General

Scientific Names: Crocus sativus L.

Common Names: Fan Hong Hua , Xi Hong Hua, Zang Hong Hua.

 

BOTANICAL:

来 源： 为鸢尾科植物番红花 Crocus sativus L.的干燥柱头。

植物特征： 多年生草本。鳞茎扁球形，大小不一，直径0.5～10cm，外被褐色膜质鳞叶。自鳞茎生出2～14株丛，每丛有叶2～13片，基部为3～5片广阔鳞片乌黑叶线形，长15～35cm，宽2～4mm，边缘反卷，具细毛。花顶生；花被片6，倒卵圆形，淡紫色，花筒细管状；雄蕊3，花药基部箭形；子房下位，3室，花柱细长，黄色，柱头3，膨大呈漏斗状，伸出花被筒外而下垂，深红色。蒴果长圆形，具三钝棱。种子多数，球形。花期10～11月。

生药材鉴定： 本品暗红棕色或有时黄棕，松散而不粘结。柱头或3枚由短的花柱联成一束，单一柱头如线状，稍弯曲，长约3厘米，上端较阔，向下渐细，内侧有一短裂缝，顶部边缘有不整齐的小齿和毛状突起。浸于水中柱头膨胀成长喇叭形，水液染黄色。气香，味微苦而后甘凉。以暗红棕色、气香浓者为佳。

 

 

 

Pharmacology

化学成分: 含番红花甙-1，2，3，4（crocin-1～4）、番红花苦甙（picrocrocin）、番红花酸二甲酯（crocetin dimethyl ester）、α-番红花酸（a-crocetin）番红花醛（safranal）、挥发油等。

 

 

 

Efficacy

The known properties of saffron (Crocus sativus, L.) and its components have been examined. Recently, hormone like effects in green algae and the anti-cancerogenic and anti-toxic effects, have been observed. In particular, the effects of crocetin, a carotenoids (8,8'-diapo-8,8'-carotenoic acid) present in saffron and characterized by a diterpenic and symmetrical structure with seven double bonds and four methyl groups, have been taken into consideration. It has been found that this compound enhances the oxygen diffusivity through liquids, such as plasma. As a consequence of this property, it has been observed that crocetin increases alveolar oxygen transport and enhances pulmonary oxygenation. It improves cerebral oxygenation in hemorrhaged rats and positively acts in the atherosclerosis and arthritis treatment. It inhibits skin tumor promotion in mice (i.e., with benzo(a)pyrene); it has an inhibitory effect on intracellular nucleic acid and protein synthesis in malignant cells, as well as on protein-kinase-C and prorooncogene in INNIH/3T3 cells. This is most likely due to its anti-oxidant activity. Furthermore, crocetin protects against oxidative damage in rat primary hepatocytes. It also suppresses aflatoxin B1-induced hepatotoxic lesions and has a modulatory effect on aflatoxin, B1 cytotoxicity, and DNA adduct formation on C3H10/T1/2 fibroblast cells. It also has a protective effect on the bladder toxicity, induced by cyclophosphamide. The experiments reported in the scientific literature and the interesting results obtained have been carried out in vitro or on laboratory animals, but not yet on man. (source)

One of the most promising strategies for cancer prevention today is chemoprevention using readily available natural substances from vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices. Among the spices, saffron (Crocus sativus, L) a member of the large family Iridaceae, has drawn attention because apart from its use as a flavouring agent, pharmacological studies have demonstrated many health promoting properties including radical scavenging, anti- mutagenic and immuno-modulating effects. In the present study the effects of an aqueous infusion of saffron on two stage skin papillogenesis / carcinogenesis in mice initiated by 7-12 dimethyl benz[a] anthracin (DMBA) and promoted with croton oil were investigated. Significant reduction in papilloma formation was found with saffron application in the pre-initiation and post-initiation periods, and particular when the agent was given both pre- and post-initiation. The inhibition appeared to be at least partly due on modulatory effects of saffron on some phase II detoxifying enzymes like glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutahinoe peroxidase (GPx), as well as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). (source)

