Saffron

Stigmas from the pistil of the true crocus flower. These are 2.5–4.5 cm long and are harvested as saffron. Harvest season: spring. Saffron is known as a spice and, because of its color, as a food coloring. As a children’s song goes: “Saffron makes the cake yellow.”  

Saffron is harvested by hand: The stigmas, with the attached saffron threads, are pinched off from the flowers.  To produce 500 g of saffron (dry weight), 200,000 to 400,000 stigmas are required, which explains the high price of saffron threads, one of the most expensive spices (“red gold”). 

The quality standards for saffron (Croci stigma) are specified in the German Pharmacopoeia ( DAC).

HMPC: not addressed

ESCOP: Not reviewed

Commission E: Negative monograph at the time (1987). Efficacy not scientifically proven; reference to misuse as an abortifacient at 10 g of the drug; lethal dose 20 g!

Empirical medicine: Used as a nerve sedative, for cramps, and for asthma. Saffron extracts are marketed as “natural mood enhancers” in dietary supplements. Reported to have a strong aphrodisiac effect.

Clinical studies indicate a mood-enhancing effect in mild to moderate forms of depression (Shafiee M et al 2018).

In pharmacological studies, saffron has been shown to have antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, organ-protective, anticarcinogenic, and cytotoxic effects, as well as the ability to lower blood lipids and blood sugar, cognitive-enhancing, antimicrobial, and protective against retinal lesions (Chrubasik-Hausmann S et al. 2024). 

The use of saffron is particularly well-documented in neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, acute cerebral ischemia, and brain injuries) (Yang W et al. 2023; Hatziagapiou K et al. 2019).

Four pilot studies on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show that saffron is not inferior to methylphenidate and that it synergistically enhances its effects.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Studies indicate positive effects in neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, as well as in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (El Midaoui A et al. 2022), and inthe management of diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Placebo-controlled in vivo studies involving a total of 379 participants demonstrated an improvement in sleep duration and quality with saffron supplementation (Sadat Rafiei SK et al. 2023).

There are conflicting results regarding the effects of saffron on sperm parameters, but the findings are promising for dysmenorrhea (Goyal A et al. 2024).

Carotenoids (crocin, crocetin), saffron bitter, isophorones, essential oils: safranal. Flavonoids; kaempferol glycosides, and many others.

Today almost only used in homeopathy, occasionally as a sedative, spasmolytic and stomachic.

Due to toxicity in higher doses, use only the intake of finished preparations, following the instructions for use. Maximum dose is 1 g per day.

Toxic in larger quantities: vomiting, uterine bleeding (formerly misused as an abortifacient), bloody diarrhea, hematuria, bleeding from nose and mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, yellowing of skin and mucous membranes. Lethal dose at 20 g.

1. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/safran.php
2. Shafiee M et al. (2018) Saffron in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders: Current evidence and potential mechanisms of action. J Affect Disord. 227:330-337. 
3. https://dgrh.de/Start/Publikationen/Empfehlungen/Komplement%C3%A4re-Methoden/Behandlung-rheumatischer-Erkrankungen-mit-Safran.html
4. Blaschek, W. (2015). Wichtl’s Herbal Teas and Phytopharmaceuticals: A Handbook for Clinical Practice. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich. pp. 204–206
5. El Midaoui A et al. (2022) Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): A Source of Nutrients for Health and for the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric and Age-Related Diseases. *Nutrients*. 29;14(3):597. doi: 10.3390/nu14030597. PMID: 35276955; PMCID: PMC8839854.
6. Sadat Rafiei SK et al. (2023) Saffron and Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutr Metab Insights. 18;16:11786388231160317. doi: 10.1177/11786388231160317. PMID: 37484523; PMCID: PMC10357048.
7. Goyal A et al. (2024) Saffron extract as an emerging novel therapeutic option in reproduction and sexual health: recent advances and future prospects. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 4;86(5):2856–2865. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000002013. PMID: 38694315; PMCID: PMC11060205.
8. Chrubasik-Hausmann S et al. (2024) New research findings on saffron (Crocus sativus) updated: New research on saffron. Z Phytother; 45(01): 10–14. DOI: 10.1055/a-2132-4984
9. Yang W et al. (2023) Active constituents of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and their prospects in treating neurodegenerative diseases (Review). Exp Ther Med; 25: 235
10. Hatziagapiou K et al. (2019) Antioxidant Properties of Crocus sativus L. and Its Constituents and Their Relevance to Neurodegenerative Diseases; Focus on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. Curr Neuropharmacol; 17(4): 377–402. doi: 10.2174/1570159X16666180321095705. PMID: 29564976; PMCID: PMC6482475.
11. Sanaie S et al. (2023) Saffron as a promising therapy for diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease: mechanistic insights. Metab Brain Dis; 38: 137–162