Crocuses are spring flowers that belong to the family Iridaceae. Did you know that the most expensive spice on earth, saffron, is derived from the stigmas of the Crocus sativus? ;) The red color of saffron originates from the crocin, which is a carotenoid dye. Besides its culinary benefits, saffron is also used to color the clothes (e.g. by Buddist monks), and possesses cosmetic and medicinal properties. Saffron was used already in ancient times; it seems that Cleopatra knew its beneficial properties as according to some historical documentations she used saffron for the warm baths ;)
An interesting fact about crocin is that it has antitumor properties. During the ´´International Cancer Study & Therapy Conference´´ that is going to be held in April 4-6, 2016 in Baltimore (USA), Professor Amr Amin from the UAE University, will give a talk ´´Crocin (saffron’s biomolecule) is a potent preventive agent against liver cancer´´.
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