The effect of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) herbal tea on happiness in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.

The short version

This randomized controlled trial of 72 postmenopausal women in Iran asked a simple question: does drinking saffron tea every day make women feel happier? Menopause marks the end of menstruation and fertility, and falling estrogen levels combined with changes in family roles and aging are linked in the paper to low mood, anxiety and depression. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), a spice from the dried stigmas of a purple crocus flower, contains crocin and safranal, compounds that laboratory work suggests affect the brain chemicals dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which govern mood and motivation. The 72 women, averaging about 54 years old, were recruited through community health centers in Larestan, Iran, in 2021 and randomly placed into two groups of 36. One group drank a cup of saffron tea each morning for six weeks, made by steeping 30 mg of dried stigmas in 300 ml of hot water and served with white rock candy. The comparison group drank lukewarm water with rock candy. Happiness was measured with the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, a 29-item survey scored from 29 to 116, at the start and after two, four and six weeks. Both groups began at almost the same level (about 43 points). The saffron group climbed steadily to 51.4 after two weeks, 55.5 after four weeks and 61.6 after six weeks (a rise of roughly 19 points, p < 0.001, meaning the change is very unlikely to be chance). The water group did not move, ending at 42.8 (p = 0.861, no real change). The gap between groups at week six was statistically significant (p < 0.001), and it held after the researchers adjusted for demographic variables. The paper does not report any side effects data, only that the dose was small. The authors suggest saffron tea may be useful as a complementary approach alongside conventional care. The study has clear limits: participants knew which drink they received, happiness was self-reported, only 72 women from one region took part, the trial lasted six weeks, and it overlapped with a COVID-19 wave in Iran. Depression was not measured directly, and how saffron might produce the effect was not tested. The authors recommend larger trials in other populations and research into the mechanism.

Key findings

• In this trial, 36 postmenopausal women who drank one cup of saffron tea daily for six weeks raised their average happiness score from 42.93 to 61.58 on a 29-to-116 scale (the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire).
• The 36 women who drank lukewarm water with rock candy showed no change, going from 43.11 to 42.75 (p = 0.861), so the difference between groups at week six was statistically significant (p < 0.001, meaning it is very unlikely to be chance).
• The saffron dose was small: 30 mg of dried stigmas (the thread-like female parts of the crocus flower) steeped in 300 ml of water once each morning.
• Participants could not be blinded and happiness was self-reported, so expectation may have contributed to the result.
• The paper reports no adverse-event data and did not measure depression itself, so effects on depression and on safety remain untested here.

Common questions