Elemi, or canarium

Pharmacy name: saffron (yellowish stigmas of flowers) – Croci stigma (formerly: Crocus).

Botanical description. This bulbous plant has narrow, linear, green leaves with light median stripes. The leaves surround the peduncle with a funnel-shaped large flower. Pestle with three stigma lobes (this is the medicinal raw material). Grows in Southern Europe. It is cultivated and bred in our gardens.

Active ingredients: essential oil, glycoside-containing coloring matter and a number of other substances.

Application. In small doses (in the form of galenic products) it is used to strengthen the uterine muscles, with menstrual disorders. In homeopathy, saffron is prescribed as a sedative and for depression.