Saffron is the dried stigma and styletops of Crocus sativus Linn., belonging to family Iridaceae.
SAFFRON
Synonyms
Crocus, Spanish, Saffron, French Saffron.
Biological Source
Saffron is the dried stigma and styletops of Crocus sativus Linn., belonging to family
Iridaceae.
Geographical Source
The plant is native of south Europe and is found in Spain,
France, Macedonia, Italy, Austria, China, Germany, Switzer-land, and Iran. In
India, the plant is cultivated in Kashmir.
Cultivation and Collection
The plant is a small, perennial herb, 6–10 cm high. The
corms are planted in July–August in well prepared soil. In the following year
flowering takes place. Each corm is replaced by daughter corms. The flowers are
collected early in the morning. The style of each flower is separated just
below the stigma and dried by artificial heat for 30–45 min. The drug is coated
and stored in dry place. About 1 kg of dried drug is collected from nearly
100,000 flowers. Saffron thrives well in cold regions with warm or subtropical
climate. It requires a rich, well-drained, sandy, or loamy soil. The plant is
propagated by bulbs. No manure is applied or irrigation is given once the
plants are established. The bulbs continue to live for 10 or 15 years, new
bulbs being produced annually and the old ones rotting away. The plants flower
in October–December, heavy rains during this period are harmful. Styles and
stigmas are separated and dried in the sun or over low heat on sieves in
earthen pots. The tripartite stigmas plucked from fleshly collected flowers and
dried in the sun constitute Saffron of the best quantity.
Characteristics
Saffron is flattish-tubular, almost thread-like stigmas
which are about 3 cm long with slender funnel having dentate or fimbricate rim.
Colour is reddish-brown with some yellowish pieces of tops of styles. Odour is
strong, peculiar, and aromatic; taste is aromatic and bitter.
Chemical Constituents
The drug contains volatile oil (1.3%), fixed oil, and wax. Crocin
is the chief colouring principle in Saffron. On hydrolysis, it yields
digentiobiose and the carotenoid pigment crocetin. Saffron possesses a number
of carotenoid coloured compounds such as ester of crocin (a coloured
gly-coside), picrocrocin (a colourless bitter glycoside), crocetin (an aromatic
compound), gentiobiose, α- and γ-carotenes, lycopene, zeaxanthin,
crocin-1, crocin-2, crocin-3, crocin-4, mono- and digentiobiosyl and glucosyl
esters of crocetin; β-sitosterol, ursolic, oleanolic, palmitoleic,
oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids (in bulbs).
Chemical Tests
1. Add a drop of sulphuric acid to dry
stigma. It turns blue, gradually changing to purple and finally purplish-red.
2. Saffron imparts yellowish orange
brown colour with water.
Uses
Saffron is used in fevers, cold, melancholia and enlargement
of the liver; as colouring and flavouring agent, catarrhal, snake bite,
cosmetic pharmaceutical preparations, and as spice. Saffron has stimulant,
stomachic, tonic, aphrodisiac, emmenagogue, sedative, and spasmolytic
properties.
Adulterant
Saffron is frequently adulterated with styles, anthers and
parts of carolla of Saffron. Exhausted Saffron, flowers, and floral parts of
some Compositae like Calendula species and Carthamus
tinctorius, com silk, and various materials coloured with coal tar dyes are also used as adulterants. Water, oil, or
glycerin is added to increase the weight. Coke Saffron of commerce often contains
safflower florets with adhesive sugary substances.
Marketed Products
It is one of the ingredients of the preparations known as
Tentex forte, Speman forte (Himalaya Drug Company), J.P. Nikhar oil (Jamuna
Pharma), and Amyron (Aimil Pharmaceuticals).
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