Saffron

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Eye health and vision²

  In people with early AMD, saffron supplements improved retinal flicker sensitivity, suggesting a neuroprotective effect.

• Benefit

  Brain and mood health³

  In animal and human studies, saffron and its compounds may help mood, anxiety, learning and memory, the authors say.

• Open question

  Blood sugar and cholesterol⁴

  Saffron may help blood sugar and cholesterol, but scientists do not yet know whether it truly works.

• Open question

  Muscle strength and reaction time⁵

  In people, taking saffron for 10 days increased leg muscle force and sped up reaction times.

• Benefit

  Mood and sleep in adults⁶

  In adults with mild low mood, saffron improved depression scores over three months, though sleep benefits appeared only in some.

• Benefit

  Pasta taste and texture⁷

  Adding saffron to fresh pasta made it yellower and more antioxidant-rich, and taste testers liked it more.

• Benefit

  Sleep quality⁸

  Saffron supplements improved sleep quality in adults, but scientists do not yet know whether saffron works long term.

• Benefit

  Memory and brain health⁹

  In studies of people and animals, saffron's compounds may protect nerves, but how much to eat is unclear.

• Open question

  Body-wide inflammation¹⁰

  Saffron supplements did not change three inflammation markers in adults overall, though some smaller groups saw changes.

• Benefit

  Parkinson's disease symptoms¹¹

  In people with Parkinson's disease, taking saffron powder daily for 12 weeks improved mood, sleep, fatigue and movement.

• Open question

  Mood and mental health¹²

  Saffron extract did not ease low mood, anxiety or tiredness, but may help how people feel overall.

• No harm found

  Central retina function¹⁴

  In people with a rare inherited eye condition, saffron supplements left retinal responses and eyesight unchanged over six months.

Animal and lab studies only

• No harm found

  How much the body absorbs²⁰

  In lab studies, saffron's picrocrocin was absorbed only in tiny amounts and did not protect blood cells from DNA damage.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Age-related diseases¹⁵

  Saffron and its main compounds may help protect against depression, anxiety and age-related heart, eye and brain diseases.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Metals vary by origin¹⁷

  Saffron can contain heavy metals, and levels vary widely depending on where it was grown.

• Spice adulteration¹⁸

  In 104 saffron samples, 20 had dyes, including magenta III and rhodamine B.

How it’s made and used

• Exercise performance¹³

  In active young men, 300 mg of saffron taken once did not improve repeated sprinting or how they felt.

• Spice authenticity and fraud¹⁶

  Many saffron products are mixed with other plants or dyes, so what you buy may not be pure saffron.

• Spice compounds during cooking¹⁹

  Boiling saffron changed its crocins and safranal, but not its picrocrocin, depending on how long it cooked.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 2014

  No acceptable daily intake set.