Health And Fitness News 

Saffron - A Depression Remedy

Saffron was an expensive spice in ancient times, and today remains the most expensive spice in the world. Whilst not a widely known remedy outside its' native Middle East or India, which adopted it early on, this colorful spice has some surprising health benefits.

A small study published on Pubmed looked to test whether the recommendations for using saffron to treat depression, found in some medicinal plant guides, had any basis in fact. Despite the recommendations in these herbal books, the authors of the study could find no scientific studies to support the claims, so they set out to find out for themselves.

They took 30 people who were established as suffering from major depression, and used a double blind study. Participants were either given 100mg per day of the antidepressant imipramine, or 30mg per day of saffron in a specially prepared capsule. The study went for 6 weeks and the results were favorable.

Saffron was found to be as effective as imipramine at that dose in treating the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Unlike imipramine, which had side effects like a dry mouth and drowsiness, saffron had no reported side effects. This makes it a potentially useful herb to treat depression.

The researchers do caution that the study was only small, and the results need to be tested on a larger population, but they also write that their results support those found in an earlier animal study.

Saffron is traditionally used in the Middle East to treat menstrual problems, sore throats, problems with labor, and inflammation.

Scientists have also found that it has an anti-tumor effect, is an antioxidant, and has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels.