Research has revealed that saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a great herb for fighting depression. The study, which was published in the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, looked at the effects of saffron on anxiety and depression.

• Drugs used to treat anxiety and depression come with serious side effects, so alternative therapies like herbal medicines are needed.
• A team of researchers from China, Iran, and the U.K. proposed saffron as a herbal medicine for anxiety and depression.
• The research team evaluated the effects of saffron extract for the treatment of anxiety and depression using a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial design.
• They recruited 60 adults patients with anxiety and depression and randomly divided them into two groups: an intervention and a placebo group.
  • The intervention group received a 50 milligram (mg) saffron capsule.
  • The placebo group received a placebo capsule.
• The participants received the saffron capsule and placebo twice a day for 12 weeks.
• They also answered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) questionnaires at the beginning of the study and six and 12 weeks after the treatment.
• Only 54 participants completed the study.
• The results showed that saffron supplements significantly improved the BDI and BAI scores of the participants.

The results of the study suggested that saffron supplementation had a significant effect on the treatment of anxiety and depression disorder.

To read more studies on depression and anxiety, visit Psychiatry.news.

Journal Reference:

Mazidi M, Shemshian M, Mousavi SH, Norouzy A, Kermani T, Moghiman T, Sadeghi A, Mokhber N, Ghayour-Mobarhan M, Ferns GAA. A DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED AND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL OF SAFFRON (CROCUS SATIVUS L.) IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine. 1 June 2016; 13(2): 195–199. DOI: 10.1515/jcim-2015-0043