A Review on Saffron in the Treatment of Depression in Women

Abstract

Depression is a serious mental disability that is more prone to occur in women than men. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of saffron on depression in women with specific diseases such as postmenopause, perimenopause, overweight, and breast cancer. Especially whether it can be used as a safer treatment than the standard treatments, can reduce the symptoms of depression, and improve quality of life. The method of this study was conducting a strategic search in PubMed and Google Scholar to collect relevant articles published between 2004 and 2024. After the total screening process, 4 clinical trial articles related to women in depression with specific diseases were selected. The results showed that saffron significantly reduced symptoms of depression and improved quality of life among postmenopausal women, perimenopausal women, overweight women, and women with breast cancer. However, more studies including long-term investigations are needed to prove firmly the efficacy of saffron on depression in women.