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Evidence-Based Supplement Research

Evidence-Based Supplement Research

Saffron and Reduced Anxiety

Doses used in studies

mg/day: 100 (median 100, IQR 100–100) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 9 weeks · IQR 7.5 weeks–10.5 weeks · Range 6 weeks–2.8 months — Reported in 2 of 2 studies

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReported
No side effect was observed in the groups.
from: The effect of saffron supplementation on indices of oxidative stress, inflammation, mental

2 of 2 papers

The effect of saffron supplementation on indices of oxidative stress, inflammation, mental health, and quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
- 2026
- RCT · n = 92
- Food & function 17(2)
- - Zahra Hajhashemy
  - Mohammad Bagherniya
  - Omid Sadeghi
  - Fariborz Khorvash
  - Gholamreza Askari
- PubMed: 41439298
- DOI: 10.1039/d5fo01924a
13 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Clinical
anxiety (adjusted mean difference: -4.75 and 95% CI: -8.30, -1.20; P_ANCOVA = 0.009)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Dose
100 mg/day
Effect of saffron extract supplementation on mood in healthy adults with subclinical symptoms of depression: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.
- 2025-12
- RCT
- The American journal of clinical nutrition 122(6)
- - Camille Amadieu
  - Quentin Leyrolle
  - Milena Farneti
  - Andrea Anesi
  - Eva Bruchet
  - Juliette Montet
  - Sandra Dexpert
  - David Gaudout
  - Fulvio Mattivi
  - Line Pourtau
  - Nathalie Castanon
  - Lucile Capuron
- PubMed: 41047129
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.09.050
7 Insights on
- Reduced Anxiety
- High evidence
- Clinical
Saffron extract did not significantly affect the primary outcome of combined depressive, anxiety, and fatigue symptoms (z-score) nor individual symptoms.
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No