitive function than placebo (ADAS-cog: F=4·12, d.f.=1, P=0·04; CDR: F=4·12, d.f.=1, P=0·04). There were no significant differences in the two groups in terms of observed adverse events.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: This double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggests that at least in the short-term, saffron is both safe and effective in mild to moderate AD. Larger confirmatory randomized controlled trials are called for.

J Clin Pharm Ther. 2010 Oct;35(5):581-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2710.2009.01133.x. PMID: 20831681
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20831681

A 22-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial of Crocus sativus in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

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