Saffron
(Crocus sativus)
autumn crocus, Spanish saffron

Description: A small, perennial. In the springtime, an onion-like corm produces grass-like, basal, linear leaves which are surrounded in a group, at the bottom, by cylindrical sheaths. The 1-2 foot, gray-green leaves have hairy margins. Long corms produce a funnel-shaped mauve, lilac or white flower with 3 protruding vermilion stigmas. Widely cultivated.

Edible, Medicinal, Poisonous: The stigmas and style tops flavor and color drinks as well as many other dishes, especially rice. It is a anodyne, antispasmodic, appetizer, emmenagogue, expectorant, sedative, and aphrodisiac (too much may be narcotic). It is used in small doses for, coughs, fevers, cramps, to calm nerves, stomach gas, insomnia. Steep 1 teaspoon of the stigmas in 1 cup boiling water, 10 min. Take 1 cup, 3-4 times a day or 1/3 teaspoon of the tincture every 4-6 hours, as needed. Large doses can have severe effects. Use with professional advise. Saffron contains a poison that acts on the central nervous system and can damage kidneys. The use in medicine is rare. It can be made into an ointment for bruises, gout, arthritis.