Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression: A pilot double-blind randomized trial [ISRCTN45683816]
Open accessAbstract
Background: The morbidity and mortality associated with depression are considerable and continue to increase. Depression currently ranks fourth among the major causes of disability worldwide, after lower respiratory infections, prenatal conditions, and HIV/AIDS. Crocus sativus L . is used to treat depression. Many medicinal plants textbooks refer to this indication whereas there is no evidence-based document. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of stigmas of Crocus sativus (saffron) with imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a 6-week pilot double-blind randomized trial. Methods: Thirty adult outpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 th edition for major depression based on the structured clinical interview for DSM IV participated in the trial. Patients have a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind, single-center trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive capsule of saffron 30 mg/day (TDS) (Group 1) and capsule of imipramine 100 mg/day (TDS) (Group 2) for a 6-week study. Results: Saffron at this dose was found to be effective similar to imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression (F = 2.91, d.f. = 1, P = 0.09). In the imipramine group anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth and also sedation were observed more often that was predictable. Conclusion: The main overall finding from this study is that saffron may be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. To the best of our knowledge this is the first clinical trial that supports this indication for saffron. A large-scale trial with placebo control is warranted.
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Saffron was more effective than placebo therapy and could be compared with conventional antidepressants like fluoxetine and imipramine.
“In addition, saffron was more effective than placebo therapy and could be compared with conventional antidepressants like fluoxetine and imipramine (Akhondzadeh et al. 2004(Akhondzadeh et al. , 2005;;Akhondzadeh Basti et al. 2007).”
From <i>Crocus sativus</i> L. Versus Methylphenidate in Treatment of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind Pilot Study (2019) · cites this paper as Akhondzadeh et al. 2004
The Discussion reports that saffron was similarly effective to imipramine in this small trial of mild to moderate depression, and the Results found no significant difference between the groups. The Discussion explicitly notes the lack of a placebo group; this paper also did not compare saffron with fluoxetine. It therefore supports the imipramine comparison, but not the placebo or fluoxetine parts of the sentence. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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References 15 · Cited by 307
Research works printed but not linked: 11
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- Authors
- Akhondzadeh, S., Fallah-Pour, H., Afkham, K., Jamshidi, A.-H., & Khalighi-Cigaroudi, F.
- Affiliations
- Roozbeh Hospital (IR)
- Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- Corresponding author
- Akhondzadeh, Shahin
- Venue
- BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Published
- 2004-09-02
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 12-12
- ISSN
- 1472-6882 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC517724
- OpenAlex
- W2144948677
- Cited by
- 307
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 2.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Saffron Plant Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Medicinal Plant Extracts Effects
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Keywords
- saffron, imipramine, depression, mild to moderate depression, antidepressant efficacy, medicinal plants, anticholinergic effects, sedation, xerostomia
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depression, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Imipramine, Male, Phytotherapy, Pilot Projects, Xerostomia, Treatment Outcome, Crocus, Plant Preparations
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