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saffron extracts, toxin or tonic?

brain health

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#1 Ark

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 06:47 AM


I'm a bit puzzled as to why some are doing low dose Saffron extract for brain health, can anyone who is taking saffron extract explain why?

#2 PWAIN

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 10:04 AM

Take too much and you will get a high sensation. Even higher amounts become toxic.

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#3 blood

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 10:23 AM

Probably because of a few studies which found saffron extract to be of some help for people with pms, depression, even Alzheimer's.

E.g., see 1) Saffron vs Prozac for depression, 2) Saffron for treatment of Alzheimer's.
  
Saffron is a source of various interesting, possibly neuroprotective compounds including crocetin/crocin, a somewhat obscure carotenoid which in Japanese research was found to improve sleep quality: see here.
 

... researchers at Kansai University and at Riken published the results of a human study in which they had given 17 young men with mild sleeping problems a capsule containing 7.5 mg crocetin every day for two weeks. The men took a placebo for a similar period too.
 
When the researchers monitored the men’s sleeping behaviour in a clinic they observed that crocetin reduced the number of times that the men woke.
 
Their findings are not a complete surprise. Animal studies have shown that crocetin – or rather the sugared version, crocin, the structural formula of which is shown here above – reduces anxiety. Anxiety reducing substances usually improve sleep quality. What’s more, traditional healers have been using Gardenia jasminoides extracts [rich source of crocetin] for centuries as a sedative.


I went through a few bottles of LEF's saffron extract - was looking/ hoping for a positive impact on mood (didn't notice any effects, positive or negative).

Saffron in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a 16-week, randomized and placebo-controlled trial.

Abstract

WHAT IS KNOWN:
Herbal medicines have been used in the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia but with variable response. Crocus sativus (saffron) may inhibit the aggregation and deposition of amyloid β in the human brain and may therefore be useful in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this study was to assess the efficacy of saffron in the treatment of mild to moderate AD.

METHODS:
Forty-six patients with probable AD were screened for a 16-week, double-blind study of parallel groups of patients with mild to moderate AD. The psychometric measures, which included AD assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), and clinical dementia rating scale-sums of boxes, were performed to monitor the global cognitive and clinical profiles of the patients. Patients were randomly assigned to receive capsule saffron 30 mg/day (15 mg twice per day) (Group A) or capsule placebo (two capsules per day) for a 16-week study.

RESULTS:
After 16 weeks, saffron produced a significantly better outcome on cognitive function than placebo (ADAS-cog: F=4·12, d.f.=1, P=0·04; CDR: F=4·12, d.f.=1, P=0·04). There were no significant differences in the two groups in terms of observed adverse events.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION:
This double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggests that at least in the short-term, saffron is both safe and effective in mild to moderate AD. Larger confirmatory randomized controlled trials are called for.

Copyright © 2010 The Authors. JCPT © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.


Edited by blood, 18 December 2014 - 10:58 AM.

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#4 Ark

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 06:39 PM

Anyone running it year round?

#5 Flex

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 07:04 PM

I got my from the Supermarket.

Its 10 Euro/1 gram and this is for one dose more than sufficient, especially for the first time^^

I sat in the living room, TV was off stared just into the room/air and I felt inner happyness without any reason for ~20 min IIRC


Edited by Flex, 18 December 2014 - 07:04 PM.


#6 airplanepeanuts

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 09:44 PM

It's an appetite suppressant, which is not necessary a good thing.

 

The mood brightening effect is very subtle.



#7 PWAIN

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Posted 18 December 2014 - 09:58 PM

The mood brightening effect is very subtle.

Depends how much you take, take 2 to 3 grams and come back and tell me that again....


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#8 Ark

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Posted 19 December 2014 - 04:22 PM

Saffron boosts BDNF then?
http://www.ncbi.nlm....ubmed/24696423/

#9 normalizing

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Posted 19 December 2014 - 04:55 PM

mostly aphrodisiac to me. used to jerk off for 2-3 hours on it, but not the last few times i remember. i guess im getting old :(



#10 Flex

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Posted 19 December 2014 - 05:10 PM

Hmm didnt noticed aphrodisiac effects for me, but a kind of tolerance/ less pronounced effects

I only know that saffron acts as a nmda inhibitor

 

Saffron extract and trans-crocetin inhibit glutamatergic synaptic transmission in rat cortical brain slices.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21352900



#11 Ark

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Posted 19 December 2014 - 06:05 PM

Transcrocetinate sodiumEdit

The sodium salt of crocetin, transcrocetinate sodium (INN, also known as trans sodium crocetinate or TSC) is an experimental drug that increases the movement of oxygen from red blood cells into hypoxic (oxygen-starved) tissues.[8] Transcrocetinate sodium belongs to a group of substances known as bipolar trans carotenoid salts, which constitute a subclass of oxygen diffusion-enhancing compounds.[9] Transcrocetinate sodium was one of the first such compounds discovered.[8][10]


Transcrocetinate sodium
Transcrocetinate sodium can be prepared by reacting saffron with sodium hydroxide and extracting the salt of the trans crocetin isomer from the solution.[10] John L. Gainer and colleagues have investigated the effects of transcrocetinate sodium in animal models.[10][11] They discovered that the drug could reverse the potentially fatal decrease in blood pressure produced by the loss of large volumes of blood in severe hemorrhage, and thereby improve survival.[11]

Early investigations of transcrocetinate sodium suggested that it had potential applications in battlefield medicine, specifically in treatment of the many combat casualties with hemorrhagic shock.[8][11] Additional studies, carried out in animal models and in clinical trials in humans, indicated that transcrocetinate sodium might prove beneficial in the treatment of a variety of conditions associated with hypoxia and ischemia (a lack of oxygen reaching the tissues, usually due to a disruption in the circulatory system), including cancer, myocardial infarction (heart attack), and stroke.[8][9][12][13][14]

Transcrocetinate sodium has shown promise of effectiveness in restoring tissue oxygen levels and improving the ability to walk in a clinical trial of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD)[13] in which reduced delivery of oxygen-rich blood to tissues can cause severe leg pain and impair mobility. The drug has also been under investigation in a clinical trial sponsored by drug developer Diffusion Pharmaceuticals for potential use as a radiosensitizer, increasing the susceptibility of hypoxic cancer cells to radiation therapy, in patients with a form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma.[14]
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#12 Fenix_

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Posted 20 December 2014 - 06:32 AM

Is saffron extract sold in grocery stores adequate? I intend to try some tomorrow. The idea of getting a psychoactive effect from the grocery spice rack is too funny not to try :-D


Edited by Fenix_, 20 December 2014 - 06:32 AM.

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#13 PWAIN

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Posted 20 December 2014 - 07:12 AM

Grocery store saffron should be fine. Probably need to take between 1 and 2 grams. Make sure you don't have anything important on for a few hours after.

#14 normalizing

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Posted 20 December 2014 - 10:25 AM

yeh funny its so easy to get a hold of this spice in a store, but wait till you see the prices! you might have more chance just buying weed



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#15 Ark

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Posted 20 December 2014 - 06:34 PM

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a extract preferably pills form?





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