Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 18, 2015, at 17:40:26
There aren't many herbal treatments for depression which have received as much study as St. John's Wort. One which has attracted more scientific attention than most is saffron (Crocus sativus), but I don't hear it discussed much so I decided to bring it up on the board. The usual dose appears to be 15mg of extract twice a day. Saffron extracts have been effective in human clinical studies, and are active in animal models of depression too. Depressive symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome were also reduced in one study. Saffron has additionally shown preliminary efficacy in animals models of OCD.
Saffron capsules for the treatment of depression:
Journal of Human Psychopharmacology - Saffron (Crocus sativus) for depression: a systematic review of clinical studies and examination of underlying antidepressant mechanisms of action.
'In the systematic review, six studies were identified. In the placebo-comparison trials, saffron had large treatment effects and, when compared with antidepressant medications, had similar antidepressant efficacy. Saffron's antidepressant effects potentially are due to its serotonergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuro-endocrine and neuroprotective effects.' (The antidepressants saffron has been compared to are Prozac and imipramine).
Crocin, one of the constituents of saffron, has been tried (with apparent success) as an add-on to SSRIs in the treatment of depression.
Patients were given standard doses of Celexa, Zoloft or Prozac plus either placebo or crocin extract.
'The crocin group showed significantly improved scores on the BDI (Beck Depression Inventory), BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory) and the GHQ (General Health Questionnaire) compared to the placebo group (P value < 0.0001). The average decreases in the BDI, BAI and GHQ scores in the placebo group were 6.15, 2.6 and 10.3 respectively, whereas the values in the crocin group were 17.6, 12.7 and 17.2 at the end of the 4 week trial.'
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Saffron in combination with SSRIs to relieve sexual dysfunction:
In men...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22552758
...it appears to improve erectile function in those experiencing sexual dysfunction on Prozac.... 'By week 4, saffron resulted in significantly greater improvement in erectile function, intercourse satisfaction and total scores than the placebo group'. It did not increase libido or facilitate orgasm.
In women experiencing sexual problems on Prozac...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23280545
'At the end of the fourth week, patients in the saffron group had experienced significantly more improvement in total FSFI (p < 0.001), arousal (p = 0.028), lubrication (p = 0.035), and pain (p = 0.016) domains of FSFI but not in desire, satisfaction or orgasm domains.
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For those interested in the recent study of ketamine in the treatment of depression, saffron extracts may be of interest.
In one study, 'Saffron extracts and crocetin had a clear binding capacity at the PCP binding side of the NMDA receptor and at the sigma(1) receptor'.
In addition, crocin, one of the active constituents of saffron, counteracts ketamine-induced behavioural deficits in rats.
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:1075246
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150102/msgs/1075246.html