Full profile
| Also known as | Crocus sativus, affron, Safr'Inside |
|---|---|
| Best for | Stress resilience on high-pressure days · Mood and emotional balance · Restful sleep and indirect next-day clarity |
| Evidence grade | Grade C — Limited — early or small human trials |
| Studied dose range | 28 mg/day of a standardized extract (28 mg once or 14 mg twice daily), e.g. affron at ≥3.5% Lepticrosalides. |
| Time to effect | Cumulative — mood/stress effects emerge around 2 weeks and are clearer by 4–6 weeks. |
| Best form | Branded standardized extracts such as affron (Pharmactive) or Safr'Inside (Activ'Inside). |
| Food sources | Culinary saffron (far below the 28 mg standardized dose) |
Evidence, honestly graded
Double-blind RCTs support mood, stress, and sleep at 28 mg/day affron (Lopresti 2021), and meta-analyses pooling the mood trials report consistent improvements in low-mood and stress scores versus placebo with good tolerability, but direct healthy-adult cognition data are thin and mostly extrapolated from clinical populations. Mood evidence is roughly B; the cognition grade is honestly C.
See the full grading rubric — study type, replication, population match, and dose adequacy — in The Evidence Standard.
232 licensed natural health products in Health Canada's LNHPD list Saffron as a medicinal ingredient.
That makes Saffron a recognized, licensable medicinal ingredient in Canada — regulated by Health Canada's Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate, which issues each licensed natural health product a Natural Product Number (NPN). Search the LNHPD to verify.
Side effects
- Generally well tolerated at 28 mg
- Occasional mild GI upset, headache, or drowsiness
Who should avoid it or check first
- Pregnant or breastfeeding (uterine stimulant at high dose)
- Bipolar disorder without review
Interactions
- May add to the effects of serotonergic antidepressants (SSRIs/SNRIs/MAOIs) — use caution and discuss with a clinician
Stacks well with
Use caution stacking with
- High-dose pairing with prescription serotonergic drugs without clinician guidance
What to look for on a label
- Frame as mood and stress resilience, not focus or memory — that matches the licensed claim space in Canada.
- Specify the branded form and marker (e.g. "affron, standardized ≥3.5% Lepticrosalides, 28 mg").
References
- Lopresti 2021, Sleep Medicine — affron RCT. Evening affron (28 mg) improved sleep quality and morning cortisol/melatonin in adults with poor sleep. PMID 34438361; doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.08.001. Educational, not a product claim.
- Hausenblas 2013, J Integrative Medicine — meta-analysis. Saffron improved depression scores vs placebo across RCTs in clinical populations. PMID 24299602; doi:10.3736/jintegrmed2013056. Educational, not a product claim.
Grades and studied doses are our conservative reading of the human research, shown for education. They are not product claims, and a studied dose is not a recommended dose.
Revision history
Every change to this ingredient's evidence status, dated and explained. The full cross-library log lives at Evidence Updates.
- 2026-07-05New profile
Initial profile published at Grade C: RCTs support mood, stress, and sleep at 28 mg/day affron, but direct healthy-adult cognition data are thin and mostly extrapolated from clinical populations.
See how Saffron compares on grade, dose, and goal in the Evidence Explorer.
