
Saffron for Treatment of Anxiety
Saffron seems to have a reliable effect on reducing anxiety. When using the validated questionnaire to define anxiety alone, the effect is small yet significant, however when using other subjective questionnaires with patients in these trials, it appears to have quite a strong effect.
Research on Saffron and Anxiety
Some trials were conducted on certain patient populations, but saffron may be worth a try for some.
Trial 1: saffron appeared to improve anxiety and sleep disturbance (but not depression) in some diabetic patients. In this trial, 30 mg of saffron was given daily, for 8 weeks. All participants exercised and had diet change but the group with saffron had significant improvements over the placebo group [8].
Trial 2: saffron appears to have a significant impact in the treatment of anxiety and depression disorder. This trial looked at 60 adult patients, with anxiety and depression. They were given 50 mg of saffron (capsule) twice a day for 12 weeks. They were assessed with validated diagnostic questionnaires [9].
Clinical Utility
The overall clinical utility of saffron for managing anxiety is quite strong. The research was conducted in humans, found to be very safe and most importantly effective. Discuss with your naturopath today!
References
Interested in learning more?
Learn About Our Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Mental Health!
Learn More About Anxiety
About the Author - Dr. Johann de Chickera

Dr. Johann is a fully licensed Naturopathic Doctor. His approach emphasizes the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and improving one’s health naturally. Dr. Johann obtained a Doctor of Naturopathy at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM). Education at CCNM is a vigorous four years, with a curriculum involving biomedical sciences, physical diagnosis, clinical nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, botanical (herbal) medicine, physical medicine, homeopathy and lifestyle management.
While Dr. Johann has a general practice, he focuses on fertility, hormonal imbalances, gut health, and autoimmune disease.
To book in please call us at (519) 442-2206 or click here.