Saffron vs St. John's Wort for mood
Short answer: For mood, more users report improvement with Saffron — 92% of 165 reports, versus 87% of 127 for St. John's Wort.
Saffron has 88 meta-analyses and 119 randomized trials on PubMed; St. John's Wort has 98 and 111.
Based on 421 reports about Saffron and 314 about St. John's Wort. Not medical advice.
| Saffron Supplement | St. John's Wort Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 62%helped223 reports · high confidence | 50%helped151 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 88 / 119 | 98 / 111 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 92% (165) | 87% (127) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 81% (84) | 82% (44) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 79% (38) | 71% (7) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 81% (21) | 60% (10) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 72% (18) | 89% (9) |
| Common side effects | headache, appetite suppression, insomnia, vivid dreams | photosensitivity, serotonin syndrome, eye problems, dissociation |
| Typical dose reported | 30 mg | 100 mg |
Saffron demonstrates promise in improving ADHD symptoms, with an acceptable safety profile. Future well-designed multicentral studies are suggested.
J Atten Disord, 2024 ↗“I just sneak some into whatever soup we are having. I honestly think it has made a huge difference.”
Our research supports the use of SJW as it reduced the number of depressive patients and their HAMD scores while having fewer risks and side effects than conventional medications.
Adv Clin Exp Med, 2023 ↗“St. John's Wort, Passion Flower, Hops, and Skullcap. My sleep improved with those.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate