Saffron extract for low mood in adults
What it found
In adults with low mood, taking 28 mg of a saffron extract daily for 12 weeks led to greater improvement in depression scores than a placebo.
There was no clear difference in the other outcomes measured, apart from sleep in one subgroup.
What they found
Studies in people
Depression scores
The saffron group improved more than the placebo group on the depression score of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. 72.3% of the saffron group had a clinically significant change, a drop of at least 7 points, compared with 54.3% of the placebo group.
Other outcomes
For the other secondary outcomes, there was no evidence of a difference between the saffron and placebo groups.
Sleep in a subgroup
In exploratory analyses, improvements in sleep disturbance were seen in a subset of participants who started with more severe sleep disturbance.
Side effects
No serious adverse reactions were reported.
What the authors conclude
“This study, the largest conducted to date on saffron, provides evidence supporting the beneficial effects of 3 mo of saffron supplementation on depressive symptoms in adults.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say this study, the largest on saffron to date, provides evidence supporting the beneficial effects of 3 months of saffron supplementation on depressive symptoms in adults.
- They note that large placebo responses were seen and that these need to be considered in future trials.
How it was done
Earlier trials suggested saffron may have antidepressant effects in adults with a clinical diagnosis, but small numbers of participants, short treatment periods and differences in study quality made those results less certain.
Two hundred and two adults aged 18 to 70 with depressive symptoms took either 28 mg of saffron daily or a placebo for 12 weeks. The trial was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, and measured depression, anxiety, stress, sleep and wellbeing.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial tested one saffron extract at one dose for 12 weeks in adults with low mood, so it cannot show what other saffron products or doses would do.
- It cannot show whether saffron would help people with a clinical diagnosis of depression.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Conflict of interest ALL is the Managing Director of Clinical Research Australia, a contract research organization that receives research funding from nutraceutical companies. ALL has also received presentation honoraria from nutraceutical companies. SJS is an employee of Clinical Research Australia. WM has received funding and/or attended events funded by Cobram Estate Pty. Ltd. and Bega Dairy and Drinks Pty. Ltd. WM has also received travel funding from the Nutrition Society of Australia, consultancy funding from Nutrition Research Australia and ParachuteBH, and speakers’ honoraria from VitaFoods, the Cancer Council Queensland, and the Princess Alexandra Research Foundation. MD-M and MIM-V are employees of the study sponsor, Pharmactive Biotech Products SLU.
- Authors work at
- Murdoch University, Australia; Deakin University, Australia
The paper
- Title
- An Examination into the Effects of a Saffron Extract (Affron) on Mood and General Wellbeing in Adults Experiencing Low Mood: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Marx W, Díez-Municio M, Morán-Valero MI (2025). An Examination into the Effects of a Saffron Extract (Affron) on Mood and General Wellbeing in Adults Experiencing Low Mood: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The Journal of nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.05.024PubMed 40414301DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error