There are many nutrients and properties present in our daily diet, which improve our overall physical well-being and play a vital role in enhancing our mental health as well. A nutritionist named Rashi Chowdhary has stated in a social media post that saffron might be advantageous in treating mild to moderate depression. She and her team of nutritionists have seen that the count of young women taking prescribed antidepressants is shooting up.
She stated that antidepressants only cover and desensitize emotions. The nutritionist has found many studies that say saffron might be pretty useful in curing mild to moderate depression.
She has found a study conducted on rats showing that 50 mg/kg of crocin obtained from saffron has been proven to be effective in reducing the rate of anxiety among animals. The effects of saffron have been proven to be similar to the effects of antidepressant drugs such as fluoxetine and imipramine in many studies. 30mg of saffron per day has shown a similar impact to 100mg/day capsule of imipramine in treating mild to moderate depression in 30 adults in a 6-week randomized and double-blinded clinical study.
Another 6-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study says that 30mg/day capsules of saffron are efficient in curing of mild to moderate depression in 40 mature outpatients.
Ethanol extract of saffron leaves has antidepressant activities
The nutritionist says that the ethanol extract of saffron leaves has antidepressant activities. Another randomized study has found that 30mg/day of saffron leaf juice has a similar impact to 20 mg/day of fluoxetine in managing mild to moderate depression. She has said that saffron cannot be used as a substitute for antidepressant medication directly. A typical depression treatment involves therapy, improving the sleep cycle and gut health, and having sufficient support from family and friends.
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However, Saffron can be a substitute for antidepressant drugs while curing mild to moderate depression after further research. She has cautioned patients who are on depression medication not to pause their treatment rather they should make some lifestyle changes to stop their medication.