Medical : In addition to its culinary uses, saffron is prescribed as a herbal remedy to stimulate the digestive system, ease colic and stomach discomfort, and minimize gas . It is also used as an emmenagogue, to stimulate and promote menstrual flow in women. Preliminary studies have shown that saffron may be a useful tool in fighting cancer . According to a 1999 study, use of the herb slowed tumor growth and extended lifespan in female rats. Additional human studies have indicated that saffron has powerful antioxidant properties. Two chemical components of saffron extract, crocetin and crocin, reportedly improved memory and learning skills in learning-impaired rats in a Japanese study published in early 2000. These properties indicate that saffron extract may be a useful treatment for neurodegenerative disorders and related memory impairment.

Dyeing and perfumery : Despite its high cost, saffron has also been used as a fabric dye, particularly in China and India. Nevertheless, it is an unstable colouring agent; the initially vibrant orange-yellow that it imparts on clothes quickly fades to a pale and creamy yellow. The saffron stigmas, even when used in minute quantities, produce a luminous yellow-orange colour. Increasing the amount of saffron applied will turn the fabric's imparted colour an increasingly rich shade of red. Traditionally, the noble classes were the exclusive users of saffron-dyed clothes. Saffron was thus accorded a ritualised and caste-representative significance. Saffron dye also has been responsible for the saffron, vermilion, and ochre hues of the distinctive mantles and robes worn by Hindu and Buddhist monks.

There have been many attempts to substitute a cheaper dye for the costly saffron. But turmeric and most other spices similar to saffron do not produce such colours. They yield instead a bright yellowish hue. Nevertheless, saffron dye's main constituent, the flavonoid crocin, has been discovered in the gardenia fruit. Because gardenia is much less expensive to cultivate than saffron, it is currently being researched in
China as a more economical source for saffron-like dyes.

Saffron has also been used for its aromatic properties alone. In Europe, for instance, saffron threads were processed and combined with such ingredients as alkanet, dragon's blood (for colour), and wine (for colour) to produce an aromatic oil known then as crocinum. Crocinum was then applied as a perfume to hair. Another preparation involved the mixing of saffron with wine to produce a viscous yellow spray that was copiously applied to freshen the air of Roman theatres.