What is saffron as a dietary supplement?

Overview

The Mediterranean herb saffron, long used in cooking, is made from the dried stigma (top of the female portion) of the Crocus sativa flower. Each flower has only three small stigmas, and about seventy-five thousand flowers are needed to produce 1 pound of saffron. As a cooking herb, saffron is valued for its intense orange-yellow color and its subtle flavor.

Medicinally, saffron has been used since ancient times for strengthening digestion, relieving coughs, smoothing menstruation, relaxing muscle spasms, improving mood, and calming anxiety. Saffron contains vitamin B2
along with a yellow flavonoid called crocin, a bitter glycoside called picrocrocin, and the volatile, aromatic substance called safranal.

Uses and Applications

The best evidence for medicinal effects of saffron involve the treatment of depression. According to five preliminary double-blind studies, the use of saffron at 30 milligrams (mg) daily is more effective than placebo and just as effective as standard treatment for major depression. However, all these studies were small and preliminary and were performed by a single research group in Iran. Larger studies and independent confirmation is necessary to determine whether this expensive herb is truly effective for depression.

Other proposed uses of saffron have even weaker supporting evidence. Test-tube and animal studies hint that saffron and its constituents may help prevent or treat cancer, reduce cholesterol levels, protect against side effects of the drug cisplatin, and enhance mental function.

Dosage

In the foregoing studies of depression, saffron was used at a dose of 30 mg daily as an alcohol-based extract.

Safety Issues

Saffron appears to be safe. One study found no serious adverse effects among healthy volunteers given up to 200 mg per day of saffron for one week. It is often said that very high doses of saffron can cause abortion and possible toxic symptoms, but there is no scientific documentation of these supposed effects. However, the so-called meadow saffron, Colchicum autumnale, is highly toxic, and sometimes people mistake one for the other. Also, the safety of saffron use in young children, pregnant or nursing women, and people with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.

Bibliography

Abdullaev, F. I., and J. J. Espinosa-Aguirre. “Biomedical Properties of Saffron and Its Potential Use in Cancer Therapy and Chemoprevention Trials.” Cancer Detection and Prevention 28 (2004): 426-432.

Gout, B., C. Bourges, and S. Paineau-Dubreuil. “Satiereal, a Crocus sativus L. Extract, Reduces Snacking and Increases Satiety in a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study of Mildly Overweight, Healthy Women.” Nutrition Research 30 (2010): 305-313.

Modaghegh, M. H., et al. “Safety Evaluation of Saffron (Crocus sativus) Tablets in Healthy Volunteers.” Phytomedicine 15 (2008): 1032-1037.

Noorbala, A. A., et al. “Hydro-alcoholic Extract of Crocus sativus L. Versus Fluoxetine in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology 97 (2005): 281-284.