Meals That Heal – Saffron Date Elixir

This is a popular rasayana (rejuvenating dish), aphrodisiac, and delicious restorative elixir. Take one of these dates a day to restore vitality and feel energized.

Eastern View: In Ayurveda dates are considered a ‘superfood’ because they are nourishing and promote balance. They are an ojas building food which means they build vitality and immunity. They bring a sense of sweetness to your life, and contain phytochemicals which are a precursor to the hormone oxytocin (also called the cuddle hormone). They literally make you sweeter.

Often used for their rejuvenative properties, they improve the immune system and are considered a rasayana, which means they rejuvenate the body, thus their use in anyone who is immunocompromised.

One of the special uses for dates is in cases of infertility, is their replenishing qualities. Dartes are also a good tonic for low libido. (Who wouldn’t want that!)

Saffron-This exotic herb is famous for its medicinal, coloring and flavoring properties. Valued all over the world, especially by culinary and medical experts, it is one of the most expensive spices. Despite its cost, many medical practitioners consider saffron’s health benefits to be worth their weight in gold. Saffron has its importance in Ayurveda, Chinese, Unani, and Tibetan medicine.

In ayurveda reference of Saffron is found in the ancient books (Vedas).  Its snigdha (oily) and laghu (light) properties, along with its bitter taste pacifies all doshas. Saffron also has a unique vipaka (post  digestive process) of helping assimilate nutrition. It is also hot in potency and said to pacify and support all three doshas (vata,pitta and kapha). Saffron is considered a sattvic food which means it calms and grounds the central nervous system too.

It has been traditionally prescribed to control phlegm, improve respiratory function and is used as a lung tonic. Saffron has bronchodilator effects which means it helps in improving pulmonary oxygenation. That is why it is often used in conditions like whooping cough, asthma, cold, cough, and  throat ailments. Saffron has properties that improve vision and correct weak eyesight. Saffron is heart healthy too and is often used as a cardio tonic because it has anti-atherosclerotic effects which help in lowering blood cholesterol and triglycerides.

Western View: When it comes to the number of minerals, vitamins, and health-benefiting phytonutrients in dates, suffice to say there are a lot of them. First and foremost, they’re easily digested, allowing your body to make full use of their goodness.

Dietary fiber in dates helps to move waste smoothly through your colon and helps prevent LDL (bad) cholesterol absorption by binding with substances containing cancer-causing chemicals. The iron content, a component of hemoglobin in red blood cells, determines the balance of oxygen in the blood. Potassium, an electrolyte, helps control your heart rate and blood pressure. B-vitamins contained in dates, such as the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, absorb into the retina to maintain optimal light-filtering functions and protect against macular degeneration.

Want more? They contain vitamins A and K. Vitamin A protects the eyes, maintains healthy skin and mucous membranes, and even protects the lungs and mouth from developing cancer. Tannins, which are flavonoids as well as polyphenolic antioxidants, fight infection and inflammation and help prevent excessive bleeding (anti-hemorrhagic). Vitamin K is a blood coagulant that also helps metabolize your bones.

Eating dates in moderation can contribute to many health benefits, such as protecting against damage to cells from free radicals, helping preventing a stroke, coronary heart disease and the development of colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.

Saffron – this little spice  contains several plant-derived chemical compounds that are known to have been antioxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties. Their flower pistils compose several essential volatile oils, but the most important of them all is safranal which gives saffron its pleasant flavor. 

This colorful spice has many non-volatile active components; the most important of them is α-crocin, a carotenoid compound, which gives pistils their natural golden-yellow color. It also contains other carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, lycopene, α- and ß-carotenes. These are important antioxidants that help protect the human body from oxidant-induced stress, cancers, infections and acts as immune modulators.The active components in saffron have many therapeutic applications in many traditional medicines as antiseptic, antidepressant, antioxidant, digestive, anti-convulsant.

This novel spice is an excellent source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Additionally, it is also rich in many vital vitamins, including vitamin-A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin-C that is essential for optimum health. This spice is a powerful liver tonic and carminative. It is used for the improvement of digestion and increases appetite. It helps in ailments like indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, acidity, spleen ailments.

The sedative action of saffron helps in curing insomnia. Did you know you can take a pinch of saffron in warm milk at night to help cure insomnia. Saffron is also known for its exhilarant and antidepressant activity which leads to a sense of well being. Saffron is often used in cases of depression and/or anxiety. The effects of saffron in the improvement of depression have been shown in studies to be postively corrrelated. 

Saffron also possesses aphrodisiac properties as per ayurveda texts hence it’s used to cure impotence. Saffron consumption is most useful in enhancing the vitality of men. The positive effects of saffron include increasing of libido, enhancement of erectile function, and amelioration of semen quality.

Saffron is also known to produce positive effects on people with neurodegenerative disorders. Saffron promotes learning, memory retention, and recalling capacity.  It is useful in the treatment and management of age related mental impairment. Saffron has been known as an effective and safe treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease. These gorgeous red stigmas help to rejuvenate body and act as “Rasayana.” They improve body immunity plus increase energy level.

Saffron Date Elixir

Ingredients

• 36 pitted dates
• 1 pound butter turned into ghee
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
  

Directions

• Peel the caps off the dates, cut in half.
• Dry and pulverize the saffron in a mortar and pestle.
• Mix the saffron and other spices with liquefied ghee. Pour into quart-sized jar of closely packed dates. Close and shake out the bubbles.
• Have one date a day to restore vitality.

There’s no one size fits all for what you should eat. If you would like to talk with me about what is the right diet for you, sign up for a complimentary consultation. Just click on the link to my online calendar to find a good time that works for you.

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In health,