Therapy with Saffron and the Goddess at Thera

Abstract

This paper presents a new interpretation of a unique Bronze Age (c. 3000-1100 BCE) Aegean wall painting in the building of Xeste 3 at Akrotiri, Thera. Crocus cartwrightianus and its active principle, saffron, are the primary subjects at Xeste 3. Several lines of evidence suggest that the meaning of these frescoes concerns saffron and healing: (1) the unusual degree of visual attention given to the crocus, including the variety of methods for display of the stigmas; (2) the painted depiction of the line of saffron production from plucking blooms to the collection of stigmas; and (3) the sheer number (ninety) of medical indications for which saffron has been used from the Bronze Age to the present. The Xeste 3 frescoes appear to portray a divinity of healing associated with her phytotherapy, saffron. Cultural and commercial interconnections between the Therans, the Aegean world, and their neighboring civilizations in the early 2nd millennium BCE indicate a close network of thematic exchange, but there is no evidence that Akrotiri borrowed any of these medicinal (or iconographic) representations. The complex production line, the monumental illustration of a goddess of medicine with her saffron attribute, and this earliest botanically accurate image of an herbal medication are all Theran innovations.

Saffron: An Old Medicinal Plant and a Potential Novel Functional Food

“…In frescoes found on the island of Santorini, dating back to 1627 BC, it is possible to observe an offering of some type of Crocus stigmas ( C. sativus or C. cartwrightianus ) being made to the goddess Thera. The investigations of Ferrence and Bendersky [ 9 ] attributed this to the healing properties of saffron. Indeed, saffron was included in the Catalogues of Medicinal Plants and in the European Pharmacopoeia from the 16th until the 20th centuries, as part of numerous pharmaceutical preparations [ 10 ].…”

Saffron in phytotherapy: Pharmacology and clinical uses

“…Its use for cramps and asthma was negatively evaluated by the German Commission E. Saffron was also said to have a soothing and tonifying effect on the gastrointestinal tract [4]. A major use, however, is and was the application as a stimulant, aphrodisiac and antidepressant [4][5][6][7][8]. The use as an adaptogen is documented in Indian Ayurvedic medicine.…”

Intestinal formation of trans-crocetin from saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) and in vitro permeation through intestinal and blood brain barrier

“…Saffron, the dried stigmata of Crocus sativus L., has been used in traditional medicine (Ferrence and Bendersky 2004) against spasms, bronchospasm, menstruation disorders, liver disease, pain, insomnia, digestive ailments and as stimulant, aphrodisiac, antidepressant and for supportive treatment of cancer (Schmidt et al 2007). Several clinical pilot studies proved significant antidepressant effects of saffron extracts; a recent meta-analysis, including 5 randomized, controlled studies, indicated significant improvement of symptoms in patients with major depressions (Hausenblas et al 2013).…”