Saffron has attracted growing research interest for its possible relationship with mood, but individual studies need to be read carefully before drawing broad conclusions.
A 2026 human trial published in Frontiers in Nutrition looked specifically at women aged 50 to 70 who were experiencing low mood and poor sleep. Researchers compared a standardised saffron extract with a placebo over 12 weeks, with changes in depressive symptoms as the study's primary outcome.
The results were encouraging for some mood-related measures, but they do not show that saffron is a treatment for depression. The study involved a specific group of women, used one particular saffron extract and lasted only 12 weeks.
Study at a Glance
Study type: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial
Participants: 86 women aged 50–70 experiencing low mood and self-reported poor sleep
Groups: 43 received saffron extract and 43 received placebo
Duration: 12 weeks
Saffron used: Affron®, a standardised extract made from Crocus sativus stigmas
Dose: 28 mg per day, taken as one 14 mg tablet in the morning and one in the evening
Compared with: Placebo tablets
Primary outcome: Change in depressive symptoms measured using the depression subscale of the DASS-21 questionnaire
Main finding: The saffron group showed a greater reduction in depressive-symptom scores than the placebo group over 12 weeks.
Important limitation: The results apply specifically to women aged 50–70 with low mood and poor sleep and should not automatically be generalised to men, younger adults or people with major depressive disorder. The study also tested one standardised saffron extract rather than saffron in general.
Who Took Part in the Study?
The researchers recruited women aged between 50 and 70.
To qualify, participants needed to have scores indicating mild to moderately severe depressive symptoms as well as self-reported sleep disturbance above a defined threshold. Women with certain medical or psychiatric conditions and those taking some medications were excluded.
A total of 86 women were randomly assigned to the two groups:
- 43 received the saffron extract
- 43 received a placebo
Most of the women in both groups were post-menopausal, and the average age was a little over 62 years.
This participant group is important when interpreting the findings. The study was not designed to tell us how the same intervention would affect every age group or population.
What Kind of Saffron Did Researchers Use?
The trial did not use ordinary culinary saffron threads.
Participants received Affron®, a standardised extract produced from the stigmas of Crocus sativus. Each active tablet contained 14 mg, with participants taking two tablets per day for a total daily dose of 28 mg.
The extract was standardised for specific saffron compounds, including crocins and safranal.
This distinction matters because results from a standardised extract cannot automatically be applied to every saffron supplement, saffron tea or amount of culinary saffron. Broader discussions of saffron's researched health effects may cover several areas of evidence, but this trial tells us only about the preparation and population that were actually studied.
What Did the Researchers Measure?
The main outcome was depressive symptoms.
Researchers used the DASS-21 depression subscale, a self-report questionnaire that asks participants about symptoms associated with low mood.
They also looked at several secondary outcomes, including:
- sleep disturbance
- sleep-related impairment
- self-esteem
- perceptions of physical appearance
- estimated facial skin age
The study was specifically powered around the depression score. The other measures were secondary or exploratory, which means positive findings in those areas should be treated more cautiously.
What Did the Study Find About Mood?
Both groups improved during the 12-week trial, but the saffron group improved more on the study's primary mood measure.
After adjustment, researchers found a statistically significant difference between the groups in DASS-D depression scores. The average score fell by about 6.4 points in the saffron group, compared with about 4.0 points in the placebo group.
Researchers had pre-defined a reduction of at least seven points on the DASS-D as a clinically meaningful improvement.
By that measure, 48.8% of women receiving saffron achieved this level of improvement, compared with 25.6% receiving placebo.
That is an interesting finding, but it should not be translated into a claim that saffron “treats depression.” The trial measured changes in a particular group of women reporting low mood and poor sleep, and the researchers called for replication in larger studies.
Research on mood is also broader than a single outcome. For example, previous work examining saffron and anxiety addresses a related but distinct area, whereas anxiety was not the primary question in this 2026 trial.
What About Sleep?
The sleep findings were more mixed.
