Özet:

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a bulbous perennial herb of the Iridaceae family and Crocus genus, widely cultivated in Spain, Italy, France and Iran. It is also cultivated in Turkey, solely in the region of Safranbolu, which was named after this plant. The most important compounds in saffron are crocin, picrocrocin and safranal. Studies conducted over the last decade have reported that saffron has anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anticancer, anticonvulsant, antihypertensive, antidepressant, antioxidant, antitussive, aphrodisiac and immunomodulating effects. Due to the rich content of the plant, its low level of toxicity at effective doses and ability to act through various mechanisms against different illnesses, saffron may be considered as a natural source for the development of new medicines. Many historical resources refer to saffron as one of the oldest spices and medicinal plants in the world. Since ancient times, saffron has been used for different purposes, as a part of religious rituals, folk medicine and cuisine. In the Ottoman medicine, saffron was known as 'zağferan' and was believed to have a hot and dry nature, according to the Humoral Theory. The use of saffron was recommended for insomnia, headache, eye pain, impotence, and so forth in many Turkish medical manuscripts. These manuscripts include: "Edviye-i Müfrede" (14th century), "Tabiatnâme" (14th century), "Ebvâb-ı Şifâ" (14th century), "Yâdigar" (15th century) and "Kemaliyye" (16th century). This study examines the medicinal use of saffron according to Turkish medical manuscripts, in comparison with recent literature.

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