MAGELLAN LONGEVITY
Home › Research › Study library › affron a novel saffron extract improves mood in healthy adults over…
Study summary · Sleep, circadian rhythm & stress

Can a saffron extract (affron) improve mood, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported low mood?

In one paragraph

Saffron Extract, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 128 healthy adults (Complement Ther Med 2017, PMID 28735826) — the 28mg/day dose of affron significantly decreased negative mood and symptoms related to stress and anxiety, showing a significant difference compared to placebo on the POMS Total Mood Disturbance scale. The 22mg/day dose did not show a treatment effect.

Source: Complement Ther Med 2017, PMID 28735826 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: high

Complement Ther Med · 2017 · PMID 28735826 · DOI 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.06.001

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

A daily dose of 28mg of affron, a saffron extract, improved mood and reduced stress and anxiety in healthy adults with low mood.

The question

Can a saffron extract (affron) improve mood, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported low mood?

What they tested

Saffron extract (affron) will improve mood, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality in healthy adults.

How they did it

This was a 4-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 128 healthy adults who self-reported low mood. Participants were assigned to receive either 28mg/day of affron, 22mg/day of affron, or a placebo. Mood was assessed using POMS and PANAS questionnaires, DASS-21 scale, and sleep quality was monitored using the PSQI.

What they found

The 28mg/day dose of affron significantly decreased negative mood and symptoms related to stress and anxiety, showing a significant difference compared to placebo on the POMS Total Mood Disturbance scale. The 22mg/day dose did not show a treatment effect.

What it means

A 28mg/day dose of affron can increase mood and reduce anxiety and stress in healthy adults with self-reported low mood, without reported side effects.

Limitations

The main limitations of this study were the self-reporting nature of both the screening process for participants and the outcome measures.

“saffron increased mood, reduced anxiety and managed stress without side effects”— from the published abstract, Complement Ther Med 2017

The paper at a glance

Titleaffron a novel saffron extract improves mood in healthy adults over 4 weeks
JournalComplement Ther Med
Year2017
PMID28735826 ↗
DOI10.1016/j.ctim.2017.06.001 ↗
TopicSleep, circadian rhythm & stress

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Where Magellan uses this paper

This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.

Saffron Extract

Multiple randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses report that saffron (commonly about 20-30 mg/day for mood and 14-100 mg/day in sleep studies, over 4-8 weeks) reduces symptoms of mild-to-moderate depression versus placebo and performs comparably to SSRI antidepressants in head-to-head trials with fewer adverse…

Saffron Extract

Saffron is the dried red stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower, long used as a culinary spice and in…

Check price on Amazon ↗

Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.

Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

Sleep

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Can a saffron extract (affron) improve mood, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported low mood? [Plain-English summary of Complement Ther Med 2017, PMID 28735826, DOI 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.06.001]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d28735826.html
BibTeX
@misc{magellan_d28735826, title = {Can a saffron extract (affron) improve mood, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported low mood?}, author = {{Magellan Longevity}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d28735826.html}}, note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 28735826; DOI 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.06.001; Complement Ther Med 2017. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO}, urldate = {2026-08-11} }
Permalink
https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d28735826.html

Related studies in the Magellan library

All 23 Magellan summaries on sleep, circadian rhythm & stress →

How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 28735826 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

Prefer the interactive version? Open this summary in the Magellan app → · Browse all 314 study summaries →

Educational information, not medical advice. This is a plain-English summary of published research; it is not a treatment recommendation and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual studies can be wrong, and a single paper rarely settles a question. Talk to your physician before acting on any research, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.