Throughout history saffron has been used for many things. Although it is known as the most expensive spice in the world, it was and still is commonly used as a dye and as a spice by wealthy people in many parts of the world. Crocus sativus, also known as saffron, is one of the most expensive spices in the world due to the extensive harvesting process which has to be done manually. While it is historically known for being a spice as well as a dye, it also has been discovered to have some very interesting medicinal effects, such as improving glycemia (diabetes), reducing cancer, and improving impotency in males. Because of these recent discoveries, humans must have wanted to produce saffron for more biological reasons than to be visual or pleasing to the palate.
Originally known as Crocus cartwrightianus, the saffron plant belongs to the family Iridaceae which contains many varieties of lilies (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). Over the course of history, Crocus sativus has been completely domesticated and therefore relies on human intervention to pollinate the plant so it can reproduce (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). It is a perennial bulb that flowers in the fall and contains two flowers per bulb (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). The stigma of the flowers is the part of the plant that is harvested to produce what we know as saffron (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). It was originally used in Egypt by healers in order to treat urinary infections, internal hemorrhaging and poisoning (M. Camper, AGRI/IE 116 lecture, October 7, 2013). It can also be poisonous in high doses, however the quantity found in most food won’t have these effects. The first documentation of i...
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...Med. Retrieved September 23, 2013 from Pubmed.gov.
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Pichert, J. W., Moore, I. N., Catron, T. F., Ross, J. C., Westlake, M. W., Karrass, J.,
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