ABSTRACT
Cancer defined as an abnormal growth of cells that feast and metastasize to different parts from the origin with the help of uncontrolled cell proliferation. Even though there are developing therapeutic alternatives for cancer patients, their efficiency is time-dependent and non-remedial. Thus to overwhelmed these problems, continuous selection for potent and safer remedies has been consistently discovered for several years, resulting in the exploration of cancer preventive efficacy of various natural products. Chemoprevention using traditional therapeutic knowledge, i.e., an active ingredient from fruits, spices, herbs, and vegetables are appropriate approaches in the current scenario for cancer prevention. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has gained attention because it’s pharmacological studies including radical scavenging, anti-mutagenic, and immuno-modulating activities, etc. The major active compounds of saffron are crocetin, picrocrocin, crocin, and safranal. Broad spectrum studies on animal models and humanized cancer cell lines revealed the antitumor activities of saffron and its bioactive constituent. This chapter delivers a comprehensive understanding of the anticancer properties and molecular mechanism of saffron along with its potent bioactive compounds.
