alternative medicine

[karenm666]

What can you tell me about using saffron (elixr) for treating macular degeneration

[Paxiled]

Macular degeneration can have different causes, but most involve oxidation.  Saffron, as be seen readily by its incredible color, is rich in antioxidants specific to the eye.  It's also incredibly expensive to get genuine saffron.  There are many supplement formulas sold specific to eye health.  Other essential antioxidants for the eyes are lutein (found in dark green vegetables such as kale), astaxanthin (saffron is high in this; so is wild salmon), and the most important, glutathione, which is also essential as a liver antioxidant (glutathione isn't absorbed as a supplement, but wheat grass is high in it and you can take the amino acids that make it).  Of course, other antioxidants are important as well.  Billberry, a kind of blueberry, is also very high in antioxidants specific to the eye.  As I say, there are supplements found in good health food stores that will contain a combination that may be helpful, though they won't contain saffron since genuine saffron is incredibly expensive.  That you'll have to take separately.

[gymdandee]

A study at Sydney University and the University of L'Aquila in Italy has found that when eaten, saffron may protect eyes from UV damage and slow the progress of diseases such as macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. In macular degeneration, the cells in the retina at the back of the eye, which are responsible for clear vision, begin to die. But when patients with macular degeneration taking part in the study began eating a diet containing saffron, these cells began to recover. Professor Silvia Bisti, who led the research, says: 'Saffron appears to affect genes that regulate the fatty-acid content of the cell membrane, and this makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient.' The 25 participants in the study took saffron supplements or a placebo every day for three months. All those who took the saffron pill experienced improved vision, but the improvements disappeared when they stopped taking it.