The Potential of Saffron as an Add-on in Treating Mild to Moderate Depression in Adults: A Literature Review

Abstract

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders affecting five percent of the world’s adults. Depression can cause suicide which is one of the top four causes of death for people aged 15-29 (World Health Organization, 2023). Due to its prevalence in the global population, the treatment of depression has received much attention. Despite advancements in treatment, current approaches often yield suboptimal results, with many medications associated with significant side effects. This has led to a global trend toward exploring natural therapies with stronger efficiency and fewer adverse effects. Saffron is a medicinal herbal and its extracts have emerged as a promising candidate due to its demonstrated antidepressant properties, especially in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. However, the application of saffron as a therapeutic option is complicated by its high cost, which led to issues with product authenticity (Raina et al., 2023), and concerns regarding long-term safety and tolerability. This literature review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of saffron’s potential as a treatment for depression by critically examining the advantages and limitations of using saffron in this context, including its efficacy, safety profile, and economic viability. It will also summarize the interesting findings from former clinical trials. In short, the review seeks to assess the feasibility of incorporating saffron as an adjunctive therapy for mild to moderate depression in adults, highlighting both its potential benefits and the challenges that need to be addressed for broader clinical use.