Supplements and mood
Saffron for Low Mood: What the New Trials Show, and the Tests to Do First
Reviewed by a qualified clinician · analysed at UKAS-accredited UK labs (ISO 15189)
Last reviewed July 20267 min read
Every Helvy guide is written by our health editors, then checked by a qualified clinician before it goes live and re-checked as the science moves. We name clinical roles, not individuals, until each reviewer has agreed to be credited publicly. This is wellness guidance to help you understand your own data, not a diagnosis.
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Two 2026 trials suggest saffron extract may modestly lift low mood over 12 weeks. But low mood also has physical causes, an underactive thyroid, low B12, low vitamin D or high cortisol. A blood test can rule those in or out first, so you fix the real driver rather than mask it.
Flat for weeks? Build your test →As of July 2026. Saffron is having a moment. A Nutraingredients feature on 23 June 2026 rounded up fresh research on the spice for mood and sleep, and two new randomised trials have put real numbers behind it. Before you buy, it is worth knowing what those trials actually found, and what they cannot tell you about your own low mood.
Here is the honest version. The saffron signal is real but modest. And low mood has testable physical drivers that no supplement will fix. So the smart order is: check your bloods, treat what you find, then decide whether saffron earns a place.
1. What do the new saffron trials show?
Saffron is the deep-red spice from the crocus flower. Small trials have studied its extract for low mood for years. Two recent ones stand out because they were randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled, the fairest test design we have.
The first, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in June 2026, gave 86 women aged 50 to 70 with low mood and poor sleep either 28 mg a day of a standardised saffron extract or a dummy pill for 12 weeks. In the saffron group, 48.8% saw a clinically meaningful drop in depression scores, against 25.6% on placebo.
The second, in The Journal of Nutrition in 2025, was larger: 202 adults with low mood, same 28 mg dose, same 12 weeks. Here 72.3% of the saffron group hit a clinically significant improvement, versus 54.3% on placebo.
Read those together and a pattern shows. Saffron beat placebo in both, but the placebo groups also improved a lot. The gain is real, and it is modest. Both trials were also funded by a saffron ingredient maker, and neither claims saffron treats depression. Think of it as a possible nudge, not a cure.
2. Why check your bloods first?
Low mood is not always in your head. Several common, treatable body problems can flatten your mood, drain your energy and blunt your motivation, and they feel identical to a low patch. You cannot tell them apart by how you feel.
Take the thyroid, the gland in your neck that sets your metabolism. When it runs slow, low mood is a classic sign. The NHS lists it directly among the symptoms of an underactive thyroid:
“Common symptoms include… feeling extremely tired (fatigue)… low mood or depression.”
— NHS, Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
The same overlap holds for low vitamin B12, low vitamin D and long-term high cortisol, your main stress hormone. Each can leave you flat, foggy and tired. Low iron does too, which a full blood count helps flag.
If one of these is driving your mood, saffron will not fix it, and you may spend months on a supplement while the real cause sits unchecked. That is the whole case for testing first. Our low mood blood test guide covers the physical contributors in more depth.
3. Which five markers matter most?
If low mood has hung around, these five markers rule the common physical causes in or out. All five sit in one home test, explained below.
- TSH.The brain’s message to your thyroid. A high reading suggests a slow thyroid, a known cause of low mood.
- Free T4. The main thyroid hormone your body uses. It confirms whether the gland itself is underactive.
- Vitamin B12. Needed for nerves and mood. A shortfall can cause low mood, tiredness and poor concentration.
- Vitamin D. Low levels are common in the UK, and are linked with low mood, especially over winter.
- Cortisol. Your stress hormone. When it stays high or runs flat, mood and energy often suffer.
Helvy’s General Energy & Wellness panel (£149, 17 markers) measures all five, cortisol, thyroid (TSH and Free T4), vitamin D and B12, in one home finger-prick test. Results come back in about five working days from UKAS-accredited UK laboratories, each explained.
A blood test measures these markers and offers wellness insight. It does not diagnose depression. If your mood is severe or persistent, or you have thoughts of harming yourself, speak to a GP, that comes first, before any test or supplement.
4. How do you know if saffron works?
Say your bloods come back clear, and you decide to try saffron anyway. The trials ran for 12 weeks, so give it a fair run over that window, at the studied dose, and track how you feel week by week.
The catch is the placebo effect. In both trials, more than half the dummy group improved too. Expecting to feel better often makes you feel a little better. So a change on saffron does not prove the saffron did it.
That is where a baseline helps. Test your markers before you start, so you know nothing physical is being missed. Retest after a course if your mood or energy has not lifted, to catch anything that has shifted. It turns “I think it is helping” into something you can actually read.
READY TO TEST?
Rule out the physical causes first
Helvy’s home blood tests report thyroid, B12, vitamin D and cortisol with clear context, so you can tell a fixable physical cause from a low patch. Results in about 5 working days from UKAS-accredited UK laboratories.
Frequently asked questions
Does saffron actually help low mood?
Two 2026 randomised trials found saffron extract beat placebo for low mood over 12 weeks, at 28 mg a day. The effect was real but modest, and the placebo groups improved too. Both trials were industry-funded, and neither claims saffron treats depression. Treat it as a possible nudge, not a cure.
What blood tests should I do for low mood?
The common testable causes are an underactive thyroid (TSH and Free T4), low vitamin B12, low vitamin D and long-term high cortisol. Low iron matters too, which a full blood count helps flag. Helvy’s General Energy & Wellness panel covers the first four in one home test.
How long does saffron take to work?
The trials measured mood over 12 weeks, so give it a full course at the studied dose before judging it. Track how you feel each week. A baseline blood test before you start, and a retest if nothing lifts, helps you separate a real effect from the placebo response.
Is saffron safe to take?
In the trials, the studied dose was generally well tolerated over 12 weeks. Higher amounts of saffron can cause side effects, and safety in pregnancy is not established. If you take other medicines, especially antidepressants, check with a pharmacist or GP first. This is general information, not medical advice.