To most people today, saffron is a minor spice used for coloring rice. To the ancients, it was also used as a medicine and an aphrodisiac. It has long been one of the most expensive spices, and once played an important economic role in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Saffron is also starting to prove itself in lab tests. To the ancient Greeks and Persians, saffron was used to treat melancholia; a string of recent studies have shown that this herb is comparable to prozac and imipramine for treating depression. No research yet on the aphrodisiac properties of saffron, but given its ability to influence neurotransmitters, there may be something to it.

Five medical studies have looked at saffron and depression, and all have suggested that saffron is equivalent to standard pharmaceuticals in treating depression. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) These five studies were relatively small and preliminary compared to the research on other therapies for mood disorders, but they are consistent with one traditional use of the herb.

The typical dose of saffron used to treat depression was 30 mg per day, divided in two doses. At this low level (and at normal use as a spice), some studies found no side effects. Another study that found saffron to be equivalent of Prozac found that the two also had side effect profiles that are statistically identical (although saffron tended towards having fewer side effects, the relatively small size of the study made it impossible to say).

Do-it your-selfers beware: amateur saffron gatherers have occasionally picked the stamens from other flowers that look like saffron, resulting in serious poisoning.

Saffron has also been shown to reduce some types of pain (PMID:11914135), and the pain relieving effect is blocked when the spice is administered with naloxone, a drug that blocks endorphins and opiates. Saffron also is able to block some types of experimentally induced siezures, and it was suggested that this is due saffron's ability to stimulate the GABA receptors (as does valium and xanax). (PMID:16707256)

Other research suggests that saffron may be useful for preventing cancer. The bright yellow pigment (crocetin, an unusual carotenoid) has strong antioxidant properties, and is being tested for other biological effects.

Saffron is composed of the slender orange stigmas of the crocus flower. It takes 100,000 to 200,000 stigmas to make a pound of the spice, and there are three stigmas per flower. You don't have to do the math to realize that labor costs for picking saffron are why saffron costs more than other spices.

While saffron is definitely more expensive than pepper, it's a mistake to think (as some internet sources claim) that saffron costs as much as gold. Shop around, and you can get decent saffron for around $30 per ounce ... alot less than the $600+ that gold currently sells for. And it is available in gram or half gram quantities for under $5. Spicy World at Amazon.com is one supplier that carries Spanish saffron, considered to be the finest country of origin. Iranian saffron is considered of somewhat lesser quality, and costs even less. And of course, there are are fancier (and pricier) products from companies like Dean & Deluca.

Saffron is often packaged in small flat containers for retail sale; a container this size may cost less than $10, and contains hundreds of threads. Kashmiri saffron is noted for its dark, maroon color and intensely pungent aroma.

Two or three saffron threads are enough to add color and flavor to white rice, although the decadent individual might add five or ten. The aroma of saffron is usually described as vegetal or like a mild hay, and the taste has additional notes described as salty, robust, and (not surprisingly) saffron-like.

Saffron is not recommended for pregnant women, or those on other anti-depressant medicines. Small, regular doses are less likely to cause problems than a single large dose.

The recorded history of saffron goes back to the ancient Sumerians, and it was used in Egypt, Babylon, Minoa, India, Greece, and of other countries in the region. As a dye plant, it was used to color the garments of prostitutes, and is still used to produce the yellow-orange robes of Buddhist monks in the Theraveda schools of Southeast Asia. Saffron is mentioned briefly in the Bible (Song of Solomon, 4:14).

Saffron is somewhat sensitive to light and oxygen, and should be stored in a dry, airtight container in a cool, dark place. The chemical in saffron that is believed to account for most of the biological activity is called safranal. Cumin is another spice that contains significant amounts of safranal - there is less than saffron, and cumin contains other flavored molecules that make it earthier than saffron.

Today, most saffron is used to make paella, risotto and other recipes, although most colored rice dishes today contain cheaper substitutes (like turmeric or even synthetic yellow dyes). So called 'American saffron' is actually from the safflower plant. American saffron is botanically and chemically unrelated to true saffron, although it does have a nice color and a few interesting medical uses.

Bottom line: Saffron has long been valued as a spice, medicine and aphrodisiac. It's culinary value was never in doubt. It's medical effects are being proven in the lab. It's aphrodisiac properties are still a matter for speculation, but there is no reason for a romantic cook to wait on trying saffron. I used very small amounts of saffron (2 or 3 threads per recipe) years ago and didn't notice anything, but maybe I was too stingy?

Update: I tried saffron for a few days at a level somewhat higher than the 30 mg per day used in medical studies, and observed some mental changes, including an increase in alertness, and in anxiety. I can't say with certainity that it was the saffron (and not just random ups and downs in my life), but I am planning to lay off the saffron for a while, and try again in the future. No observed changes in libido.