Saffron Comparable to Medication for Postpartum Depression

by | Oct 31, 2017 | 2017, Botanicals, Pregnancy and Lactation, Women's Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Six weeks of treatment with 15mg of saffron was as effective as 20 mg of the drug fluoxetine in reducing the symptoms of postpartum depression in the sixty-four participating postpartum women.

women's health - pregnancyPostpartum depression, a common and serious mental health problem affecting 10–15% of postpartum women 1, can harm the mother/child relationship, and negatively impacts a child’s nutrition and physical and mental development 2(2). The cause of postpartum depression is not completely understood; however, significant evidence suggests that serotonin plays a central role. 3

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed pharmaceutical drugs as the first mode of treatment for depression. However, side effects of these drugs such as 4 arrhythmias, low blood pressure (called “orthostatic hypotension”), sexual dysfunction and a high rate of postpartum depression following discontinued medication 5, are justification for the use of natural alternatives to drugs.

Since crocus sativus (saffron) is a safe herb that has been shown to be beneficial in treating depression, researchers investigated the efficacy of Crocus sativus (stigma) with fluoxetine for the treatment of mild to moderate postpartum depression in a 6-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial.6 Sixty-four women, aged 21-37years and with mild to moderate postpartum depression, were given either one 15-milligram capsule of saffron (n=34 women) or 20 mg of the drug fluoxetine (n=34 women) twice daily for 6 weeks. Before and after the study, each woman completed the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.7

The researchers found saffron to be comparable to fluoxetine in decreasing depression scores, with no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The mean difference between saffron and fluoxetine scores (95%CI) at weeks 1, 3, and 6 were as follows:

  • 0.40 ( − 0.31 to − 1.31) P=0.27
  • 0.31 ( − 1.31 to 0.68) P=0.53
  • 0.22 ( − 1.13 to 0.69) P=0.63

While no significant differences between the two groups were noted, the patients in the fluoxetine group experienced more headache, dry mouth, daytime drowsiness, constipation and sweating than the saffron group. No major adverse event and no death occurred.

This preliminary study suggests that “saffron may be a safe alternative medication for improving depressive symptoms of postpartum depression; therefore, larger clinical trials with longer treatment periods and comparison with placebo group” are warranted.

Source: Kashani, Ladan, Sophia Eslatmanesh, Nafise Saedi, Nasrin Niroomand, Mahbod Ebrahimi, Masoumeh Hosseinian, Tahereh Foroughifar, Samrand Salimi, and Shahin Akhondzadeh. “Comparison of Saffron versus Fluoxetine in Treatment of Mild to Moderate Postpartum Depression: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.” Pharmacopsychiatry 50, no. 02 (2017): 64-68.

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Posted October 31, 2017.

Reference:

  1. Couto T, Brancaglion M, Alvim-Soares A, et al. Postpartum depression: A systematic review of the genetics involved. World journal of psychiatry. 2015;5(1):103-111.
  2. McLearn KT, Minkovitz CS, Strobino DM, Marks E, Hou W. Maternal depressive symptoms at 2 to 4 months post partum and early parenting practices. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine. 2006;160(3):279-284.
  3. Doornbos B, Fekkes D, Tanke MA, de Jonge P, Korf J. Sequential serotonin and noradrenalin associated processes involved in postpartum blues. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2008;32(5):1320-1325.
  4. Yonkers KA. Special issues related to the treatment of depression in women. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2003;64:8-13.
  5. Moshiri E, Basti AA, Noorbala A-A, Jamshidi A-H, Abbasi SH, Akhondzadeh S. Crocus sativus L.(petal) in the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression: A double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine. 2006;13(9):607-611.
  6. Kashani L, Eslatmanesh S, Saedi N, et al. Comparison of Saffron versus Fluoxetine in Treatment of Mild to Moderate Postpartum Depression: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2017;50(02):64-68.
  7. Arabzadeh S, Ameli N, Zeinoddini A, et al. Celecoxib adjunctive therapy for acute bipolar mania: a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial. Bipolar disorders. 2015;17(6):606-614.