treating cold symptoms with saffron

Key Takeaways :

  • Saffron’s history suggests use for colds, and its antioxidant properties might offer some comfort.
  • Saffron’s antioxidant properties might help reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract, potentially easing discomfort associated with a cold.
  • Some believe it might act as an expectorant, helping loosen phlegm and ease congestion.
  • Rest and Relief First: When a cold strikes, prioritize methods like rest, hydration, and over-the-counter medications for symptom relief.
Written by Vahid Epagloo, Food Consultant Updated:

Saffron has uncountable benefits for our body and health, today, experts and scientists agree about this. This spice is used as the treatment for many diseases, cancer to flue and cold. Traditional herbal medicine believes that saffron could be a great remedy for the cold symptom.

Benefits of saffron

Saffron is the stigmas of a beautiful purple flower that is called saffron flower. These stigmas have unbelievable profit for the human body. The petals of the crocus flower are also used as the treating tea. Saffron has he antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in our body, theses effects and properties make saffron one of the best natural remedies for most of the diseases. Traditional experts use saffron to treat diseases like cancer, heart problems, PMS symptoms and depression.

Today, the saffron effects are proved by the experimental lab tests and clinical studies Scientists and researches make animal studies to test the effects of this spice on the body and its oreganos. Finally, pharmacists start to produce a saffron extract and capsules. During the Covid-19 pandemic, experts prescribe using this magical spice then you can improve your body health and make the COVID-19 management for yourself.

Winter is coming!

In the past, when winter came, herbal experts prescribe to use saffron especially for the kids. They define nature for all herbs and foodstuffs. They believe that there are different nature in all kinds of foodstuffs and herbs that we use, like cold, warm, dry and humid. They also believe that in cold weather people should use things with warm nature and in the warm and hot weather they recommend using foodstuffs with cold nature.

Traditional medicines put saffron in the warm nature group and prescribe using it in winter more.

The cold symptoms

As you know most people have the experience of getting cold especially during winter. This symptom is not chronic or even hard, but it is really annoying and can stop and disturb the usual routine of our life. There is not exact drug for this problem, and we should just rest and try to strengthen the body.

The signs and annoying effects of cold are sore throat, coughs, blocked or runny nose, headache, muscle ache, loss of taste and smell, sneezing, and in some cases fever. One or two of these effects can annoy you and do not let you sleep and get rest. Almost all the drugs are prescribed for these symptoms have soporific dosages and let you get rest despite these problems. Rest and sleep let your body cure itself.

Children and cold symptoms

When winter is coming and the weather gets cold, almost all mothers worry about that their children may get cold. They try to give their children Vitamins to keep them away from this symptom. Children have weaker body and they can get cold and other symptoms sooner than adults.

Traditional experts believe that the properties of saffron could make it one of the best natural materials in these situations. It is recommended that mothers add saffron to the diet of their children. Although, saffron is safe even for children, but it is better to consult a doctor before doing this, about the dosage and method of use.

How saffron affect cold symptoms

Actually, saffron cannot treat the common cold, but according to the medicinal properties of this magical spice, it can reduce the annoying effect of this symptom. This expensive spice could affect this symptom by its active constituents and help you feel better soon.

Allergic problems

Clinical trials show that the potential of saffron could have great and positive effects on the allergic reactions like red eyes and runny nose. In cold symptom almost all people experience the allergic reactions, the threads of saffron help them with these reactions. These reactions may not cause real problems, but they are really annoying and most people cannot even sleep due to these annoying reactions. As you know when someone got cold, doctors prescribe rest, rest and rest, but by the allergies and its reactions they cannot rest, these are really annoying. One of the best benefits of saffron is removing these annoying reactions of our body. By this effect, the golden spice helps you get well sooner and feel better at least you can rest.

Sore throat

One of the effects and signs of common cold is sore throats; this spice could help with these. This spice can help you feel better in a few days. You should brew your magical spice in warm water and drink it like tea. You can add cardamom and cinnamon to your tea. These three spices have the warm nature and would have positive effects on your body, especially in winter and cold weather.

When you want to use saffron threads for your cold symptom, it is more recommended to brew it in hot milk and use it. That is because hot milk is good for your sore throat, saffron can double its curative effects.

Breathing problems

The sunshine spice has the healing properties on breathing problem. In most clinical studies showed that saffron could be a natural treatment for different model of asthma especially the allergic asthma.

One of the most annoying problems of cold is breathing problems. These problems do not let the patient sleep and rest; saffron removes these problems and improves the body health.

Relax sleep

A person with cold symptoms should sleep and rest to help its body treat itself, the most recommended cure for the cold is resting and sleep. Most drugs that are prescribed for this problem have high dosages of soporific materials. Saffron is known as a great relaxing spice, due to its effect on your sleep. This spice can help you experience a well, relax and calm sleep.

Traditional medicines prescribe using saffron for sleep disorders. With cold symptoms, the person should sleep well to help the body to regenerate the damage parts and cells; unfortunately, most people with cold symptoms could not sleep well and this problem cause long treatment period. Saffron could help you sleep well and gives your body enough resting time for remedy.

Improving Immune system

One of the greatest properties of saffron is improving immune system by affecting the immune cells. This golden spice has immunomodulatory effects and would modulate the immune system. When someone gets cold, the immune system should work harder and need more white blood cells. Saffron helps our body to improve the immune system and help you fight with all kinds of health problems.

Other effects

During COVID-19 all of us understand that having the strong immune cells is very important. Clinical trials study shows that people with a stronger immune system are less in danger. COVID-19 patients, who use saffron in their daily diet, did not have chronic types of this illness. In these studies and clinical studies, researches understand that saffron could help with the respiratory disorders in the acute COVID-19.

