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Summary

  • What are the health benefits of saffron supplements?

    Small studies with saffron extracts have shown very modest and limited benefits for sleep, anxiety, and depression, and for visual acuity in people with macular degeneration. There is very preliminary evidence of a benefit in Alzheimer's disease. Saffron extract may also reduce snacking, but not body weight. More research is needed to confirm these potential benefits (see What It Does).
  • What did ConsumerLab's tests of saffron extracts show?

    Our tests revealed large differences in the amounts of key saffron compounds (safranal, picrocrocin, and crocins), ranging more than 50-fold on some measures. One product contained so little picrocrocin as to suggest adulteration. Only 4 of 6 products could be fully Approved for their quality. The cost to get an equivalent amount of safranal (free + bound) ranged from just 9 cents to as much as $2 (see What CL Found).

    Among the Approved supplements, CL selected two as its Top Picks for saffron — one providing a high dose and the other a moderate dose.
  • What to look for in saffron supplements?

    It can be tricky choosing a saffron supplement. A major reason is that they're made of saffron extracts and vary widely in strength (dose) and how they are standardized (see What It Is). For example, some products are standardized to "safranals" or "lepticrosalides" but these terms are not well defined and may not be accurate. Nevertheless, supplements that provide about 14 mg of extract standardized to 2% safranals (free + bound) or 3.5% lepticrosalides, or about 88 mg of extract standardized to 0.3% to 0.4% safranals are most consistent with products used in clinical trials — assuming they contain what they claim, which is not always the case. These doses are typically taken twice daily (see ConsumerTips).
  • Saffron supplement safety and side effects:

    At standard dosing, significant side effects have not been reported with saffron supplements, but studies have been short-term and safety in children and pregnant or nursing women has not been evaluated. There is a bleeding risk with very high-dose saffron (see Concerns and Cautions).

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Saffron supplement brands compared in this review

View Larger Image 8124_large_CaliforniaGoldNutrition-Saffron-2023.png

California Gold Nutrition Saffron Extract

View Larger Image 8125_large_DoubleWood-Saffron-2023.png

Double Wood Saffron Extract

View Larger Image 8126_large_LakeAvenueNutrition-Saffron-2023.png

Lake Avenue Nutrition Saffron Extract

View Larger Image 8127_large_LifeExtension-Saffron-2023.png

Life Extension Optimized Saffron

View Larger Image 8128_large_SourceNaturals-Saffron-2023.png

Source Naturals Serene Science Saffron Extract

View Larger Image 8129_large_Swanson-Saffron-2023.png

Swanson Saffron Extract

You must be a member to get the full test results along with ConsumerLab.com recommendations and quality ratings. You will get results for six saffron supplements selected for testing by ConsumerLab.com. In this comprehensive review, you'll discover:
  • What saffron is and saffron supplements provide any health benefits
  • Which saffron supplements passed or failed ConsumerLab's tests of quality
  • ConsumerLab's Top Picks for moderate and high-dose saffron supplements based on quality and value
  • The clinical evidence for and against saffron supplements for depression and anxiety, insomnia, stress, and anxiety, improving memory and cognition, losing weight, and other proposed uses
  • What to look for in saffron extracts, including key compounds such as safranal, picrocrocin, and crocins
  • The best way to take saffron supplements
  • Safety and potential side effects and drug interactions with saffron supplements

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Additional Information
Tested through CL's Quality Certification Program prior to, or after initial posting of this Product Review.