Saffron for Stress

“> Saffron, is a huge mood fixer. I’m a fan of saffron and I do take it but the evidence is shaky at best. Every single RCT that showed effect sizes rivaling SSRIs was conducted in Iran. The only RCTs conducted outside Iran were done in Australia, there were 2 RCTs of this nature, and they found very modest improvement in mood but no significant impact on state or trait anxiety or depression.”

“It's been over a month for me, in the first week I was quite sleepy. I feel like it mellowed out my anxiety and irritability. I'm calmer and nicer as opposed to being stressed and having a short fuse. I still have my moments but life has felt so much lighter lately. I'm scared of the effects wearing off, I read lots of people cycle it, I'm afraid to stop taking it.”

“I have found it happens every time. Works great in the beginning (depending upon the brand), and then stops. I end up taking long breaks. Perhaps if I cycled shorter breaks that would work, but I always tend to stop taking it when it stops working. Money is tight anyway.”