One of the most luxurious ingredients of the spice Kingdom is the Saffron. This rare spice is treasured for the rich colour and flavour it renders to the food. It has a plethora of medicinal properties and is widely used in the Ayurveda. Saffron also offers many cosmetic benefits and is best known for its skin lightening properties. Due to these immense advantages, many people overindulge in saffron without being aware of its side effects. An overdose of saffron can be dangerous to health, as it leads to numerous serious complications like indigestion, vision problems and sexual abnormalities. Read on to learn about saffron side effects in detail.
Side Effects Of Kesar Or Saffron:
The list below has some of the top known side effects of saffron that you can read through to broaden your knowledge about this spice. Check them out:
1. Warning For Pregnant Mothers and Lactating Women:
According to professionals, the consumption of saffron can be quite a risk for expecting mothers. This is also valid for mothers who are lactating and breastfeeding children. Saffron leads to contraction of the uterus muscles that can probably lead to miscarriages. The artificial agents in a lot of saffron nowadays can be risky for children taking breast milk so this should also be avoided. It is one of the major side effects of Saffron during pregnancy.
2. Leads To Bipolar Disorders:
Excitability and impulsiveness are two of the mood disorders that saffron is known to aggravate and thus lead to bipolar disorders. Also, people who already have this condition should completely stay away from saffron consumption. This is one of the lesser-known saffron disadvantages to our health.
3. Allergies:
A lot of people have shown allergies to saffron and this can lead to a lot of health problems. One may experience itching, irritation, rashes, redness and hives. Excess consumption can aggravate these allergic symptoms and hence you should do a patch test before using it on the skin directly. This is one of the saffron side effects on the skin.
See More: Saffron Benefits
4. Imbalance In Appetite:
Some people, on one hand, complain about low levels of appetite when they consume saffron and some on the other has a high level of appetite that might lead to weight gain. Whichever side of the spectrum you are at, it is always better to stick to the guidelines to avoid any health issues. This is one of the simple yet worth the mentioned side effects of the spice.
5. Nausea And Vomiting:
Excessive consumption of saffron has shown effects on the body and certain symptoms on humans in the form of nausea and vomiting tendencies. This is yet another side effect associated with this wonderful spice. This only means you should have a limit to the intake.
6. Drowsy Feel:
Saffron has sedative properties in them and overeating of this spice will only lead to problems of drowsiness the entire day. It is a side effect that can even hamper your concentration and effectiveness at work.
7. Hyper Sexuality:
Saffron is known to be an aphrodisiac and over-consumption is going to lead to hypersexuality in men and women and make them sexually active all the time. You are also likely to experience elated mood, high spiritedness and uncontrollable emotions. This is yet another side effect that comes from overconsumption of saffron.
8. Chances Of Consuming Poisonous Saffron:
According to professionals, consumption of poisonous saffron can lead to severe jaundice followed by severe vomiting, excessive bleeding from the nose, extreme dizziness as well as diarrhoea with blood. These are definitely side effects only associated with artificial and dangerous saffron strands.
9. Weight Loss:
For some, it might be a boon that saffron helps in losing weight but you need to know that for those who already have the right weight management, weight loss will only lead to issues and crisis of underweight and cause weakness in the body. This is one side effect of saffron extract that one should know about and that gives you a reason to control it in the diet.
See More: Saffron Face Packs
10. Lowered Blood Pressure:
Taking saffron in excess quantities might lower the blood pressure of people with low BP issues. This can be extremely dangerous to health, which can lead the patient to coma and other serious conditions. It is advised to use no more than a pinch of saffron and that too upon the advice of your doctor.
Shocked at knowing these side effects of Saffron? The bottom line of this article is that even a natural ingredient, however good it might be for our health can be risky to live if taken beyond the limits. You should always adhere to the dietary guidelines and be extra cautious if you are using any medication for BP, heart problems or blood sugar. A pinch of saffron can certainly do the trick for you, but any extra strand in your diet may force you to visit your doctor!