Supplement: Safran

What It Is

Each Crocus sativus flower yields just three red threads, all picked by hand. That labor makes saffron the most expensive spice in the world by weight. Across Persia, the Mediterranean, and South Asia it has served as a cooking spice, a dye, and a medicine for thousands of years. Its use for low mood is old.

The supplement sold for mood is a standardized extract of that same stigma, calibrated to its two active compounds, crocin and safranal. Those two compounds carry the color and the aroma, and laboratory work ties the mood effect to them.

What It Does

More trials have measured saffron against mild to moderate depression than against any other use. They tested the roughly 30 mg daily dose in both placebo-controlled and head-to-head designs.

The other uses rest on thinner evidence. Premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, and the sexual side effects of SSRIs each rest on one trial or a few, again at that dose. Each points the same way as the depression work, and each carries less weight.

The Research & Studies

Everything here is based on the research we have collected and checked, sorted into groups and ordered with the strongest evidence first. Click any claim to open the studies behind it.

Mood & stress

About 30 mg a day of saffron beat placebo and matched standard antidepressants for mild to moderate depressionModerate

In plain terms

When the small saffron trials are added up, taking around 30 milligrams a day eased depression clearly better than a dummy pill and roughly as well as common antidepressants like fluoxetine and imipramine.

In detail

Pooling the small randomized trials, about 30 mg a day of saffron lowered depression scores substantially more than placebo, with a large standardized effect, and by about as much as the standard antidepressants it was tested against, over six to eight weeks in mild to moderate depression. Measured in: Adults with mild to moderate depression across roughly five to eleven randomized trials pooled in two meta-analyzes. The pooled trials are small, most enrolling forty patients or fewer, run only six to eight weeks, and the great majority were conducted in Iran by overlapping research groups, so the consistent signal still awaits larger and independent replication.

Who this may not transfer to:The pooled trials enrolled both women and men with mild to moderate depression; the effect was consistent across the mixed samples, though most participants were recruited in Iran.

The studies · 2

Hausenblas et al., Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials · J Integr Med 2013;11(6):377-383

Tóth et al., The Efficacy of Saffron in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression: A Meta-analysis · Planta Med 2019;85(1):24-31

Saffron lowered depression scores more than placebo in a six-week trial of 40 adultsModerate

In plain terms

Against a dummy pill, saffron brought depression scores down significantly more over six weeks in a small controlled trial.

In detail

In a six-week double-blind trial in 40 adults with mild to moderate depression, 30 mg a day of saffron stigma extract produced a significantly greater fall in Hamilton depression scores than placebo. Measured in: 40 adults with mild to moderate depression. A single small trial of 40 people over six weeks; it is one of the placebo-controlled anchors behind the pooled estimate, not definitive on its own.

Who this may not transfer to:The trial enrolled both women and men; it was small and single-center in Iran, so it establishes the direction of effect, not its precise size.

The study · 1

Akhondzadeh et al., Crocus sativus L. in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial · Phytother Res 2005;19(2):148-151

Premenstrual symptoms at least halved in 76% on saffron versus 8% on placeboModerate

In plain terms

For premenstrual syndrome, most women taking saffron saw their symptoms at least halve over two cycles, compared with very few on a dummy pill.

In detail

In a double-blind trial in 50 women aged 20 to 45 with premenstrual syndrome, 30 mg a day of saffron over two menstrual cycles produced at least a 50% reduction in symptoms in 76% of the saffron group versus 8% on placebo, with a matching fall in Hamilton depression scores. Measured in: 50 women aged 20 to 45 with premenstrual syndrome, over two menstrual cycles. A single small trial of 50 women over two cycles, so a strong within-trial result that has not yet been widely replicated.

Who this may not transfer to:Premenstrual syndrome occurs only in people who menstruate, so there is no other-sex population for this outcome; the finding does not transfer beyond it.

The study · 1

Agha-Hosseini et al., Crocus sativus L. (saffron) in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial · BJOG 2008;115(4):515-519

Saffron matched fluoxetine and imipramine for depression in small head-to-head trialsEmerging

In plain terms

Head to head, saffron worked about as well as the antidepressants fluoxetine and imipramine for people with mild to moderate depression, with no clear winner between them.

