Saffron: Magical Properties & Uses

Saffron is the herb of solar joy, of lifting the spirits from depression and stagnation, and of connecting the practitioner to the full warmth and generosity of the sun. Its primary magical uses are in workings of happiness and the elevation of mood, in solar deity workings, and in any working that requires bringing warmth and colour into a situation that has become cold and grey. A tiny pinch added to an incense blend raises its vibration immediately. In love workings it draws the kind of love that is also friendship and pleasure. In prosperity workings it brings not just material gain but the enjoyment of what one has.

Saffron (Crocus sativus) has been studied for depression and mild to moderate depressive disorders, with several clinical trials showing positive results comparable in some studies to low-dose antidepressants. It is also being studied for Alzheimer's disease, where preliminary results are interesting. It is used as an emmenagogue in traditional medicine and should not be taken in large quantities in pregnancy. Culpeper recommended it for liver complaints, coughs, and the improvement of spirits. The culinary dose (a few threads) is entirely safe and carries the medicinal benefits at low level.

Eos, Ashtoreth, Brigid

Threads of dried crimson stigmas worth their weight in gold: saffron has been the most expensive spice in the world for most of recorded history. It was used in the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome in religious ceremony, medicine, and as a dye. The Minoan frescoes at Akrotiri (c. 1600 BCE) show a goddess receiving offerings of saffron: among the earliest images of a plant in religious context. In ancient Persia and India it was used in both medical preparations and the dyeing of sacred robes. The Roman emperor Nero had saffron scattered on the streets through which his chariot passed as an act of extravagant public worship of the solar.