Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as one of the most critical health issues and leading causes of death worldwide. This disease is associated with macro-vascular and micro-vascular complications. The prevention of DM and its complications is always essential. In recent years, due to the known biological properties of some foods, the tendency to consume these foods has increased. T...

Saffron, obtained from the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L., is an important spice, rich in carotenoids. Carotenoids are capable of protecting cells from the attack of free radicals, which naturally develop during sunbathing, smoking, exercise – even breathing oxygen. It has been estimated that our body needs 6 to 30 mg of carotenoids per day to protect its cells. These amounts are normally c...

results the chemical analysis of s. khuzestanica essential oil revealed the presence of carvacrol (94.1%) as its main component. the inhibition zone diameters of s. khuzestanica essential oil and carvacrol dose-dependently increased. the minimum inhibitory concentration (mic) values of s. khuzestanica essential oil and carvacrol were 0.14 ± 0.08 µl/ml and 0.09 ± 0.04 µl/ml, respectively. s. khu...

Saffron (Crocus sativus Linn.) has been an important subject of research in the past two decades because of its various biological properties, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherosclerotic activities. On the other hand, the molecular bases of its actions have been scarcely understood. Here, we elucidated the mechanism of the hypoglycemic actions of saffron through investiga...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this double-blind and placebo-controlled trial was to investigate whether saffron (stigma of Crocus sativus L.) could relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). DESIGN Double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial. SETTING Departments of Gynaecology/Obstetrics and Psychiatry, Tehran and Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. POPULATION Women aged 20-45 y...

to study the effect of chemical and biological fertilizers on growth and essential oil content of lavender (lavandula angustifolia mill.), the present work was conducted in 2012-2013 at the experimental field of alborz research station of the research institute of forests and rangelands, karaj, iran. the experiment was conducted in factorial in the form of a randomized complete block design wit...

Saffron, as one of the most expensive agricultural product around the world, has an important place among Iran’s non-oil exports. Therefore, it is important to solve the problems in Iran's saffron industry as the world’s largest saffron producer. Thus, this study attempts to identify the challenges that directly and indirectly affect the saffron industry and cause stagnation. The challenges...

essential oils from aerial parts of mentha spicata, was obtained by steam destillation using a clevenger-type system. these oils were screened for antibacterial and anti-candida albicans activity using bioautographic method. a fiel experiments was laid out in agricultural research farm, city namin, ardabil province, iran in 2013. experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block with seve...

background & aim: the world production and consumption of essential oils and perfumes are increasing very fast. lippia citriodora h.b.k. is an herbal species mainly used as a spice and medicinal plant. endogenous levels as well exogenous application of plant growth regulators (pgr) could affect essential oil production and chemical compositions. experimental: to study the effect of exogenou...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Here we investigated the antitumor effect and mechanism of Zhejiang (Huzhou and Jiande) saffron against lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H446. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the contents of crocin I and II were determined. In vitro, MTT assay and annexin-V FITC/PI staining showed cell proliferation activit...