Cardiovascular effects of saffron and its active constituents: A review article

(Crocus sativus L.) Commonly known as saffron، is a perennial stem less herb of the iridaceae family، widely cultivated in Iran and other countries. It is used as a flavoring and coloring agent for many thousands of years. In traditional medicine، saffron has been used for various purposes including abortion، as a fever reducer، an analgesic، expectorant، antispasmodic، aphrodisiac، sedative، digestive and a carminative. Various pharmacological studies have been described that saffron and its constituents exhibit different beneficial properties، including antioxidant، anticancer، anticonvulsant، antiischemic، antigenotoxic، antidote، antiapoptotic، antitussive، antidepressive، sedative and hypnotic، hypolipidemic، antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effects. Research projects have also revealed that saffron also exhibits protective effects against cardiovascular diseases including cardiac ischemia، arrhythmia، hypertension and atherosclerosis. In this review article، the effects of saffron and its active constituents on cardiovascular system were introduced.