India is the second-largest producer of saffron in the world, well behind Iran. However, despite this, the variety grown in Kashmir commands a handsome premium over the Iranian produce.
A world-first clinical trial in Australia has found that Sailuotong (SLT), a Chinese herbal medicine compound, can significantly improve memory and executive functions in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Key findings: The trial, led by researchers at Western Sydney University, found that participants who received 180 milligrams of SLT per day for a period of 12 weeks demonstrated improvements in certain memory and executive functions — including delayed episodic memory retrieval, switching between cognitive concepts, higher-level divided attention and multitasking — compared to those who received a placebo. About SLT: SLT, which comes in capsules, is a Chinese herbal medicine containing standardized extracts of Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba and saffron (Crocus sativus L.).
AMMAN A chance encounter with an endangered wild saffron flower has inspired a young Jordanian to start a business focused on the sustainability of the crop.Bisher Thneebat, a 27-year-old university student, started the first wild saffron harvesting project in Jordan, following four years of hard work in saffron propagation. Thneebat, like many young people his age, likes to