Saffron
by Sheela Rani Chunkath
What is the costliest spice in the world? If you haven't guessed it yet, it is saffron. One kg of saffron costs Rs. 1,20,000. One gram of saffron costs Rs. 120. By way of comparison one gram of silver costs around Rs. 34 only. Saffron is roughly hundred times more expensive than pepper and about fifty times more expensive than cardamom. This spice from the valley of Kashmir is indeed India's most cherished spice. Saffron is the dried stigma of the beautiful purple crocus flower. Each flower has three vivid crimson stigmas which are painstakingly collected and dried. 90% of the world production of saffron is from Iran while Kashmir accounts for only about 8%. The quality of saffron depends on whether the stigma is sold along with the style. The stigma is the reddest part of the flower and contains the maximum amount of volatile compounds.
Ayurveda as usual had zeroed in on this spice to make a wonderful tailam to be used on the face called kumkumadi tailam. One of the main ingredients of the tailam is saffron. Saffron contains nearly 150 compounds including terpenes, terpene alcohols and their esters. Saffron contains a compound called crocin (nothing to do with the popular antipyretic drug). Crocin is responsible for the colour while lycopene and safranal are responsible for the aroma. The numerous health promoting properties of saffron can be attributed to crocin which is a unique water soluble carotenoid compound with powerful antioxidant properties. Saffron is said to have anti-cancer properties and is useful in improving blood circulation including capillary circulation. Regular use of saffron as a beauty aid improves circulation (in the face) and is anti-blemish and anti-aging agent. It even makes the skin several shades lighter.
So our yogis and vaidyars decided to include saffron as one of the main ingredients in the kumkumadi tailam prescribed for application on the face. The other ingredients in kumkumadi tailam consists of chandana or sandalwood, laksha or the resinous exudation of the lac insect, manjishta (Rubia cordifolia), licorice, bark of the banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis), plaksha (Ficus lacor), pollen of lotus and the Dashamoola herbs some of the important ones being Oroxylum indicum, Gmelina arborea, Stereospermum suaveolens, Desmodium gangeticum, Solanum indicum, vilvam (Aegle marmelos), agnimantha (Premna mucronata).
With all these ingredients kumkumadi tailam is a fantastic oil for the face and imparts a youthful look. I have been looking for chemical-free alternatives for cosmetics and I was happy to discover kumkumadi tailam from the Ayurvedic texts. The only issue is whether the oil is prepared using real saffron. One needs to buy the oil from reputed producers or make it oneself. I haven't tried making it but I was told that it is not very complicated. I got mine from a reliable producer and to use a contemporary popular phrase, it was truly 'awesome'.
In line with substituting chemical cosmetics, I have now almost completely stopped using soap for washing my hands, face etc. I took an old glass jam bottle, made holes on the lid and filled the jar with lightly roasted greengram floor and a bit of powdered kasthuri manjal. I also added a spoonful of whole roasted rice to it so that shakes out on to my palm quite easily. I have become quite addicted to the smell and find myself washing my hands more often than before.
I was gifted a packet of shikakai this Deepavali crafted by a womens' self-help group. This strengthened my resolve to use shikakai powder instead of shampoo which is more convenient to use. However, the shikakai powder mix had been ground so well that it hardly left any residue on the hair and the smell of herbal hair oil and shikakai lingered long after my bath.
In keeping with my penchant for nostalgia trips, I dried my hair using sambrani (benzoin resin) burnt over glowing embers. When buying sambrani one has to buy the natural type which is obtained from the bark of several trees belonging to the genus Styrax and not the synthetic kind generally available. Life was so natural some 75 years ago but we have now made it so complicated and artificial. It takes so much effort to enjoy the wholesome goodness of natural food and everyday products that our grandparents took for granted.
--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/