8 Health Benefits of Saffron (Kesar) and its Nutrition Facts

Saffron is also known as Kesar is a member of the lily family. It is a small perennial spice. Saffron is produced from stigmas it is the part of the flower that catches pollen. It is then picked, cut and heated to deepen the flavor. Saffron is the most prized spice in the world. Iran, Spain, Greece, Italy, Morocco is a producer of saffron. In this article we will study about 8 Health Benefits of Saffron (Kesar) and its Nutrition Facts

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Saffron is loaded with Antioxidants and hence there are numerous health benefits of saffron which include Boost immunity and mood, treat depression, Promotes weight loss, Protect against cancer, Act as an Aphrodisiac, Improve vision, Lightens skin.

Saffron is rare and expensive spice thats why there are multiple Health Benefits of Saffron. As it is harvested from Crocus sativus, a flower better is known as the “saffron crocus.” With every bloom from this flower, crocus develops three yellow styles that lead to crimson-red stigma. The combination of golden style and crimson stigma constitutes what we know as a saffron thread. These threads are plucked by hand and dried, resulting in a fragrant, beautiful spice that is prized the world over.

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contribute to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

As of now, you know how tricky is this to harvest saffron. It is a labor-intensive crop and hence which results in its expensiveness. There are multiple Health benefits of saffron as it is harvested on the same day once the flower blooms. Hence only 3 stigmas are produced by a single flower. So, it requires a 50000 stigma to yield 1 pound of stigma.

Following are the multiple Health benefits of saffron:

• Best Health Benefits of Saffron is it helps to Boost immunity:

Saffron is rich in carotenoids and has a sufficient percentage of vitamin C that impact the immunity. Consuming saffron regularly helps to improve your immunity is one of the best Health Benefits of Saffron.

Researchers have found that saffron helps to improve the immune systems functioning by stimulating a rapid cellular response and act as a potential immunostimulant.

Consuming Saffron mixed with milk helps to treat cold and can also quickly relieve cold by applying over the forehead.

• Antioxidants:

Saffron is loaded with antioxidants which helps to fight and protect your cells against free radicals and oxidative stress and provides numerous health benefits.

The antioxidants in saffron include crocin, picrocrocin, crocetin, safranal, and kaempferol.

The compounds Crocin and crocetin help to protect brain cells against progressive damage, reduce inflammation and appetite, and promotes weight loss as it has antidepressant properties. saffron’s red color is also because of these two compounds.

The antioxidants in the saffron fight against oxidative stress and free radicals and protect your body from many health conditions, including cancer and heart disease.

• Boosting mood and treat depression:

Based on many pieces of evidence the Saffron may beneficial in improving your mood and treating depression.

A review of five studies found that supplementing with saffron is more beneficial than placebos in treating symptoms of depression.

Research suggests that taking 30 milligrams of saffron every day can provide similar effects as drugs that treat depression such as imipramine and fluoxetine.

Many people use saffron as a therapy for improving mood and treating depression symptoms.

• Promotes weight loss:

Many evidence suggests that saffron may help in losing weight and reduced appetite.

A study of eight-week found that women who are supplementing with saffron felt more full and lost more weight than women in the placebo group.

A study in the Journal of cardiovascular and Thoracic Research found that taking a saffron extract helped people with coronary artery disease and reduce their body mass index.

• Protect against cancer:

Saffron is loaded with two major carotenoids, namely crocin, and crocetin. Evidence shows that carotenoids may have potent antitumor effects.

Saffron is loaded with antioxidants, which help to fight against harmful free radicals that are associated with chronic diseases, such as cancer.

In test-tube studies, the compounds in saffron have been shown to kill colon cancer cells or suppress their growth and also applies to lung, breast, cervix, skin, bone marrow, prostate, and several other cancer cells.

• Act as an Aphrodisiac:

An aphrodisiac is acknowledged as a food or supplement that excites sexual instinct and desire or can simply boost sexual pleasure or performance.

Men who are consuming 30 mg of saffron regularly for four weeks found an improved erectile function over placebo in men with antidepressant-related erectile dysfunction.

Women who consumed 30 mg of saffron daily for four weeks had found more increase in their sexual desire and vaginal lubrication than women who took a placebo instead.

• Improve vision:

Saffron is very beneficial for adults with AMD (Age-related macular degeneration) in improving their eyesight and protects against free radical damage, which is associated with AMD.

A compound safranal in saffron was found to delay retinal degeneration and can also reduce rod and cone photoreceptor loss.

• Lightens skin:

This Health Benefits of Saffron is one of my favourite. Saffron is a spice that is helpful for lightening and whitening your skin tone. Just like it’s color it provides redness to your skin and makes it looks fresh.

One can add a few strands to milk and drink it. Otherwise, you can soak it in water or milk add some amount of turmeric, and apply it on your face it will help you to stop pigmentation.

8 Health Benefits of Saffron are described in this article. Saffron is a strong spice known as a sunshine spice that is loaded with Antioxidants that provides numerous health benefits of saffron which include Boost immunity and mood, treat depression, Promotes weight loss, Protect against cancer, Act as an Aphrodisiac, Improve vision, Lightens skin.

Start consuming saffron regularly by adding it into your favorite dishes or mix it with milk to get its amazing Health Benefits of Saffron (Kesar).