Cuprins
Cuprins
Saffron (Crocus sativus) is the world’s most expensive spice and now is becoming the most highly valued herbal approach to boosting mood, promoting a relaxed and focused mind, improving sleep quality, and exerting many other health benefits.
Saffron, as a spice, is expensive because it is derived from the stigma of the flower. The stigma is threadlike parts at the center of the flower. The stigma of saffron may be red, yellow, or golden yellow-orange.
As a dietary supplement, high-quality clinical trials have found that saffron extracts from the petals of the flower have similar efficacy to those derived from the much more expensive stigma. This equal efficacy is based upon improvement in well-recognized clinical assessment scores of mood produced by extracts of either saffron stigma or petals.1,2
The Health Benefits of Saffron: Read more.
The reason that extracts from either the stigma or petals produce results is because they both can contain the same active compounds – carotenoid plant pigments responsible for the hues of the stigma and petals. The determining factors in whether petal extracts have all of these pigments are where and how they are grown. For example, affron®, the premium saffron extract, is derived from the more abundant petals of the flower of Spanish saffron because it can also provide the key carotenoid of the stigma, crocin, lacking in other petal extracts.3
In affron®, the carotenoid compounds are termed Lepticrosalides™, which include the three most important carotenoid molecules crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal. In affron®, these compounds collectively are standardized at 3.5% in order to provide a consistent dosage level. affron® utilizes a proprietary extraction process that uniquely concentrates and preserves these active compounds making it the superior saffron extract. Detailed absorption studies also show advantages to affron®.3
Saffron has emerged as one of the best natural approaches to boosting mood. Numerous studies have now shown various extracts of saffron are safe and effective as a natural mood-elevating agent with the additional benefit of calming feelings of anxiety.
Saffron’s mood-elevating and calming effects are due to multiple sites of action. For example, it increases the levels in the brain of important mood-elevating neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. It also modulates the stress response and exerts anti-inflammatory effects in the brain.1,2
The human clinical studies conducted with affron® are especially well-designed and have shown significant effects in boosting mood and relieving feelings of stress, even in healthy individuals. For example, in one study in healthy subjects, affron® at a dosage of 14 mg twice daily over four weeks, increased mood, reduced feelings of anxiety, and improved stress management. These benefits were produced without side effects.4
affron® is the also first saffron preparation to be studied in teenagers. In an 8-week, double-blind study, teenagers 12-16 years old with low mood scores and/or feelings of anxiety were given affron® (14 mg twice daily) or a placebo. Those teenagers taking affron® showed greater improvements in symptoms associated with low moods such as internalization of feelings, separation anxiety, and social phobia.5
In another study, affron® (14 mg twice daily) or a placebo was given to 160 adults for eight weeks who were currently taking an antidepressant drug. The goal was to see if affron® was both safe and helpful. The interesting result was that affron® not only helped improve mood when combined with the drug but that it also significantly reduced side effects related to the drug.6 These results were consistent with other studies.
One side effect of some serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant drugs is sexual dysfunction. In women, this shows up as decreased desire and arousal, while in men it can lead to erectile dysfunction and loss of interest in sex. In double-blind studies in both men and women on SSRI antidepressants, those taking a standardized extract of saffron petals (30 mg per day) experienced significantly greater improvements in some measures of sexual function. Female subjects experienced improvements in arousal, lubrication, and pain.7 Men experienced improvements in erectile function and intercourse satisfaction.8 Not surprising since 60% of the men taking the saffron extract achieved normal erectile function versus only 7% of those taking the placebo.
Saffron is a valuable herbal approach to help deal with stress and poor sleep. In a double-blind study in 63 healthy adults 18-70 years of age with self-reported sleep problems, subjects took affron® (14 mg twice daily) or a placebo for 28 days. Affron® was associated with greater improvements measures of sleep quality ratings compared to the placebo.9 Like other studies, affron® intake caused no side effects.
Saffron has shown evidence in producing other health benefits including:
With the availability of affordable, high-quality extracts like affron® the popularity of saffron as a valuable herbal approach to health is destined to rise. While saffron has shown the ability to produce a myriad of health benefits, the bottom line is that it is especially in helping people just feel better.
5 Natural Ways To Boost Your Mood: Read more.
References:
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