In detail

In separate double-blind trials, 30 mg a day of saffron lowered Hamilton depression scores about as much as fluoxetine 20 mg a day and about as much as imipramine 100 mg a day, each over six weeks, with no statistically significant difference between saffron and the drug in either. Measured in: Adults with mild to moderate depression: 40 in the fluoxetine comparison, 30 in the imipramine comparison. These are small trials with no placebo arm, so they show saffron kept pace with the drug but cannot by themselves rule out that both did little, which is why the placebo-controlled trials matter alongside them.

Who this may not transfer to:Both head-to-head trials enrolled women and men; the samples were small and recruited in Iran, so the equivalence is best read as suggestive, not definitive.

The studies · 2

Noorbala et al., Hydro-alcoholic extract of Crocus sativus L. versus fluoxetine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression · J Ethnopharmacol 2005;97(2):281-284

Akhondzadeh et al., Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: a pilot double-blind randomized trial · BMC Complement Altern Med 2004;4:12

Anxiety And Stress

Saffron eased anxiety symptoms, not just low mood, at about 30 mg a dayModerate

In plain terms

Pooled across trials, saffron eased anxiety symptoms, not just low mood, in people who had both.

In detail

In a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials, saffron supplementation reduced anxiety symptoms as well as depressive symptoms compared with placebo, at the usual 30 mg a day dose, in people carrying both together. Measured in: Adults with depressive and anxiety symptoms across the randomized trials pooled in the review. The anxiety trials are fewer and smaller than the depression ones and mostly measured anxiety as a secondary outcome, so the anxiety signal is real but thinner than the depression evidence.

Who this may not transfer to:The pooled trials enrolled women and men; as with the depression work, most were small and conducted in Iran.

The study · 1

Marx et al., Effect of saffron supplementation on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis · Nutr Rev 2019;77(8):557-571

Sexual Function

Adding saffron improved sexual function in 34 women with fluoxetine-related dysfunctionModerate

In plain terms

Women whose sexual function had been dulled by the antidepressant fluoxetine improved when saffron was added, more than with a dummy pill.

In detail

In a four-week double-blind trial in 34 women whose major depression was stabilized on fluoxetine but who had sexual dysfunction, adding 30 mg a day of saffron improved total Female Sexual Function Index scores, with gains in arousal, lubrication and pain, significantly more than placebo. Measured in: 34 women with fluoxetine-related sexual dysfunction, depression stabilized on fluoxetine. A single four-week trial of 34 women; it measured a drug side effect in people already stabilized on fluoxetine, so it speaks to that specific situation, not to sexual function in general.

Who this may not transfer to:A parallel trial in men with fluoxetine-related sexual impairment found the same direction of benefit, so the effect is not confined to women.

The study · 1

Kashani et al., Saffron for treatment of fluoxetine-induced sexual dysfunction in women: randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study · Hum Psychopharmacol 2013;28(1):54-60

Adding saffron improved erectile function in 36 men on fluoxetineModerate

In plain terms

Men whose erections had been affected by the antidepressant fluoxetine improved when saffron was added, more than with a dummy pill.

In detail

In a four-week double-blind trial in 36 men whose major depression was stabilized on fluoxetine but who had erectile dysfunction, adding 30 mg a day of saffron improved International Index of Erectile Function scores, including erectile function and intercourse satisfaction, significantly more than placebo. Measured in: 36 men with fluoxetine-related erectile dysfunction, depression stabilized. A single four-week trial of 36 men; it measured a drug side effect in people already stabilized on treatment, so it speaks to that specific situation, not to erectile function in general.

Who this may not transfer to:A parallel trial in women with fluoxetine-related sexual dysfunction found the same direction of benefit, so the effect is not confined to men.

