Saffron is a great anti-depressant, without side effects!

Saffron is a great anti-depressant, without side effects!

Saffron & depression

Saffron’s chemistry expresses otherworldly complexity. It contains over 150 volatile and aroma-yielding compounds – a biochemical symphony that ensures its mystery will never fully be unraveled, at least insofar as its great medicinal power remains refractory to the reductionist gaze of modern pharmacology.

Saffron was historically used for depression in Persian traditional medicine.This early use led to modern-day research into saffron’s impact on mood.

Saffron may be beneficial when long-term treatments are needed to alleviate depression because there are no known side effects associated with taking the herb medicinally. Researchers directly compared the efficacy of saffron stigma extract to that of the antidepressant Tofranil®(imipramine) against significant degrees of depression.

In a double-blinded, single-center trial, scientists randomly divided 30 depressed patients into two groups. They gave 30 mg capsules of saffron 3 times daily to one group. The other group received 100 mgs of Tofranil® 3 times daily. All subjects met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for major depression.

Just 6 weeks later, the saffron dose was declared to be equally as beneficial as Tofranil® in the treatment of mild to moderate depression, However, only the Tofranil® group suffered anticholinergic symptoms, such as dry mouth. (An anticholinergic agent blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the nervous system.) Also, the participants taking Tofranil® experienced significant unwanted sedation. The study author concluded that saffron has “therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.”
Next, scientists compared the potency of saffron extract to the antidepressant Prozac®(fluoxetine).

Forty adult outpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for depression were randomly assigned to recieve either twice-daily 30mg capsule of saffron stigma or twice-daily capsules of 20 mgs of Prozac®.

At the close of the 6-week, double-blind, randomized trial, saffron was found to be as effective as Prozac® in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. There were no significant differences in unwanted reactions.

These studies clearly establish that saffron is a potent alternative to commonly prescribed antidepressants for treating depression- without the adverse effects

There have been 119 published studies from twelve countries, as well as 99 drug regulatory agency warnings from ten countries plus the European Union, together indicating that antidepressants can cause the following adverse effects:

  1. Abnormal bleeding or bruising
  2. Abnormal thoughts
  3. Agitation
  4. Aggression
  5. Akathisia (severe restlessness)
  6. Anxiety
  7. Birth defects
  8. Black tongu
  9. Blurred vision or vision changes
  10. Coma
  11. Confusion
  12. Constipation
  13. Convulsions
  14. Crushing chest pain
  15. Death
  16. Decreased memory or concentration
  17. Delirium
  18. Delusional thinking
  19. Depression
  20. Diabetes
  21. Diarrhea
  22. Difficulty breathing or swallowing
  23. Dizziness or faintness
  24. Dry mouth
  25. Emotional numbing
  26. Extreme restlessness
  27. Fainting
  28. Hallucinations
  29. Headaches
  30. Heart rate decreases
  31. Heart attacks
  32. Homicidal ideation or action
  33. Hostility
  34. Hyperactivity
  35. Hypomania
  36. Impaired driving
  37. Insomnia
  38. Lethargy
  39. Liver problems
  40. Low white blood cell count
  41. Mania or manic reactions
  42. Memory lapses
  43. Mood swings
  44. Muscle spasms
  45. Nausea
  46. Nervousness
  47. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
  48. Night sweats
  49. Nightmares
  50. Numbness in extremities
  51. Panic attacks
  52. Paranoia
  53. Priapism
  54. Premature births
  55. Psychotic episodes
  56. Restlessness
  57. Risk of breast cancer
  58. Risk of falls
  59. Sedation
  60. Self-harm
  61. Seizures
  62. Serotonin syndrome
  63. Severe headache
  64. Severe muscle stiffness
  65. Sexual dysfunction
  66. Shakiness
  67. Shuffling walk
  68. Slow or difficult speech
  69. Spontaneous abortion
  70. Stroke
  71. Suicidal thoughts or behavior
  72. Tremors
  73. Violent behavior
  74. Weight gain
  75. Withdrawal symptoms
  76. Yellowing of skin or eyes

So why not try traditional remedies first?

 

Medical disclaimer : This information, downloaded from various websites, are intended solely for general purpose. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

 

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