These phrases mean that using saffron shows its effects during time, we should add this magical spice to our daily diet to see its effects, you can feel that your health improves by using this sunshine spice.

Saffron could help you with coughs too; it can reduce them and help you feel more relaxed.

Does saffron has the effects on the similar diseases?

As we mentioned above, saffron is not the treatment for cold symptoms, but due to saffron properties and antioxidant potential that it has, thus spice could help you reduce and remove the signs and effects of this symptom. If you want to use this golden spice for the symptoms like cold, you should check that do these symptoms and cold have the same and common effects. If they have, saffron can help you with these like cold, that means it does not cure your symptoms but helps you with the annoying effects and will speed up the treating period.

How to use saffron for the cold symptom?

You can use saffron in foods, beverages and desserts, but when you want to use it to help your cold it is better to use it in beverages. Warm water, tea and warm milk are more common and recommended.

It is better to use saffron powder or grind the threads of saffron with mortar or spice grinder. Then brew this powder in warm milk or water. You can add honey if you like. Honey is good for cold too. You can add honey to saffron milk and saffron tea. In my opinion, warm milk, saffron and honey could make the magic potion that can help you in many conditions. Do not use sugar, when you have a cold. You can also add lemon juice to your tea or saffron water it is very helpful and good for sore throat. All these additives could help you to feel better when you got cold, but saffron is the main ingredient.

If you have to work and you get cold, drink your saffron tea in the morning then start your work. It helps you to handle the cold symptoms and also improves your mood; it means that it can also help you to do your works.

You can use all types of saffron, but try to use the high quality ones. Ghaaneh saffron brand supplies all types of saffron with the best quality for you. You can trust this brand and buy saffron powder if you want. This powder of Ghaaneh brand is produced from Negin and Super Negin saffron.

What if I have an allergy for saffron?

If you cannot use saffron in your drinks and food due to any reasons, there is a simple and wonderful way to use it and take all its advantages. You can make saffron water and rub it on your forehead. Do not think it is something wasteful, by using saffron in this way you can see that it affect your body and help you with the cold symptoms.

Although, massaging saffron on your forehead is weird, but it could help you with your symptoms. This weird act would help you if you have a headache too. Not just a headache that happens due to cold, all kinds of headache.

Who should not use saffron?

Although saffron has many benefits and protective effects, it can be harmful in some cases. One of the most cases that have limited to using saffron is the pregnancy. Pregnant women have not to use saffron, especially in the first third month. Using saffron in this time, could have the risk of abortion. After this time if you want to use saffron it is better to ask your doctor. Some sources say that saffron could help pregnant women to have an easy delivery, it could be right, but you should definitely ask your doctor about using saffron, when and how much.

However saffron has protective effects, but in cases with chronic abnormalities using saffron is prohibited. In these cases the effects of saffron could cause aggravation. In these cases, all experts prescribe not to use saffron, but if you still insist to use it, consult your doctor or ask an expert.

Safe usage

In all cases, healthy and any kinds of diseases using saffron too much saffron is not safe. It could cause internal bleeding or cardiac arrhythmia. Experts say that the safe amount of using saffron per day is about 30 mg to 150 mg. If you use 30 mg of this sunshine spice your body take all the properties of saffron, 30 mg is about 2-3 saffron threads. 150 mg is defined as the maximum safe amount of usage per day, you should use less than this. 5-6 saffron threads are in the middle of the safe range and could bring your body all the positive effects of saffron.

Be careful about more than 150 mg, this amount could be toxic and is not safe for none of us. Use saffron milk or saffron tea is more effective than using this magical spice in foods and desserts. If you use this in your recipes, do not forget to count the amount of usage in your diet.

Finally, it is better to ask an expert or consult your doctor about how, when and how much saffron is recommended for you and your family member. Use the red gold safely with no doubts.

Conclusion

The clinical trials show that the effects of saffron on the cold symptoms could help the body to speed up the treating time. Saffron as an herb and also as a spice has exotic features; one of these features is the antioxidant property. Saffron could fight all the free radicals, and help your body rest better and also strengthen the immune system. If you are not one of saffron users, try it for your health and to have new experience of the spice. If you use it, try to use it regularly and with the safe amount, especially during the wintertime and cold weather.

FAQs

Is saffron a complete cure for cold symptoms?

No, saffron can help your body be health sooner and would reduce annoying harms of cold, but it is not the remedy. You can use it in combination with other drugs, or you can use just saffron and get rest. Actually, saffron benefits can remove cold signs and effects.

When should I use saffron for my cold?

It is better to divide your dosage and use them during the day. Brew this spice in milk or hot water and use it before rest time and sleep.

Can I use saffron for flu too?

As we mentioned above, saffron is not a treatment for cold symptoms, it could just help to reduce and remove the annoying effect of these symptoms and speed up the recovery process. The flu has some common symptoms with cold, so saffron could help your body with them. If you have a seizure and fever, saffron is not the remedy.

Is there clinical study about saffron effects on cold symptoms?

Yes, there are many different studies on saffron effects. In these studies, experts and scientists do lots of experiments and test on saffron to recognize its properties and effects on different diseases and symptoms. The above article is a brief of these studies.

How many times during a day I can use saffron?

The times that you use saffron in a day it is not important and it depends on you. The important thing is the amount and dosage of using saffron. You should use 30 mg to 150 mg saffron per day, this amount is the safe range. You can use 5-6 saffron threads every day.

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