Participants taking saffron showed a greater improvement in sleep-related impairment, which looks at issues such as tiredness, alertness, concentration and how sleep problems affect daytime functioning.
However, there was no significant difference between saffron and placebo in the study's sleep-disturbance measure, which was intended to reflect perceived sleep quality itself.
The researchers noted that improvements in sleep-related impairment might partly reflect improvements in mood, because some of the symptoms measured — such as tiredness, irritability and concentration difficulties — can overlap with symptoms of low mood.
That distinction is important because research into saffron and sleep quality does not mean every study will find improvement across every sleep measure. In this trial, daytime sleep-related functioning improved more with saffron, while perceived sleep disturbance did not differ significantly from placebo.
What Happened With Self-Esteem?
The saffron group also showed a statistically greater improvement in self-esteem than the placebo group.
However, self-esteem was a secondary outcome, and the trial was not specifically powered to test it.
The researchers therefore described this finding as exploratory and said it should be confirmed in larger studies designed specifically to examine self-esteem.
There were no significant differences between the groups for self-rated physical appearance or estimated facial skin age.
Were There Any Side Effects?
No serious adverse events were reported during the trial.
The frequency of adverse events considered possibly or probably related to the tablets was similar between the saffron and placebo groups. Most participants also rated the tablets as well tolerated.
That finding applies to the 28 mg/day standardised extract used for 12 weeks in this particular study. It should not be treated as proof that every saffron preparation or dose will have the same safety profile.
Questions about how saffron is used and consumed also need to distinguish between culinary saffron and concentrated extracts used in clinical research. They are not interchangeable simply because both come from Crocus sativus.
Who Funded the Study?
The study received funding from Pharmactive Biotech Products, SLU, the company that also supplied the Affron® extract used in the trial.
According to the paper's conflict-of-interest statement, the funder was involved in the initial study concept and study design.
The authors also state that the investigators carried out the analyses independently and retained responsibility for the integrity of the data and reported results.
Industry funding does not by itself mean that a study's results are invalid. It does, however, provide important context that readers should know when assessing the evidence.
What Are the Main Limitations?
Several limitations matter when interpreting this trial.
First, the study involved only 86 women aged 50–70 who were experiencing low mood and poor sleep. The researchers specifically caution against extending the findings to men, younger people or people with major depressive disorder.
Second, the trial lasted 12 weeks. It therefore does not tell us whether the observed differences would continue over longer periods.
Third, the study tested one proprietary standardised extract. The authors note that it is not known whether saffron products with different chemical profiles would produce comparable results.
Fourth, the trial was powered for its main depression outcome, not the secondary outcomes. The findings for self-esteem and sleep-related impairment are therefore exploratory, and the researchers did not adjust the secondary analyses for multiple comparisons. This increases the possibility that some secondary findings could have occurred by chance.
The researchers also did not independently verify the manufacturer's analytical certificate for the saffron extract used in the trial.
Finally, the study compared saffron with placebo, not with antidepressant medication or psychological therapy. The researchers explicitly state that the results should not be interpreted as evidence that saffron performs as well as established treatments.
What Does This Study Actually Tell Us?
The most useful way to read this research is to consider the encouraging findings and the limitations together.
In this particular group of women aged 50–70 with low mood and poor sleep, 12 weeks of a 28 mg/day standardised saffron extract was associated with a greater improvement in depressive-symptom scores than placebo.
The study also found differences in self-esteem and sleep-related impairment, although those results were secondary and require further confirmation. It did not find significant differences for perceived sleep disturbance, physical appearance or estimated facial skin age.
Overall, the findings add useful human evidence to saffron and mood research, but they apply to one extract, dose and specific population. They should not be interpreted as evidence that saffron treats depression, and larger, independent studies are still needed.
Primary Research
Lopresti AL, Smith SJ. (2026). The effects of a saffron extract (Affron®) on mood, sleep, self-esteem, and exploratory measures of physical appearance in women aged 50 to 70 years experiencing low mood and poor sleep: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 13.
Full Frontiers in Nutrition study
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1838513
