Saffron is a perennial herb cultivated in Spain, as well as Greece, Turkey, India, France, Italy and China, notes Purdue University. The flower stigmas contain an intense yellow hue, which is used to add color to butter, cheese and other foods. Whole, crushed or ground saffron stigmas are also used as a cooking spice. Saffron is also used for its medicinal properties, both as an external preparation and as a therapeutic tea.
Antioxidant
Saffron has antioxidant properties, according to a 1998 edition of the "Indian Journal of Medical Sciences." Researchers created a tea with 50 mg saffron steeped in 100 ml of milk, offering it twice daily to 10 healthy subjects and 10 individuals diagnosed with coronary artery disease. After three and six weeks, both groups demonstrated significantly lower levels of Lipoprotein Oxidation Susceptibility. LOS is a measurement of chemicals in the blood associated with vascular damage.
Digestive
Saffron tea improves the action of peristalsis during digestion, aiding the movement of food through the stomach, duodenum and intestines, notes the health nonprofit Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment. The tea supports the gastric activity of the stomach, the process by which chemicals break down food into various nutrients, leading to less accumulated gas. Saffron tea can also reduce intestinal inflammation and be a useful therapy for ulcers, states the Association.
Vision Support
Saffron protects eye vision cells from damage and can improve eye function in cases of vision loss due to disease, according to a May 2009 press release from the Insciences Organization. Working in Italy and Australia, researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science determined that saffron alters the genes that control the fatty acid content of eye cell membranes, improving the resiliency of vision cells and their ability to heal.
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