Saffron comes from a type of crocus flower. It's a common spice in Mediterranean cooking. Because it's hard to harvest -- it takes 75,000 flowers to get a pound of saffron -- it's one of the world's most expensive spices. It's been used as a traditional treatment for thousands of years.

 

Oral saffron supplements may help with Alzheimer's disease, some studies show. One small study found it worked as well as standard drugs in slowing down the symptoms. More research is needed.

Saffron may also help with depression. Several small studies showed that it seemed to work as well as a common antidepressant in helping symptoms. Larger studies need to be done to see if this would be a safe and effective treatment.

Saffron is an antioxidant. Early lab and animal studies are being done to see if it can help fight or prevent certain types of cancer.

Saffron may help with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and painful periods. It may also help with other conditions, such as high cholesterol, but we don't have any clear evidence yet.