Zaffron / Saffron Flower

Ever heard of this? I've heard about 'Air Saffron' in M@laysia and I'm not sure if it comes from the same source. But, I never saw the flower itseld until a few months back in one of the grocery store in here. I asked the guy about the thing that I saw placed in the glass cabinet. He told me its Zaffron. According to him, its good for blood circulation. He added, normally pregnant woman would take it and drink with milk.

Last week, I went to the grocery store again to purchase some groceries (of course). I remember about that Zaffron flower. Before deciding to get a box, I asked the guy again. Coincidenttaly, there was an Arab man (I'm not sure if he is S@udi) standing besides me (Abang was at the counter to pay for other things). He explained to me about the benefits of the flower. I wasn't really pay attention actually because he was looking right into my eyes while explaining (I lose concentration because I had to look at other things in the shop). I also wonder, before this, no Arab man has explained something to me, face to face like that. Normally, Arab man has some kind of discrimination towards women. Well, this is a quite educated one I guess...

Anyway, that's not the only things to tell in here. I still wonder about this Zaffron flower actually, though I've already grabbed a box. So, the next morning I surfed the net and found out about it. Just to share with my friends, the details about the good things about Zaffron flower is as below (I copied them from here)

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. The flower has three stigmas, which are the distal ends of the plant's carpels. Together with its style, the stalk connecting the stigmas to the rest of the plant, these components are often dried and used in cooking as a seasoning and colouring agent.



Saffron, which has for decades been the world's most expensive spice by weight is native to Southwest Asia. It was first cultivated in the vicinity of Greece.



The word saffron originated from the 12th-century Old French term safran, which derives from the Latin word safranum. Safranum is also related to the Italian zafferano and Spanish azafrán. Safranum comes from the Arabic word asfar, which means "yellow" via the paronymous zaffaran, the name of the spice in Arabic.



Approximately 170,000 flowers are needed for one kilogram of dried saffron; typically, one would need 2000 square meter field area per kg harvest.



As a therapeutical plant, saffron it is considered an excellent stomach ailment and an antispasmodic, helps digestion and increases appetite. It is also relieves renal colic, reduces stomachaches and relieves tension. It is also considered that in small quantities it regulates women’s menstruation, and helps conception. It is a fact that even since antiquity, crocus was attributed to have aphrodisiac properties. Crocus in general is an excellent stimulant!