Saffron: Benefits, Dosing, Where To Buy, And More!

Saffron, the dried red stigmas of a small purple crocus is one of the most expensive and sought after spices in the world.

For over 3000 years it’s been used mainly as a natural additive in cooking to enhance flavor, color, and aroma.

The origin of Crocus sativus can be traced back to the Late Bronze Age in Crete; since then, saffron has been cultivated all over the world, but especially in Mediterranean Europe, India, and south-western Asia.

Recent research, mostly out of Iran, has shown that saffron may be a potent nootropic with cognitive enhancing and neuroprotective features.

This article will explore what we know about this unique spice and its potential to help with depression and other neurological issues.

What Are Saffron’s Nootropic Benefits?

Saffron has been found to have many nootropic benefits ranging from mood, focus, libido, memory and learning improvements, and added neuroprotection.¹

These benefits come from saffron’s unique composition of chemical constituents which include crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal.²

Crocin is a carotenoid that gives saffron its characteristic red color, and it is responsible for the majority of saffron’s antidepressant effects. Picrocrocin is a bitter compound that is responsible for saffron’s flavor.

Safranal is an aromatic oil that contributes to saffron’s fragrance.

These compounds have different properties that contribute to saffron’s overall effect on the brain.

For example, crocin increases serotonin levels in the brain while also decreasing beta-amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.³

Picrocrocin is effective at reducing anxiety and depression as well as increasing libido.

Saffron’s antioxidant properties have also been shown to help protect brain cells from damage due to aging, stress, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s Disease.⁴

How can saffron be used for nootropic purposes?

Saffron can be used for many different nootropic purposes. It’s a fairly easy supplement to find, but keep in mind that saffron is a food product and does not have FDA approval as a dietary supplement.

This means that any claims made by supplement companies as to what a product containing saffron does are not approved by the FDA.

There is however a wealth of clinical peer-reviewed data that demonstrate many nootropic benefits with saffron as discussed below.

Depression and Anxiety

Saffron’s ability to effectively reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety is one of its most prized qualities. It is one of the top natural herbal compounds that combat depression, with many studies backing this up.

Even traditional cultures utilized saffron for this purpose.

The most promising research comes from its head-to-head comparison against top prescription SSRI’s.⁵

A systematic review published in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine found that saffron was as effective as the antidepressant drug fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating major depression.⁶

Saffron also has anti-anxiety effects. A recent 4-month double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial on coronary artery disease patients found 40 mg Saffron extract is effective in alleviating anxiety.⁷Saffron also has anti-anxiety effects. A recent 4-month double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial on coronary artery disease patients found 40 mg Saffron extract is effective in alleviating anxiety.

Anti-Inflammatory

Saffron’s anti-inflammatory properties have been evident for years. Modern science is now elucidating what ancient cultures have known for thousands of years. Use saffron, feel better.

According to a review published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, Saffron has been shown to inhibit TNF alpha production in human blood cells while raising overall antioxidant status.⁸

This is significant for neurological health as chronic inflammation can negatively impact cognitive function, memory, and mood over time, contributing to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease and depression.

Neuroprotection

One of the most intriguing benefits of saffron is its neuroprotective qualities against degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even stroke.

Alzheimer’s Disease

There’s quite a bit of evidence demonstrating saffron, and particularly crocin, can reduce beta-amyloid plaques and neuroinflammation.⁹

This kind of plaque accumulation and inflammation is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.

Parkinson’s Disease

Saffron shows promise in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Several in vitro and animal studies show that saffron can ameliorate PD symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. The study also found that saffron improved antioxidant status and protected the brain cells from damage.¹⁰

Stroke

Saffron has also been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of stroke.

A 2021 comprehensive review of the existing data on the subject found saffron contributes to the downregulation of apoptosis, inﬂammation, and autophagy, alleviation of glial scar formation, prevention of oxidative stress, and reduction of brain edema which act as preventative measures against ischemic stroke. ¹¹

Memory and Learning

Saffron supplementation has also been shown to be effective for memory and learning.

A 2019 review of the data found saffron was able to improve both working memory performance as well as long-term memory formation. ¹²

The saffron extract used in this study contained crocin, a carotenoid compound that is responsible for saffron’s color.

Working memory refers to the short-term storage of information that can then be processed into long-term memories while learning ability describes your capacity to learn new things over time.

Both are essential components of cognitive function and mental processing speed, which play critical roles in helping you recall facts quickly, perform at higher levels mentally than the average person, think more clearly under pressure or when stressed out and

Libido and Sexual Performance

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

Animal models show that saffron extract and crocin enhance spatial learning and attenuate the freezing behavior while also significantly reducing plasma corticosterone levels and the anorexic time.¹³

How Saffron Works In The Brain

Saffron’s action in the brain is similar to that of an SSRI as it is a major serotonin agonist. ¹⁴

Serotonin plays an important role in mood regulation, appetite control, sleep patterns, attention span and social behavior.

By activating serotonin receptors saffron can help improve all of these things without any negative side effects associated with current antidepressant medications used for this purpose.

A number of studies demonstrate saffron’s superiority to certain selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) for boosting mood and fighting depression. The most promising feature is that saffron has been shown to increase serotonin levels without any negative side effects commonly associated with drugs like weight gain or sexual dysfunction.

Studies on the pharmacokinetics of saffron and its constituents show that it is a glutamate antagonist which has a stabilizing, calming influence on the brain.¹⁵

Saffron And The Blood-Brain-Barrier

In both in vivo and in vitro studies, constituents of saffron were shown to interact with the blood-brain barrier.¹⁶

It’s been shown that crocin crosses the BBB and provides protection against Aβ accumulation which is the leading indicator of Alzheimer’s Disease. This also helps tighten the BBB, which helps protect the brain from exposure to harmful environmental toxins.

Saffron Quality Sourcing

When buying any supplement from an online source, always ask questions such as what extraction method was used? Were solvents used during processing? How much crocin does this product contain compared to other saffron supplements?

Crocin content can vary from .01% to 80% in the saffron extract market. Most saffron extracts contain between 0.025-0.05% of crocin. If you are taking a saffron supplement, be sure it includes enough crocin to offer nootropic benefits and is not contaminated with solvents or pesticides that would decrease its effectiveness.

Safranal % is another value to keep in mind as it appears to play an essential role in saffron’s antidepressant abilities, but there have been some inconsistencies when measuring safranal levels in saffron supplements which makes it difficult for consumers to determine if a saffron supplement has enough safranal to offer mood-enhancing benefits.

It’s essential to look for saffron extract supplements that include at least .03% safranal, as this looks to be the industry standard.

Saffron Recommended Dose

Ideally, saffron should be taken in a dose of between 15mg-30mg per day. While slightly higher doses still have a relatively safe profile, consistent higher dose use (above 30mg/day) or acute doses higher than 200mg may lead to alterations in blood and hemodynamic parameters along with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding.

Most studied benefits were elicited with lower 30mg/day doses so there’s no need to really go higher than that.

Safety and Side Effects of

Saffron is generally considered safe and well-tolerated. The most commonly reported side effects are headache, dizziness, dry mouth, and drowsiness.

These side effects usually occur when saffron is taken in high doses so it’s best to start with a lower dose and increase gradually as needed.

There have been no reports of serious adverse events associated with saffron use but those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid high-dose saffron supplementation due to a lack of safety data.¹⁷

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