Clinical trials have confirmed that saffron, the famous Indian spice, can reverse age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. The trials were conducted in Italy and Australia.

Professor Silvia Bisti, a visiting scholar based at The VisionCentre at the University of Sydney, described the results as a breakthrough. The trial participants showed significant vision improvements after taking a saffron pill for three months, she said.

"Measurements using objective eye sight tests showed patient's vision improved after taking the saffron pill. When they were tested with traditional eye charts, a number of patients could read one or two lines smaller than before, while others reported they could read newspapers and books again."

The trial, conducted at Italy's Policlinico Gemelli by Professor Benedetto Falsini, was double blind and randomly controlled, involving 25 subjects over six months. Half the group were given a saffron pill for the first three months followed by a placebo, while the other half were given the pills in the reverse order.

"All patients experienced improvements in their vision while taking the saffron pill," Professor Bisti said. "But when they stopped taking the pill the effect quickly disappeared."

Professor Bisti began studying the effects of saffron at L'Aquila, in Italy's mountainous Abruzzi country, because it was a widely grown local crop which has been used in traditional medicine as a treatment for conditions such as cancerous tumours and depression.