Yesterday, I went to the health food store. As I entered, I noticed a poster with a headline that said: SAFFRON, A NATURAL ANTI-DEPRESSANT. It caught my attention and I thought I would do some research on it.
I have only eaten saffron on the rare occasion when I have had paella, a Spanish traditional dish. I enjoy the taste of it, but I must admit, it has never been part of my spice rack, which come to think of it, probably needs a little boost in terms of variety!
As I was doing my research, I stumbled upon a study done by an Iranian psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Ahmad Ali Noorbala’s, who compared the effects of saffron with fluoxetine (better known as Prosac) for symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Thirty-eight people aged 18 to 55 years old completed the six-week trial.
At the end of the study, both the saffron and fluoxetine treatments resulted in significant improvements in depressive symptoms, with no difference in the amount of improvement between the two groups. They found that, like other medications used to treat depression, saffron increases the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, including serotonin.
Saffron has been used for medicinal purposes in Persia for Centuries. Besides fighting depression, it is said to help improve memory function, to act as an anti-inflammatory and to be helpful in the treatment of some illnesses (i.e. heart disease and cancer). It apparently also has aphrodisiac properties and can contribute to the decrease of pre-menstrual syndrome!
Finding out such information makes me wonder why our modern society doesn't try to integrate alternative medicine to traditional medicine. I've always felt that the two approaches are at war when, ideally, they should merge in order to offer people an array of options to choose from.
I just read an article that talked about the fact that the state of North Carolina is thinking of criminalizing the practise of Alternative Medicine (Naturopaths, Midwives), how ridiculous is that? Does traditional medicine feel so threatened by its more 'natural' counterpart that it has to use its political influence to legislate against it?
Saffron is a tasty, colourful, yellow spice that has mental and physical benefits! And a Naturopath who would prescribe it to a patient shouldn't have to go to jail or pay a fine for doing so!
So saffron is on my next shopping list. It's apparently a little expensive, but I think it is worth it. With all its benefits (decreasing PMS, boosting the mood, aphrodisiac, etc.) , I'm sure I'll love it! ! I've already started looking up recipes and I'm already salivating just at the thought of trying out something new!
If you like this post, pass it along. To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group: 500daystohappiness.
As I was doing my research, I stumbled upon a study done by an Iranian psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Ahmad Ali Noorbala’s, who compared the effects of saffron with fluoxetine (better known as Prosac) for symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Thirty-eight people aged 18 to 55 years old completed the six-week trial.At the end of the study, both the saffron and fluoxetine treatments resulted in significant improvements in depressive symptoms, with no difference in the amount of improvement between the two groups. They found that, like other medications used to treat depression, saffron increases the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, including serotonin.
Saffron has been used for medicinal purposes in Persia for Centuries. Besides fighting depression, it is said to help improve memory function, to act as an anti-inflammatory and to be helpful in the treatment of some illnesses (i.e. heart disease and cancer). It apparently also has aphrodisiac properties and can contribute to the decrease of pre-menstrual syndrome!
Finding out such information makes me wonder why our modern society doesn't try to integrate alternative medicine to traditional medicine. I've always felt that the two approaches are at war when, ideally, they should merge in order to offer people an array of options to choose from.
I just read an article that talked about the fact that the state of North Carolina is thinking of criminalizing the practise of Alternative Medicine (Naturopaths, Midwives), how ridiculous is that? Does traditional medicine feel so threatened by its more 'natural' counterpart that it has to use its political influence to legislate against it?
Saffron is a tasty, colourful, yellow spice that has mental and physical benefits! And a Naturopath who would prescribe it to a patient shouldn't have to go to jail or pay a fine for doing so!
So saffron is on my next shopping list. It's apparently a little expensive, but I think it is worth it. With all its benefits (decreasing PMS, boosting the mood, aphrodisiac, etc.) , I'm sure I'll love it! ! I've already started looking up recipes and I'm already salivating just at the thought of trying out something new!
If you like this post, pass it along. To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group: 500daystohappiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment