Research progress on chemical constituents of Crocus sativus and their pharmacological activities / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Crocus sativus (saffron), widely used in food industry as coloring or flavoring agent, is widely cultivated in Iran and other countries, such as Greece, Italy, Spain, India, China, and Japan. But modern pharmacological studies have shown its potential to promote health. In this paper, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of saffron are systematically reviewed. More than 100 compounds were isolated from saffron, primarily including terpenes, flavonoids, anthraquinones and so on. Pharmacological references showed that it had the treatment effects on diseases, such as mental disorder, neurodegenerative disease, learning and memory dysfunctions, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, ulcer, fatty liver, epilepsy, and convulsions. This review provides a reference for the further research and development of saffron.