Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): A Review of its Ethnopharmacological value

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is widely used as drug to promote health and fight disease from ancient time. In countries like India and other Asian countries, saffron is used very frequently in various alternative systems of medicine including Unani System of Medicine, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it is considered  bitter, acrid, fragrant, stimulant, tonic, stomachic, aphrodisiac, anodyne, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, diuretic, laxative, galactogogue and is useful in bronchitis, pharyngopathy, cephalgia, vomiting, fever, melancholia, hepatomegaly etc. Because of its wide range of medical uses in traditional systems of medicine, the saffron has under gone extensive phytochemical and biochemical studies and some of the studies have shown that number of constituents including Crocin, Crocetin, Safranal are present, out of which crocetin is mainly responsible for pharmacological actions. This paper is an attempt to review the saffron on the basis of Unani System of Medicine and to discuss its recent phytochemical and pharmacological studies.