The study · 1

Modabbernia et al., Effect of saffron on fluoxetine-induced sexual impairment in men: randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial · Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012;223(4):381-388

How it works

Crocin and safranal appear to nudge the serotonin system the way antidepressants doEmerging · mixed

In plain terms

The mood effect is thought to come mostly from saffron's compounds crocin and safranal, which seem to nudge the serotonin system much as antidepressants do while also calming inflammation and the stress response.

In detail

Laboratory and animal work attributes saffron's antidepressant signal chiefly to crocin and safranal, which appear to slow serotonin reuptake, act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, dampen an overactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis, and offer some neuroprotection, not to any single pathway. This is a mechanistic account drawn largely from laboratory and animal studies, so it explains why the clinical findings are plausible but is not itself clinical proof of how saffron works in people.

The study · 1

Lopresti & Drummond, Saffron (Crocus sativus) for depression: a systematic review of clinical studies and examination of underlying antidepressant psychopharmacological actions · Hum Psychopharmacol 2014;29(6):517-527

How Firm Is It

The direction of effect is steady. Across the randomized work on mild to moderate depression, saffron beats placebo and matches standard antidepressants, trial after trial. The trials are consistent but small, and their setting limits how far they carry:

• Most enrolled forty patients or fewer, and ran only six to eight weeks.
• The great majority were conducted in Iran, several by the overlapping research groups that first studied the spice.
• Some were funded by, or tied to, saffron growers and extract makers.
• Null trials often go unpublished, and a commercial stake makes that likelier. Both leave the pooled estimate too high.

None of that makes a repeated finding wrong, and dismissing good work for its country of origin would be its own error. This is a promising, repeatable signal that still awaits larger, independent replication outside those few groups.

For mild depression, the free foundations come first: regular exercise carries its own randomized-trial support, and sleep and daylight matter as much. The depression guide sets saffron beside them as one add-on.

Saffron suits mild to moderate low mood, taken as an add-on or by someone who prefers a botanical. Keep it within the care a person is already getting.

How It Works

The mechanism is not settled, and the laboratory work points to more than one pathway. Crocin and safranal appear to slow the reuptake of serotonin and related messengers, the system that standard antidepressants act on. That overlap is the most cited reason saffron tracks so closely with those drugs.

The same compounds show three further effects that could bear on mood. They are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. They appear to calm an overactive stress-hormone axis, and animal work suggests they protect nerve cells.

Where low mood overlaps with worry, the anxiety guide covers the trials that measured the two together.

Ways to Do It

Saffron is unusual among supplements because the food and the medicine are the same plant. Match what you take to what you want from it, keep to the trial dose, and if you are treated for depression, bring it into that care.

1

Cook with it$Easy

Saffron is a food first, and a few threads steeped in warm liquid flavor a dish for very little. This does not deliver the studied 30 mg a day of standardized extract, so treat it as a pleasant, low-stakes way to live with the spice.

2

A standardized 30 mg extract$ to $$Easy

This is the form behind essentially all of the mood evidence. Take a stigma extract standardized to crocin and safranal, about 30 mg a day, usually 15 mg twice daily. The studied 30 mg was calibrated to crocin and safranal, so check the label for that standardization figure, not just total powder weight. Give any bottle about two months before judging it.

3

Buy a tested product$ to $$Easy

Buy from a supplier that publishes third-party testing and its crocin and safranal levels. That published figure is the one quality signal you can check yourself. It guards against paying for dyed fiber sold as saffron.

4

Alongside treatment, with a clinician$ to $$Easy

If you are being treated for depression, saffron belongs in that care. Some trials used it as an add-on to an antidepressant, including to ease sexual side effects. Combining it with a serotonergic drug is a decision for your prescriber.

Go Deeper

• Depression: where saffron sits among the options for low mood.
• Anxiety: the other half of what the mood trials measured.
• Period pain: the menstrual side of saffron as a Blood-moving herb.
• Menopause and hot flashes: where mood and the cycle overlap.

The Chinese Medicine View

Saffron is itself a Chinese materia medica herb. It carries three names there: Xi Hong Hua (西紅花), Fan Hong Hua, and Zang Hong Hua, the precious imported saffron. That is a different plant from the far commoner and cheaper Hong Hua, safflower.

