Saffron for Relief

Well this is mostly going to be a post about women's issues, so be forewarned.

There are times when I simply despise being female. They happen with regularity once a month. I have never been able to figure out if I am simply pathetic or what, but for at least 3 days out of the month I feel as if something is tearing me apart from the inside and it really affects both my temperament and quality of life. And so in the current Renaissance I am experiencing with natural health, I decided I was going to fix this problem! Sadly it was easier said than done.

Finally last December, I found a fleeting reference for saffron being used to treat women's cycle issues. I didn't think about it much at the time because I was busy with the holiday season, but mentally filed it away as something to investigate later. However, less than a week late I happened to be in the wonderful creative chaos that is Sur La Table looking for Christmas gifts. As I turned around, in the very center of the shelf exactly at my eye level, haloed in light from the overhead was a tiny jar of saffron. I stopped dead. Now this is going to sound strange, but I immediately had the thought that this was in some way important to me. God tends to work in my life in these kind of strange coincidences and I had actually been praying for a way to better cope with these issues in my life. So, I thought, what can it hurt to try it? I could always simply use it as a spice if it didn't work.

Well amazingly, it did work incredibly well. I have gotten to the point where I can really sense when I am started to feel the effects of my cycle. As soon as I started to feel off a bit, I went and had a cup of tea to which I added a few threads of saffron. I let it steep till it was a nice golden color. Sure enough about and hour later, I had no pain. I still had some of the other effects of tiredness and emotional fragility, but I could actually function. And so it became a pattern. I would wake up in the morning feeling like I was tearing apart, and have my saffron tea, and about an hour later I would feel almost normal. 

Well it may be a placebo effect, but it has worked very well for two months now and I have been more comfortable for these two months than ever in my entire adult life. I found a really interesting (but small scale) study from Iran which actually supports the same thing I have experienced. You can find a link to it here.

So to make my tea, I usually take Traditional Medicinals Organic Pregnancy Tea which contains raspberry leaf, lemon verbena, spearmint leaf, and several other herbs that are also supposed to be helpful with PMS symptoms. (I would never actually drink this tea if I were pregnant without consulting a doctor. You have to be really careful with herbal remedies when pregnant. Traditional Medicinals may have a PMS tea as well but they don't seem to carry it at my Whole Foods.) I then add about 2-4 saffron threads and let it steep for 8-10 minutes. I also usually add a little Stevia to sweeten it because I have found that Stevia is fantastic at helping with women's yeast issues. It comes out a lovely golden color, tastes delicious, and helps me feel much better.

Saffron is available from Sur la Table for a small jar for $14.00. It is actually the dried flower stigmas of the saffron crocus. It is expensive, but it really lasts a long time because you only use a few threads at a time. Make sure when buying that the stigmas are a bright red color. If they are faded that means the spice has been on the shelf too long and lost it's flavor and effectiveness. I get Stevia, and Traditional Medicinals teas from Whole Foods, although some HEB's actually carry them as well.

The glass teapot in the photo was a gift from my mother, which at the time I thought was pretty extravagant and a bit silly. However, once I started using it I have absolutely come to love it. The candle warmer in particular works extremely well for long leisurely mornings.