A Review of Potential Efficacy of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in Cognitive Dysfunction and Seizures
Authors
Arezoo Rajabian
Pharmacological Research Center of Medicinal Plants, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9177944553,
Iran
Azar Hosseini
Pharmacological Research Center of Medicinal Plants, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9177944553,
Iran
Mahmoud Hosseini
Division of Neurocognitive Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9177944553,
Iran
Hamid Sadeghnia
Division of Neurocognitive Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9177944553,
Iran
Crocus sativus (saffron) is traditionally used to relieve several ailments. Experimental researches have also investigated applications of saffron and its active constituents for the treatment of a wide spectrum of disorders. This review discusses pharmacological/therapeutic properties of saffron and its main components on memory function, learning ability and seizures, to highlight their merit for alleviating these disorders. An extensive literature review was carried out using various databases including ISI Web of Knowledge, Medline/PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, Embase, Biological Abstracts, and Chemical Abstracts. The growing body of evidence showed the value of saffron and its’ components, alone, or in combination with the other pharmaceuticals, for improving learning and memory abilities and controlling seizures. These findings may provide pharmacological basis for the use of saffron in cognitive disturbance and epilepsy. However, further preclinical and clinical studies are necessary.
Keywords: cognitive, Crocus sativus, learning, saffron, seizures
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