Saffron's active compounds crocin and safranal work like antidepressants by raising dopamine and serotonin in the brain. It also cuts inflammation, lowers cortisol, and boosts BDNF, a protein that supports nerve health. These mechanisms explain why clinical trials show saffron helps with depression.
components of saffron, including crocin, which is responsible for saffron's color, and safranal, which imparts saffron's aroma, inhibit the reuptake of dopamine and serotonin to boost levels of these critical mood-regulating neurotransmitters in the brain. This is similar to the mechanisms of action of commonly prescribed medications in psychiatry. In saffron, also has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which you can think of as helping to soothe and calm the brain from a metabolic perspective. Saffron can also lower the stress hormone cortisol and increase levels of the brain healing factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. And of note, at a population level, depression and other mental health disorders are associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, higher levels of stress hormones, and lower BDNF. Thus, these mechanisms by which saffron impacts metabolism provide a clear biological rationale to support the clinical effects in the randomized controlled trials we just reviewed.
