benefits of saffron

Saffron should be stored in an airtight container, preferably in a glass jar in a cool, dark and dry place. The ideal storage temperature for saffron is below 68F and in less than 40% humidity.

Saffron is a versatile spice that can add a new dimension to both savory and sweet dishes. Not only does it impart a distinct flavor and aroma, it also makes your dish look more presentable. Saffron can be used in thread or ground form depending upon the recipe.

Saffron is beneficial for your hair and helps in stimulating hair growth. Saffron can be mixed with licorice and milk and applied to bald spots. This will combat hair loss and promote hair growth.

There are several methods to use it in the kitchen. Whole stigma can be added directly to the preparations, or oftentimes, the threads are ground and powdered using traditional hand mill and added to the recipes.

The active components present in saffron have many therapeutic applications in many traditional medicines since long time ago as anti-spasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic. Research studies have shown that, safranal, a volatile oil found in the spice, has antioxidant, cytotoxicity towards cancer cells, anticonvulsant and antidepressant properties.

Saffron is one of the highly prized spices known since antiquity for its color, flavor and medicinal properties. It is the dried "stigma" or threads of the flower of the S.crocus plant.Saffron has the distinct flavor because of the chemical components in it picrocrocin, and safranal. It also contains a natural carotenoid chemical compound, crocin, which gives saffron its golden yellow hue. These traits along with its medicinal properties make it a valuable ingredient in many foods worldwide.

High doses of saffron can act as uterine stimulant and in severe cases can cause miscarriage. Therefore, pregnant women may be advised to avoid this spice in the diet.

Saffron's dyeing power is still used to give the golden yellow colour to cloth used for special purposes like Buddhist robes, the bride's veil in some countries of Maghreb, and above all in carpets as it is said to act as a moth repellent.

Saffron or?kesar?has been used as a beauty ingredient for a very long time. Your mothers or grannies may have told you about its magical properties to heal the skin and used it albeit sparingly when making face packs. It is possibly the most expensive of spices but saffron has qualities that justify its value. An excellent agent to purify skin, it also has anti bacterial properties to cure acne.?

Saffron has been used as a fabric dye, particularly in China and India. It is in the long run an?unstable?colouring agent; the imparted vibrant orange-yellow hue quickly fades to a pale and creamy yellow.the saffron stamens yield a luminous yellow-orange; increasing the applied saffron concentration will give fabric of increasingly rich shades of red. Clothing dyed with saffron was traditionally reserved for the noble classes, implying that saffron played a ritualised and status-keying role.