Either crocins, at a dose which did not influence animals’ motor activity (50 mg/kg), or diazepam (1.5 mg/kg), significantly increased the latency to enter the dark compartment and prolonged the time spent in the lit chamber in the rats. Conversely, lower doses of crocins (15–30 mg/kg) did not substantially modify animals’ behaviour. The present results indicate that treatment with these active constituents of Crocus sativus L. induce anxiolytic-like effects in the rat.
Saffron and its active constituents affect a number of different neural processes, e.g. antagonized memory impairments in rodents (Pitsikas and Sakellaridis, 2006; Pitsikas et al., 2007; Sugiura et al., 1995; Zhang et al., 1994) conferred neuroprotection in a rat model of Parkinson disease (Ahmad et al., 2005) and expressed antioxidant properties in an in vitro model of Alzheimer disease (Papandreou et al., 2006). Finally, in studies performed in humans, the antidepressant properties of Crocus sativus L. and its extracts were revealed (Akhondzabeh et al., 2004; Noorbala et al., 2005 A.A. Noorbala, S. Akhondzabeh, N. Tahmacebi-Pour and A.H. Jamshidi, Hydro-alcoholic extract of Crocus sativus L., versus fluoxetine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: A double-blind, randomized trial, J. Ethnopharmacol. 97 (2005), pp. 281–284. Article | PDF (85 K) | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (19)Noorbala et al., 2005).
This is the fun part
Saffron is considered the most perfect of all spices. It comes from the stigma of the stunningly beautiful violet crocus flower. During a two-week period in autumn, three stigmas from each flower are handpicked and dried. It takes 225,000 stigmas from 75,000 flowers to produce just a pound of the herb. Eating saffron dispels depression and eliminates psychological inertia, and it was once thought that you could die of "excessive joy" by eating too much of it. Drinking the tea is said to bestow the gift of clairvoyance and greatly enhance the body’s healing powers. Yellow safflower is often used as a cheaper substitute for saffron, but true saffron has a deep red color and imparts a golden yellow hue to the food to which it is added. The alchemists considered saffron the gold of the plant kingdom and believed it carried the "signature" of the great transmuting agent for which the alchemists spent their lives searching. According to legend, Hermes created saffron when he accidentally wounded his friend Crocus, whose blood dripped to earth and sprouted as the flower that bears his name. Saffron was sacred to the Egyptian supreme god, Amen, and the Egyptians grew it in their sacred gardens at Luxor. Persian priests were said to have controlled the winds with saffron, and Persian women attached balls of saffron to their bellies to facilitate safe pregnancies. Saffron was also sacred to Eos, the Greek god of the morning light, and the spice has been described as the dawn’s light solidified. In the Middle Ages, it was sprinkled over the beds of newlywed nobility to ensure a fruitful marriage, and the incense was used for psychic work. Alchemist Roger Bacon believed that saffron delayed the aging process, and some modern psychics believe its odor and taste connect one to the eternal essences of childhood. Planet: Sun. [Fire]