Saffron is a plant. The dried thread-like parts of the flower are used to make saffron spice. It can take 75,000 saffron blossoms to produce just a single pound of saffron spice. Saffron is largely cultivated and harvested by hand. Due to the amount of labor involved in harvesting, saffron can cost more than $5,000 per kg, and is considered the world's most expensive spice. In foods, saffron is used as a spice, yellow food coloring, and as a flavoring agent. Taking large amounts of saffron by mouth is unsafe. Doses of 12-20 grams can cause death.
