Saffron is the dried stigma of Crocus sativus L., a perennial herb member of the Iridaceae (Iris) family. Saffron stigmas are naturally rich in four major bioactive compounds: crocin, crocetin (the hydrolysis product of crocin), picrocrocin, and safranal, and are traditionally used in Asian medicine to treat a range of physical ailments including menstrual disorder, inflammation, and depressive symptoms (1).

 

    Anxiety, stress, and low mood are closely related and may contribute to depressive symptoms. Certain environmental factors may be involved in the onset and development of depressive symptoms. Among those factors, chronic stressful life events during adulthood may activate or amplify the expression of depressive symptoms. Saffron may help to alleviate depressive moods as a result of everyday stressful living.

 

    The effect of saffron on emotional well-being was studied in healthy adults with self-reporting low mood (1). This double-blind, randomized study included 56 healthy male and female individuals (18-54 years) who are healthy with subclinical feelings of low mood and anxiety, and/or stress. They received either a saffron extract (30 mg per day) or a placebo for 8 weeks. Chronic effects of saffron on subjective anxiety, stress, and depressive feelings were assessed using a questionnaire battery [including Profile of Mood State-2, (POMS)], and acute effects in response to a lab-based psychosocial stressor were measured through psychological and physiological parameters.

 

    Participants who received the saffron extract reported reduced depression scores (p<0.05) and improved social relationship scores (p<0.01) at the end of the study. Urinary crocetin levels increased significantly with saffron supplementation and were correlated with a change in depression scores (Spearman r = −0.50, p = 0.008). The typical stress-induced decrease in heart rate variability during exposure to the stressor was attenuated following acute saffron intake (p<0.01). Saffron extract appeared to reduce depressive mood in healthy individuals experiencing subclinical mood disturbance (1).

 

    Snacking is a not easy-to-control eating behavior, predisposing weight gain and obesity. It primarily affects the female population and is frequently associated with stress. One study examined whether supplementation with saffron extract may reduce snacking and enhance satiety through its suggested mood-improving effect, and thus contribute to weight loss (2).

 

    Healthy, mildly overweight women (n = 60, aged 25 to 45 years, BMI between 25 - 28 kg/m2) participated in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study over an 8-week period. Snacking frequency, the main secondary variable, was assessed by daily self-recording of episodes by the subjects in a nutrition diary. Twice a day, subjects consumed 1 capsule of saffron extract (176.5 mg extract per day (n = 31) or a matching placebo (n = 29). Caloric intake was left unrestricted during the study. At baseline, both groups were homogeneous in age, body weight, and snacking frequency (2).

 

    Saffron supplementation resulted in a modest but statistically significant reduction of body weight after 8 weeks (−0.96 ± 0.26 kg), whereas no effect was noticed in the placebo group (−0.01 ± 1.46 kg)(p<0.05). The mean snacking frequency was significantly decreased in the saffron group compared with the placebo group (p < 0.05). From baseline to week 8 of supplementation, the number of snacking events was reduced to 5.8 ± 1.1 events per subject for the saffron group vs 8.9 ± 1.5 in the placebo group (respectively, −55% and −28% relative to baseline).

 

    These results indicated that saffron produced a reduction in snacking and created a satiating effect that could contribute to body weight loss. The combination of an adequate diet with saffron extract might help subjects engaged in a weight loss program in achieving their objective. The authors also mentioned that subjects in the saffron group felt significantly more alert and energetic than those in the placebo group. This was consistent with the possible role of saffron to improve mental and emotional well-being (2).

 

    Metabolic syndrome is a common disorder that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is defined by a set of cardiovascular risk factors including abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia (high blood triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein). Studies had shown that the chances of patients with metabolic syndrome developing depression were high (3).

 

    One study assessed the effect of crocin, a main component of saffron, on the symptoms of depression in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Thirty-four subjects were randomly assigned to treatment and placebo groups (n = 17 in each group) and received each 30 mg of crocin (2 tablets of 15 mg) or placebo for 8 weeks. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The BDI questionnaire was completed for each subject at the baseline and at the end of the 8th week of treatment (3).

 

    The degree of depression decreased in 68.8% of the crocin group and 29.4% of the placebo group. The degree of depression decreased significantly in the crocin group (p = 0.005), but not in the placebo group (p > 0.05), and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (p = 0.013). BDI scores were significantly reduced in the crocin group (p = 0.009) but not in the placebo group (p > 0.05.) No significant relationship was observed between changes in depression symptoms and changes in the serum pro-oxidant/anti-oxidant balance (p > 0.05) (3).

 

    This study suggested that at a dose of 30 mg per day for 8 weeks, crocin could reduce the symptoms of depression in subjects with metabolic syndrome compared to the control group, and this effect was independent of its effect as an antioxidant (3).

 

    In addition to people who are overweight, mood disturbances including depressive and anxiety-related symptoms also often occur in women during menopause. In a 12-week, parallel-group, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 86 perimenopausal women experiencing menopausal complaints received either a placebo or 14 mg of a saffron extract, twice daily. Outcome measures included the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) (4).

