西红花主产于伊朗、希腊、意大利、西班牙、印度、中国、日本等国家,可用于食品染料和香料。现代药理学研究表明,西红花具有强身健体的功效。目前国内外已经从西红花中分离得到了100多种化合物,主要有萜类、黄酮类、蒽醌类等,并具有治疗精神类疾病、神经退行性疾病、学习记忆障碍、心血管疾病、动脉粥样硬化、高脂血症、糖尿病、高血压、胃溃疡、脂肪肝以及抗癫痫、抗惊厥等多种活性。系统总结了西红花的化学成分和药理活性,为西红花的深入开发提供参考。
Crocus sativus(saffron), widely used in food industry as coloring or flavoring agent, is widely cultivated in Iran and other countries, such as Greece, Italy, Spain, India, China, and Japan. But modern pharmacological studies have shown its potential to promote health. In this paper, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of saffron are systematically reviewed. More than 100 compounds were isolated from saffron, primarily including terpenes, flavonoids, anthraquinones and so on. Pharmacological references showed that it had the treatment effects on diseases, such as mental disorder, neurodegenerative disease, learning and memory dysfunctions, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, ulcer, fatty liver, epilepsy, and convulsions. This review provides a reference for the further research and development of saffron.