Most "benefits of saffron" articles give you a list of vague promises. This one gives you the trials. Saffron is one of the very few foods that researchers have put head to head against prescription medication in double-blind studies, where neither the patients nor the doctors knew who was taking what. Here is what they found, how much was used and why the quality of the saffron matters more than almost anything else.
What saffron actually is
Saffron is the dried red stigma of the Crocus sativus flower. Each flower produces only three of these threads and they are picked by hand. Between 150,000 and 200,000 flowers go into a single kilo, which is why saffron has long been the most expensive spice in the world. The compounds researchers focus on are crocin, which gives saffron its colour, picrocrocin, which gives the bitterness, and safranal, which gives the scent.
Saffron vs seven prescription drugs
Fluoxetine (Prozac). In 2005, researchers in Tehran gave 40 adults with mild to moderate depression either 30 mg of saffron extract or 20 mg of fluoxetine a day for six weeks. Saffron performed similarly to fluoxetine, with no significant difference in side effects between the groups (Noorbala et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2005).
Imipramine. A year earlier, 30 adults with depression took either 30 mg of saffron or 100 mg of imipramine, an older antidepressant, for six weeks. The two worked similarly, but the imipramine group reported more dry mouth and sedation (Akhondzadeh et al., BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2004).
Citalopram. In 66 adults with depression and anxiety together, 30 mg of saffron a day was compared with 40 mg of citalopram for six weeks. Both groups improved on depression and anxiety scores and the difference between them was close to zero (Ghajar et al., Pharmacopsychiatry, 2017).
Sertraline (Zoloft). In 2019, 50 older adults with an average age of 65 took either 60 mg of saffron or 100 mg of sertraline for six weeks. Depression scores fell in both groups, with no clear advantage for either (Ahmadpanah et al., Psychiatry Research, 2019).
Methylphenidate (Ritalin). In 54 children and teenagers aged 6 to 17 with ADHD, saffron was compared with methylphenidate over six weeks. The researchers found no significant difference in how well the two worked and side effects were similar (Baziar et al., Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2019).
Donepezil. In 54 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, 30 mg of saffron a day was compared with 10 mg of donepezil. Changes in memory and thinking scores did not differ between the groups and the donepezil group had more vomiting (Akhondzadeh et al., Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 2010).
Memantine. In the longest of these studies, 68 people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's took either 30 mg of saffron or 20 mg of memantine for 48 weeks, almost a full year. There was no significant difference between the groups on any measure (Farokhnia et al., Human Psychopharmacology, 2014).
What the bigger picture says
Single trials can mislead, so researchers pool them. A 2019 review in Nutrition Reviews looked at 23 studies and found saffron had a large effect on symptoms of depression and anxiety compared with placebo. It also found that adding saffron to an antidepressant improved results further (Marx et al., Nutrition Reviews, 2019).
How much was used
Almost every trial used 30 mg a day, usually split into two doses. That is a tiny amount, a small pinch of threads. At that amount a 5 g jar of saffron would last more than 160 days. More is not better: very high doses of saffron, in the grams, can be harmful and saffron is not recommended in large amounts during pregnancy.
Why the quality of your saffron matters
Saffron is one of the most commonly faked foods in the world because it is so valuable. Powdered saffron is the easiest to cut with other plant parts, dyes and even weight-adding fillers like syrup (Bergomi et al., Foods, 2022). Saffron is graded under the international ISO 3632 standard by measuring its crocin, picrocrocin and safranal. The research above used real, standardised saffron. Cheap supermarket powder is not the same thing.
How to tell real saffron from fake:
- Buy threads, not powder. Powder hides adulteration.
- Look for deep red threads only. Yellow or white ends are the flavourless style of the flower, added for weight.
- Do the water test. Real saffron slowly releases a golden yellow colour into water while the thread stays red. Fake saffron bleeds red dye immediately or loses its colour.
- Check the smell and taste. Real saffron smells sweet and honey-like but tastes slightly bitter. If it tastes sweet, be suspicious.
Super Negin is the highest grade cut of saffron, made only from the deep red tips of the thread with none of the yellow style. That is the grade we sell at Body Scription. See our Super Negin saffron.
How to use saffron
The best way to use saffron is cold extraction. Take a pinch of threads, grind them and place an ice cube on top. Let the ice melt slowly over the saffron, which draws out the colour and the active compounds gently without heat. Once it has melted, add the saffron water to your water bottle or your milk, or make it into a tea.
This article is for education only and is not medical advice. Speak to your doctor before using saffron alongside any medication, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
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