Saffron is harvested from the dried, dark red stigmas of Crocus sativus L. flowers. It is used as a spice for flavoring and coloring food and as a perfume. It is often used for treating several diseases. We assessed the antimutagenic, comutagenic and cytotoxic effects of saffron and its main ingredients using the Ames/Salmonella test system, two well known mutagens (BP, 2AA), the in vitro colony formation assay and four different cultured human normal (CCD-18Lu) and malignant (HeLa, A-204 and HepG2) cells. When only using the TA98 strain in the Ames/Salmonella test system, saffron showed non-mutagenic, as well as non-antimutagenic activity against BP-induced mutagenicity, and demonstrated a dose-dependent co-mutagenic effect on 2-AA-induced mutagenicity. The saffron component responsible for this unusual comutagenic effect was safranal. In the in vitro colony formation test system, saffron displayed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect only against human malignant cells. All isolated carotenoid ingredients of saffron demonstrated cytotoxic activity against in vitro tumor cells. Saffron crocin derivatives possessed a stronger inhibitory effect on tumor cell colony formation. Overall, these results suggest that saffron itself, as well as its carotenoid components might be used as potential cancer chemopreventive agents. (source)

IN VITRO:

  1. Abudullaev FL, et al., Biomedical properties of saffron and its potential use in cancer therapy and chemoprevention trials. Cancer Detect Prev. 2004; 28(6):426-32. Review.
  2. Giaccio M, et al., Crocetin from saffron: an active component of an ancient spice. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2004; 44(3):155-72. Review.
  3. Abdullaev FI, et al., Use of in vitro assays to assess the potential antigenotoxic and cytotoxic effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Toxicol In Vitro. 2003 Oct-Dec; 17(5-6):731-6.
  4. Abdullaev F. Crocus sativus against cancer. Arch Med Res. 2003 Jul-Aug; 34(4):354.
  5. Abdullaev Jafarova F, et al., [In vitro evaluation of the chemopreventive potential of saffron]. Rev Invest Clin. 2002 Sep-Oct; 54(5):430-6. Spanish.
  6. Riveron-Negrete L, et al., The combination of natural and synthetic agents--a new pharmacological approach in cancer chemoprevention. Proc West Pharmacol Soc. 2002; 45:74-5.
  7. Abdullaev FI. Cancer chemopreventive and tumoricidal properties of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2002 Jan; 227(1):20-5. Review.
  8. Escribano J, et al., Isolation and cytotoxic properties of a novel glycoconjugate from corms of saffron plant (Crocus sativus L.). Biochim Biophys Acta. 1999 Jan 4; 1426(1):217-22.
  9. Escribano J, et al., Crocin, safranal and picrocrocin from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) inhibit the growth of human cancer cells in vitro. Cancer Lett. 1996 Feb 27; 100(1-2):23-30.
  10. Nair SC, et al., Saffron chemoprevention in biology and medicine: a review. Cancer Biother. 1995 Winter; 10(4):257-64. Review.
  11. Tarantilis PA, et al., Inhibition of growth and induction of differentiation of promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) by carotenoids from Crocus sativus L. Anticancer Res. 1994 Sep-Oct; 14(5A):1913-8.
  12. Abdullaev FI. Inhibitory effect of crocetin on intracellular nucleic acid and protein synthesis in malignant cells. Toxicol Lett. 1994 Feb 1; 70(2):243-51.
  13. Nair SC, et al., Antitumour activity of saffron (Crocus sativus). Cancer Lett. 1991 May 1; 57(2):109-14.



IN VIVO:

  1. Giaccio M, et al., Crocetin from saffron: an active component of an ancient spice. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2004; 44(3):155-72. Review.
  2. Das I, et al., Saffron can prevent chemically induced skin carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2004 Jan-Mar; 5(1):70-6.
  3. Garcia-Olmo DC, et al., Effects of long-term treatment of colon adenocarcinoma with crocin, a carotenoid from saffron (Crocus sativus L.): an experimental study in the rat. Nutr Cancer. 1999; 35(2):120-6.
  4. Salomi MJ, et al., Inhibitory effects of Nigella sativa and saffron (Crocus sativus) on chemical carcinogenesis in mice. Nutr Cancer. 1991; 16(1):67-72.

 

 

 

Safety

宜忌: 孕妇慎用。


　
   
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