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Autumn Crocus

Autumn crocus contains colchicine and other alkaloids. These components act as antichemotactics, antiphlogistics, and antimitotics. Overall, the herb decreases inflammation and collagen synthesis and inhibits cell division. It’s available as pulverized herb, freshly pressed juice, and other preparations for oral use.

Benefits And Uses of Autumn Crocus

Autumn crocus extracts have been used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, prostate enlargement, and gonorrhea. Extracts have also been used to treat cancer.

The FDA has approved the use of colchicine, the active ingredient in autumn crocus, for the treatment of gout. Colchicine has also been used to treat multiple sclerosis, familial Mediterranean fever, hepatic cirrhosis, and primary biliary cirrhosis and as an adjunct therapy in primary amyloidosis, Behcet’s disease, pseudogout, skin manifestations of scleroderma, psoriasis, palmoplantar pustulosis, and dermatitis herpetiformis.

Administration

• For acute gout attack: One dose equivalent to 1 mg of colchicine by mouth, followed by 0.5 mg to 1.5 mg every 1 to 2 hours until pain diminishes (daily maximum 8 mg of colchicine equivalent) .
• For Mediterranean fever: 0.5 mg to 1.5 mg of colchicine equivalent by mouth as a single dose.

Side Effects of Autumn Crocus

Use of autumn crocus may be associated With peripheral neuritis, numbness of fingertips, irritation of the nose and throat, GI disturbances, nausea, liver necrosis, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, kidney impairment, and multiple organ failure.

Autumn crocus may be associated with additive adverse and toxic effects when used concomitantly with colchicine.

Pregnant and breast-feeding patients should avoid using autumn crocus because of its potential teratogenic effects and antimitotic properties.

Clinical considerations

• Because many autumn crocus preparations aren’t evaluated for colchicine content the way prescription colchicine products are, overdose is a concern.
• If patient insists on taking autumn crocus, advise him to alert his health care provider first and then to obtain the product from a reputable source.
• Monitor patient for agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, and peripheral neuritis with prolonged use.
• Any patient who experiences nausea, vomiting, intense thirst, burning in the mouth, abdominal pain, or diarrhea after taking autumn crocus should immediately contact the poison control center. Diarrhea may be persistent and may lead to hypovolemic shock, renal impairment, and oliguria. Treatment for toxic reaction includes fluid replacement, induction of vomiting, and gastric lavage.
• Advise patient who’s pregnant or breast-feeding not to use autumn crocus.
• A patient who may become pregnant should perform a pregnancy test before beginning therapy. Further, instruct her to immediately discontinue use and notify her health care provider if pregnancy occurs.
• Postmenopausal women and those using adequate contraceptive measures are the only women who should use autumn crocus.
• Slicing the fresh corm can irritate the nose and throat and cause numbness of the fingers holding the corm.
• Advise patient who’s taking colchicine to avoid using autumn crocus.
• Warn patient that the entire plant is toxic and that he shouldn’t take it orally, unless his health care provider has instructed him to do so.
• Advise patient who’s using autumn crocus to obtain it from a reputable source that clearly identifies the amount of colchicine that each dose contains.
• Tell patient to remind prescriber and pharmacist of any herbal or dietary supplement that he’s taking when obtaining a new prescription.
• Advise patient to consult his health care provider before using an herbal preparation because a treatment with proven efficacy may be available.

Research summary

The concepts behind the use of autumn crocus and the claims made regarding its effects have not yet been validated scientifically.

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