The true legend behind the fame of saffron

This is the 2916th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

In recent years, through various channels such as online platforms and TCM culture documentaries, the name of the precious Chinese medicinal material saffron has become a household name among ordinary people. However, the customary name "saffron" has also led many friends to mistakenly believe that "saffron is saffron grown and produced in Tibet" or "saffron produced in Tibet is of the best quality"... In fact, this involves two questions: What is the relationship between saffron and safflower? Is Tibet the origin of saffron?

1. Distinguishing the name of saffron

The name "safflower" has been used in Chinese since ancient times. It is also called "grass saffron" and "red saffron". It refers to a plant of the Asteraceae family that has been cultivated in my country for a long time and its processed medicinal materials. The flower is yellow or red and looks like a chrysanthemum. The medicinal part is the red tubular inflorescence (which is usually considered as "long and thin petals"). Saffron is an alien species, native to the Mediterranean coast of southern Europe and southwestern Asia. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. Each flower has 6 oval petals, which are lavender, red or white.

According to archaeological discoveries, the history of human cultivation and processing of this plant can be traced back to the ancient Greek civilization about 3,500 years ago. The medicinal part is the red dried stigma of the flower (the head and upper part of the pistil in the stamen). When this foreign medicinal material was introduced into China's Central Plains in large quantities during the Ming Dynasty, people found that this processed medicinal material was very similar to the safflower native to my country in appearance and color, and had similar effects. Because it was first introduced into the Central Plains from my country's western neighbors India and Nepal through Tibet, it is customarily called "saffron", "saffron" or "crocus"; in today's academic circles, "saffron" is the scientific name of this medicinal plant, "saffron" refers to the medicinal materials, edible raw materials or other materials processed from this plant, while "saffron" refers specifically to medicinal products that meet the standards.

2. Authenticity of the place of origin

Perhaps it is the "historical misunderstandings" during the introduction of saffron into my country that have caused many people to misunderstand it, so that quite a number of friends have to look for "authentic saffron" when traveling to Tibet. In fact, the geographical and climatic conditions in Tibet are not suitable for growing saffron, let alone large-scale production of medicinal materials. Iran has the largest saffron production in the world today, but the best quality medicinal saffron is produced in Shanghai, China. Chongming, Shanghai, began to introduce saffron in the early 1980s. Today, the content of effective ingredients in medicinal saffron produced here is nearly twice that of saffron in other production areas in the world. Therefore, saffron has become one of Shanghai's authentic medicinal materials. At present, there are large-scale saffron cultivation and processing bases in Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan and other places in my country.

3. The medicinal uses of saffron

Both saffron and safflower have the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis and relieving pain. In addition, due to the high costs of planting, harvesting, processing and preservation, saffron has a relatively low yield and is more expensive. Therefore, not only in my country, but even in the place of origin of saffron, saffron is often used as a substitute for the former. But to be precise, saffron is still unique in its medicinal properties and efficacy. Compared with saffron, which is spicy, slightly bitter and warm in nature, saffron (crocus) is sweet and slightly cool in nature, and has the effects of cooling blood, detoxifying, relieving depression and calming the mind. Its medicinal effect is stronger than saffron and its medicinal value is higher. In daily life, saffron alone can relieve some common ailments through some simple methods. Let us learn a few tips.

1. For women with dysmenorrhea, scanty menstrual blood or blood clots, or chest and breast pain during menstruation, take 0.2-0.3g of saffron (about 6-9 filaments), add hot water and soak it as tea. It can be repeatedly soaked 3-4 times a day for 3-5 consecutive days. It can be used before menstruation for better prevention or relief. In the cold winter, if the patient also has cold hands and feet, dark purple tongue or ecchymosis on the edge of the tongue, the above amount of saffron can be boiled in water, and 15-20ml of rice wine can be added to boil together. It can be taken twice a day to enhance the effect of warming the meridians, activating blood circulation and relieving pain.

2. If you have poor sleep, are upset and have many dreams, or often feel bored and want to sigh, you can use 0.1-0.3 grams of saffron to make tea in water every night.

3. Traumatic injuries, including soft tissue injuries, local soft tissue swelling and pain after fractures or skin bruises, stiff neck, etc., can be applied to the affected area 24 hours after the acute injury and massaged until the local area feels warm (do not damage the skin), 2-3 times a day. How to make saffron wine: add 2 grams of saffron to 100 ml of white wine with a concentration of more than 50 degrees, soak for 2 weeks before use, and store in a sealed and light-shielded glass or ceramic container in a low temperature environment (such as refrigerator), which can be stored for about 1 year in case of emergency.

4. Pressure ulcers (bedsores):

(1) In the early stage, when the skin is not ulcerated and the local skin is dark red, apply the above-mentioned saffron wine to the affected area 1-2 times a day.

(2) Skin ulcers: After cleaning and disinfecting the wound, take 1 gram of saffron and grind it into powder. Mix it with an appropriate amount of high-quality sesame oil (the sesame oil must be boiled and then cooled). Apply it to the affected area and cover it with sterile gauze. Change the dressing once a day. It has the effects of detoxification, pain relief and promoting wound healing. It is mild and non-irritating and is suitable for home care. The amount of saffron and sesame oil can be adjusted accordingly according to the size of the wound.

4. Precautions in the application of saffron

1. Use with caution in pregnant women.

2. Do not use if you have bleeding tendency or abnormal coagulation function.

3. Patients who are using anticoagulants or platelet aggregation inhibitors (such as warfarin, heparin, aspirin, clopidogrel, etc.) should listen to the evaluation opinions of their doctors and pharmacists as to whether they can use saffron at the same time; if saffron is needed as a long-term treatment drug, it should also be used correctly under the guidance of doctors and pharmacists.

4. Home storage conditions: Use a low temperature, dry, airtight and light-proof non-metallic container.

5. Soak 3 high-quality saffron roots (about 0.1 grams) in 50 ml of hot water. The water should be yellow and transparent rather than dark red, and have a natural non-pungent aroma. Soak in hot water for 3-4 times continuously, and the saffron itself will not fade significantly. This is a simple way to identify the quality of saffron. It is recommended that friends purchase medicinal saffron that meets strict standards through formal channels.

Author: Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Emergency Department He Miao