Recent research is firmly establishing saffron as a leading safe and effective treatment for depression. But many of us feel depressed or have low mood without actually being clinically depressed. This large study shows saffron helps these people too.

Saffron is a leading treatment for depression that is strongly supported by the research. More than 20 controlled studies have been published on saffron and depression, and several meta-analyses have demonstrated that it is superior to placebo and at least as good as antidepressant drugs. What’s more is that saffron is extremely safe.

But many people who are feeling depressed do not meet the criteria for being diagnosed with depression. They may have subclinical depression. Subclinical depression may be diagnosed when a person has some depressive symptoms, including either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure.

Three facts stand out about subclinical depression:
1.  As many as 11% of people experience subclinical depression
2.  Mortality rates in subclinical depression are comparable to rates in people with major depressive disorder
3.  Meta-analysis shows that pharmaceutical antidepressants do not help people with subclinical depression

Previous research has shown that saffron can help people with subclinical depression (Front Nutr. 2021 Feb 1;7:606124).

This new study of saffron for subclinical depression included 202 people, making it the largest study ever done on the antidepressant effects of saffron. The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, and it lasted 12 weeks. Everyone in the study was experiencing subclinical depression, and they were given either a placebo or 14mg of saffron extract twice a day.

The people taking the saffron had greater improvement on the depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21 than the people taking a placebo. 72.3% of those taking saffron had a clinically significant improvement of 7 points or more versus 54.3% of those taking a placebo. In people who had more severe sleep problems, saffron also led to greater improvement in sleep disturbances. Importantly, there were no serious adverse events in the saffron group.

This large, well designed study adds, generally, to the evidence for saffron as a safe, natural treatment for depression and, specifically and importantly, to the evidence that saffron can also help the many people who are going through subclinical depression.

The Journal of Nutrition. July 2025;155(7):2300-11.