For Although once considered a remedy for digestive problems, Saffron is no longer used medicinally in the West. In Asian medicine, it is used to treat menstrual disorders, difficult labor, inflammation, depression, vomiting, and throat diseases.
Homeopathic practitioners recommend it to control bleeding.
It takes as many as 4,300 flowers to yield a mere 25 grams. The spice is so expensive, in fact, that it's usually adulterated with common safflower. Saffron has been prized for centuries as a coloring agent for food, liqueurs, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Its rich golden color was extolled in Greek mythology, and in the Far East, Buddhist monks are famous for their saffron robes. The plant is native to India, the Balkans, and the eastern Mediterranean region, but is also cultivated throughout Europe and the Middle East.