Uses and Physiological effects of Crocin

Crocin is a pain-relieving medicine manufactured in India by GSK Consumer Healthcare Ltd. The active ingredient present in crocin is paracetamol. Paracetamol is an analgesic and antipyretic. It is quickly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration. It acts by inhibiting the formation of prostaglandins (chemicals) in the body which are accountable for fever and pain. Crocin has the benefits of relieving mild to moderate pain, including toothache, headache, muscle ache, and menstrual pain.

Active component 

The major active component of saffron is the yellow pigment crocin 2 (three other derivatives with different glycosylations are known) containing a gentiobiose (disaccharide) group at each end of the molecule. The five major biologically active components of saffron, namely the four crocins and crocetin, can be measured with HPLC-UV.

Uses

Crocin treats many conditions like temporary pain relief associated with headache, sinus pain, backache, painful menstruation, musculoskeletal pain, sore throat, rheumatic pain, neuralgia, arthritis, osteoarthritis, respiratory tract infections, migraine headache, tennis elbow, and cold and flu.

It is also used to reduce fever without treating its underlying causes.

In pediatric patients, it has the benefit of relieving pain associated with an earache, teething, or immunization.

Physiological effects on mammalian tissues and organisms

Crocin has been shown to be an antioxidant,and neural protective agent.The antioxidant behavior of crocin is related to the sugar moiety in crocin molecule which has a vital role in its chemical reactivity.It has also been shown to have an antiproliferative action against cancer cells in vitro.Limited evidence suggests possible antidepressant properties of crocin in mice and humans.One study reports aphrodisiac properties in male rats at very high doses.

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