The tradition reads saffron as sweet and cooling, entering two channels, the Heart and the Liver. Its classical work is to invigorate the Blood and dispel stasis, to cool the Blood and clear heat, and to move constraint and calm the spirit. That last action eases the stifled, oppressed low mood the tradition calls Liver Qi constraint.

Chinese medicine reached for saffron to move stuck, heavy mood. That the herb also turns up in modern depression trials is an interesting coincidence, not proof that the old Liver-Qi reasoning was tracking anything a trial could measure.

The tradition also sorts who saffron suits, and it reads two low-mood patterns differently. A frustrated, tense, stuck presentation with dark or clotted menstrual blood reads as constraint and Blood stasis. That is where the tradition reaches for saffron, a pattern that happens to overlap with its modern signal in premenstrual syndrome, though the overlap is not a claim that the tradition predicted the trial results. Someone depleted and cold, tired and pale with scanty pale periods, fits a Blood and Qi deficiency pattern. For them, a strong Blood-moving herb is not the first thing the tradition would hand out.

Because saffron moves the Blood strongly, the tradition contraindicates it in pregnancy and in anyone prone to heavy bleeding. The tradition treats it as a potent herb, to dose with respect.

Cautions For This Practice

Everything to be aware of is here, in one place. This practice suits most healthy people; a few situations call for real care.

Saffron at about 30 mg a day was as well tolerated as placebo

Across the randomized trials pooled in the systematic review, saffron at about 30 mg a day was well tolerated over the six to eight weeks studied, with adverse events not significantly different from placebo. Good short-term tolerability at 30 mg a day does not extend to high doses, which are toxic, or to pregnancy, where saffron can stimulate the uterus and should be avoided beyond food amounts.Marx et al., Effect of saffron supplementation on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Well tolerated at the studied dose

Across the randomized trials, saffron at about 30 mg a day was well tolerated, with side effects close to placebo. That reassurance covers the studied dose and the trial length only. Tolerability past a couple of months, and in pregnancy, was not assessed.

Avoid saffron in pregnancy

Higher doses can stimulate the uterus, and saffron was traditionally used to bring on menstruation. Both the herbal tradition and modern cautions treat it as unsafe in pregnancy. Keep to culinary amounts in food at most if pregnant, and do not take the supplement. It is also best avoided while breastfeeding, where safety has not been studied.

High doses are toxic

The benefit belongs to about 30 mg a day, and more has not been shown to help. Saffron is toxic in overdose: doses of several grams cause vomiting, bleeding, and worse, far above any supplement amount. Take the studied dose and stop there.

It acts on the serotonin system, so watch combinations

Saffron appears to work partly through serotonin, the pathway most antidepressants use. Taking it alongside an SSRI, SNRI, or another serotonergic drug is a decision for your prescriber. Some trials combined them deliberately and safely under supervision. That supervised model is the one to follow. Tell whoever prescribes your medication that you are taking it.

Saffron is for mild to moderate depression only

Saffron performed well for mild to moderate depression, and no further. It is not a treatment for severe depression, and it is not a substitute for care when mood is seriously low or when there are thoughts of self-harm. If low mood is deep or persistent, see a clinician, and let saffron be one possible part of the plan.

Quality and adulteration

Saffron is among the most adulterated spices on earth because it is so costly, often cut with safflower, dyed fibers, or other plant material. A supplement standardized to its crocin and safranal figures, from a seller that publishes them, is the surest guard against paying for filler.

Start slow, be smart, read the research, and consult a professional if you have any concerns. This is here to inform your choice, not make it for you.

Common Questions

Does saffron really work for depression?

For mild to moderate low mood, yes, with caveats. Two meta-analyses pooled the small trials, and both put saffron ahead of a dummy pill. That is more than most spices can show.

Is saffron as good as an antidepressant?

Neither head-to-head trial carried a placebo arm, so each only shows saffron level with its comparator, without showing the drug itself outperformed a dummy pill. Even so, saffron matched fluoxetine at 20 mg a day and imipramine at 100 mg a day, with no clear winner in either small trial.