Turmeric vs. Saffron

Difference Between Saffron and Turmeric

Saffron and Turmeric are two medicinal herbs or spices of varied uses. They show differences between them in terms of their properties and nature. Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of saffron crocus. In fact, saffron has proved to be the most expensive spice There are two important chemicals found in saffron and they are picrocrocin and safranal. These chemicals cause the bitter taste in saffron. In Trinidad, turmeric is referred to as hardi which is a distortion of the word haldi, derived from the Sanskrit haridra. It is also erroneously labelled and sold as saffron which is a totally different spice obtained from the stamens of the crocus flower. Like saffron, turmeric also yields a bright yellow colour to food, hence it being locally referred to as saffron.

Saffron is believed to be accompanied by many medicinal properties. It is profusely used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Saffron is believed to cause beneficial effects on the heart. It is also used in the treatment of various forms of allergies. Saffron adds luminous yellow-orange color to foods. It is widely used in countries like India, Pakistan, Arab countries, Turkey, and some European countries too. India is the world’s largest producer of turmeric. In fact, it is produced the highest from a place called Erode in South India. This is primarily the reason why Erode is called as Turmeric City. Turmeric is known as haridra in Sanskrit language. It is called as haldi in Hindi.

Turmeric grows in the wild forests of Asia and Southeast Asia. It is added as an important ingredient in many dishes. As an ingredient, turmeric is used widely in the cuisines of India, Persia and Indonesia. It is normally used as root powder. It imparts a distinct flavor in the foods in which it is added. It is interesting to note that women of India use turmeric during bath. It is smeared on the body to ward off bodily impurities. Turmeric is used in food products to protect it from sunlight. Mostly, it is used in the preparation of savory dishes and in the making of some sweets as well. On the other hand, saffron is also used in the making of sweets. It is a practice with some of the Indian families to add saffron with milk. This practice is normally seen in the case of pregnant women. It is believed that pregnant women when administered with saffron can give birth to babies with good and a fair complexion.

Saffron is grown more in a belt ranging from the Mediterranean in the west to Kashmir in the east. The total estimation of the production of saffron yearly is 300 tonnes worldwide. India, Iran, Greece, Spain, Italy and Morocco are some of the chief producers of saffron. Turmeric is associated with a lot of medicinal benefits too. It is said to cure different types of cancer, arthritis and other clinical disorders as well. It is used by women to prevent the growth of hair on their body. The tone of the skin gets improved if it is anointed with turmeric. It is interesting to note that turmeric can be used in gardening too as a kind of protective agent against the invasion of different kinds of ants. It is used in the performance of ceremonial rites in India. This is because of the fact that much of religious importance is attached to the use of turmeric.

Turmeric is widely cultivated throughout the tropics. It has been used in Asia for thousands of years and is a major part of Siddha medicine. It was first used as a dye, and then later for its medicinal properties and for cosmetic purposes. Turmeric is considered holy and has been used in various Hindu ceremonies for centuries where it remains popular in India for wedding and religious ceremonies. Like in India, these traditions have taken ‘root’ in T&T and turmeric is also used in Hindu religious ceremonies including wedding ceremonies.

Like ginger, turmeric plants are harvested for their rhizomes (underground stems). When not used fresh, the rhizomes are boiled for about 30–45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in Asian cuisines and as a main component of curries. It is also used for dyeing and to impart colour to certain food preparations.  One active ingredient found in turmeric is curcumin, which has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavour and a mustardy smell. Turmeric rhizomes are used as a bright yellow-orange culinary spice. The rhizomes can be cured for use as a spice by boiling and steaming. They can also be boiled in water, dried, peeled and then ground. 

Turmeric is an important yellow food dye and is added to many Indian dishes including curries. Turmeric is a main ingredient of curry powder and ground rhizomes are used to make turmeric oil that is used in the industrial production of flavouring for curries. In Trinidad, the traditional “oil down” (made with breadfruit) has a yellow finished colour obtained from the use of turmeric.  It is a very easy plant to grow at home, one clump is sufficient to provide the home with fresh haldi. It is an upright perennial herbaceous plant that reaches up to one metre tall and produces highly branched, yellow to orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes. Turmeric only reproduces via its rhizomes. Turmeric is ready for harvesting seven to ten months after planting, when the lower leaves turn yellow.

Harvesting is carried out by digging up the rhizomes. Leafy tops are then cut off and the roots and adhering earth are removed. Rhizomes are then washed. Turmeric requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. In Ayurvedic practices, turmeric has been used to treat a variety of internal disorders, such as indigestion, throat infections, common colds, or liver ailments, as well as topically to cleanse wounds or treat skin sores. Basic research shows extracts from turmeric may have antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Turmeric is under study for its potential to affect human diseases, including kidney and cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, cancer, irritable bowel disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and other clinical disorders. 

Externally, the dried rhizome has been applied to fresh wounds and insect stings and to help the healing process in chickenpox and smallpox.  Inhalation of turmeric smoke is reputed to relieve hiccups. Turmeric rhizomes have also been mixed with other plants to produce traditional remedies for a range of conditions including tonsillitis, headaches, wounds, snake bites, stings, sprains and fractured bones.

Turmeric is not widely used in Western medicine, but has been investigated as a treatment for some conditions. Studies show that the rhizomes contain compounds that may have therapeutic effects, which appear to support some of its uses in traditional medicine. Here in Trinidad, turmeric tea (made from fresh grated turmeric rhizomes) is drunk to assist with the healing of internal wounds while a paste can be applied to the skin for the healing of external wounds.

Commercial cosmetics containing turmeric are now widely available in Trinidad from face washes to toothpaste. Turmeric paper, also called curcuma paper or in German literature Curcumapapier is paper steeped in a tincture of turmeric and allowed to dry. It is used in chemical analysis as an indicator for acidity and alkalinity. 

Cite: Guardian (2016). Turmeric Benefits. [online] Available at:< http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2016-08-07/turmeric-benefits> 

Different Between. (2011). Difference Between Saffron and Turmeric. [online] Available at:<http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-saffron-and-vs-turmeric/s> 

Easy Health Options. (n.d). The Health Benefits of Turmeric.  [online] Available at:http://easyhealthoptions.com/health-benefits-tumeric/>