Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is now generally perceived to be the dominant operating system in conventional medicine. It is unsurprising then that some have counseled complementary and alternative medicine practitioners to resist EBM . The efficacy of medicinal herbs does need to be established and toxicity, contraindications and side effects also need to be investigated, and this is best done...

This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of saffron (Crocus Sativus L) and its main constituent crocin on neuropathic pain behavioral responses induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (200 to 250 g) were randomly assigned into 5 groups: Sham + saline, CCI + saline, CCI+ saffron (30 mg/kg), CCI +crocin (15 mg/kg) and CCI + crocin (30 mg/...

Stigma of Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae), commonly known as saffron, is the world’s most expensive spice and apart from its traditional value as food additive recent studies indicate its potential as antidepressant. Because saffron is expensive, using it daily to address depression may not be practical. Moreover, recent study indicated antidepressant effect of petal of Crocus sativus. As petal o...

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the putative antidepressant effects of crocin and crocetin, two major active ingredients of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) using mice in two different regimens of acute and sub-acute administration. Material and Methods: In acute treatment, antidepressant-like activities of crocin and crocetin (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) were evaluated using...

This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of saffron (Crocus Sativus L) and its main constituent crocin on neuropathic pain behavioral responses induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (200 to 250 g) were randomly assigned into 5 groups: Sham + saline, CCI + saline, CCI+ saffron (30 mg/kg), CCI +crocin (15 mg/kg) and CCI + crocin (30 mg/...

Background: Dawa ul Kurkum (Duk) is a widely used Unani formulation. It consists of seven plant herbs, including stigmas Crocus sativus L., rhizomes Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC., the bark Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl., shoot Cymbopogon jwarancusa (Jones ex Roxb.) Schult., resin Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari, roots Saussurea lappa (Decne.) Sch.Bip., and zeylanicum Blume. However, n...

objectives: saffron is the stigma of crocus sativus l., which has the potentials to play a role in the treatment of many diseases. although many researches are now going on this precious spice, there are few data on saffron safety in human, especially in patients with chronic mental illnesses. this study aimed to evaluate the short-term safety and tolerability of both saffron and crocin (its ma...

Crocin biosynthesis in Crocus has been proposed to proceed through a zeaxanthin cleavage pathway catalyzed by carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 2 (CCD2), and followed by glucosylation reactions catalyzed by CsGT2 (UGT74AD1). In Crocus ancyrensis flowers, crocins with eight (crocin-1), seven (crocin-2), and six glucose (crocin-3) moieties accumulated both in stigma and tepals. We have characterize...