Big effect
Saffron slashed white blood cell counts by over 4,000 units in sepsis patients — but only in a seven-day ICU trial with no effect on mortality.
This is a striking signal from a small, short-term clinical study, but it's the first of its kind and didn't translate to a survival benefit, so the finding is intriguing but far from actionable for healthy people.
In a double-blind trial, ICU patients with sepsis who took 100 mg of saffron daily for a week saw their white blood cell counts drop by an average of 4,176 cells per microliter — a huge reduction compared to a negligible change in the placebo group. The same study also found that saffron lowered several inflammatory markers and improved clinical severity scores, but it did not reduce mortality or affect other blood parameters, and the results may not apply outside of critically ill patients.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on Saffron for Reduced White Blood Cell Count — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
- 2025-05-09
- Nutrition journal
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.