 

    Saffron supplementation was associated with greater improvements in mood and psychological symptoms compared to the placebo. Results from the GCS revealed a significantly greater reduction in the GCS psychological score (p = 0.032), characterized by a 33% reduction in anxiety and a 32% reduction in depression scores from baseline to week 12. There was also a significantly greater reduction in the PANAS negative affect score (p = 0.043) compared to the placebo. This study showed that saffron extract administered for 12 weeks at a dose of 14 mg twice daily was able to reduce mood disturbances in women during menopause (4).

 

    Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is related to hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and liver dysfunction and has detrimental effects on a patient's mental health. In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 70 overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to two groups and received 100 mg/day saffron or placebo for 8 weeks. Participants completed the Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II), Hurlbert index of sexual desire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Diabetes-specific Quality-of-Life Brief Clinical Inventory questionnaires (DQOL-BCI). Dietary intake, anthropometric measures, fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), insulin, lipid profile, and liver enzymes were determined at baseline and the end of the study (5).

 

    At the end of the eighth week, saffron supplementation significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (-5.4%), Insulin (-9.6%), triglyceride (-15%), and liver enzymes AST (-3.1%), and ALT (-8.4%), (p<0.001). In contrast, few significant changes were observed in the placebo group, including increases in LDL-cholesterol and AST and decreased ALT levels, (p<0.05). There were also trendy differences between groups after intervention for HbA1c and HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.099 and 0.067, respectively)(5).

 

    Significant improvements in BDI-II scores (5.9 ± 2.3; p<0.001) and total quality of life DQOL-BCI score (8.5 ± 2.2; p<0.001) were observed in the intervention group, respectively. The saffron group showed more significant improvements in PSQI scores than the placebo group, and only the saffron group achieved a "good" sleep band (5).

 

    These results showed that at this relatively high dose, saffron supplementation reduced fasting blood glucose and improved lipid levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Reductions in serum AST and ALP concentrations also suggested the liver-protective role of saffron that could result from its anti-oxidative properties. In addition, saffron improved mood, sleep, and overall quality of life in people with diabetes (5).

 

    One study compared the efficacy of saffron with imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a 6-week pilot double-blind randomized trial. Thirty adult outpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for major depression participated in the trial. Patients have a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind, single-center trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive a capsule of saffron 30 mg/day (Group 1) and a capsule of imipramine 100 mg/day (Group 2) for a 6-week study (6).

 

    Saffron at the dose of 30 mg/day was found to be effective, similar to imipramine, in the treatment of mild to moderate depression (F = 2.91, d.f. = 1, p = 0.09). The main overall finding from this study was that saffron could be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression (6).

 

    From results from the study in different populations: healthy adults with low mood, overweight women, people with metabolic syndrome, menopausal women, diabetic patients, or people with depression, saffron supplementation showed beneficial effects for mental health and emotional well-being. Saffron can help to reduce anxiety and depression and enhance mood. When you want to relieve stress and have a better mood, have some saffron.

 

References:

1. Jackson, P. A., Forster, J., Khan, J., Pouchieu, C., Dubreuil, S., Gaudout, D., Moras, B., Pourtau, L., Joffre, F., Vaysse, C., Bertrand, K., Abrous, H., Vauzour, D., Brossaud, J., Corcuff, J. B., Capuron, L., & Kennedy, D. O. (2019). Effects of Saffron Extract Supplementation on Mood, Well-Being, and Response to a Psychosocial Stressor in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel Group, Clinical Trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.606124

2. Gout B, Bourges C, Paineau-Dubreuil S. Satiereal, a Crocus sativus L extract, reduces snacking and increases satiety in a randomized placebo-controlled study of mildly overweight, healthy women. Nutr Res. 2010 May;30(5):305-13. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2010.04.008. PMID: 20579522.

3. Jam IN, Sahebkar AH, Eslami S, Mokhber N, Nosrati M, Khademi M, Foroutan-Tanha M, Ghayour-Mobarhan M, Hadizadeh F, Ferns G, Abbasi M. The effects of crocin on the symptoms of depression in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2017 Sep;26(6):925-930. doi: 10.17219/acem/62891. PMID: 29068592.

4. Lopresti, A. L., & Smith, S. J. (2021). The Effects of a Saffron Extract (affron®) on Menopausal Symptoms in Women during Perimenopause: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Journal of Menopausal Medicine, 27(2), 66-78. https://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.21002

5. Tajaddini, A., Roshanravan, N., Mobasseri, M., Aeinehchi, A., Sefid‐Mooye Azar, P., Hadi, A., & Ostadrahimi, A. (2021). Saffron improves life and sleep quality, glycaemic status, lipid profile and liver function in diabetic patients: A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomised clinical trial. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 75(8). doi:10.1111/ijcp.14334

6. Akhondzadeh S, Fallah-Pour H, Afkham K, Jamshidi AH, Khalighi-Cigaroudi F. Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: a pilot double-blind randomized trial [ISRCTN45683816]. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2004 Sep 2;4:12. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-4-12. PMID: 15341662; PMCID: PMC517724.