Has anyone ever tried saffron extract?

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jenniferanderson3888
jenniferanderson3888 Posts: 53 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I heard it is supposed to help with mood, sleep and appetite. It’s also supposed to help with cravings along with a healthy diet plan. Has it worked for anyone?

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  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Personally never heard of it, so looking to hear what others say.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
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    I have never heard of it but saffron is really expensive so I would be careful about buying anything that seems cheap because it could be fake.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    Yeah, I'm with Novus. Saffron is insanely expensive. No way I'd buy an extract of it. Supplements are not regulated. Buy some saffron in the spice aisle. It's tasty.

    From Examine.com, the place for unbiased supplement research:

    https://examine.com/supplements/saffron/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    True saffron is expensive AF...I've used it in some high end gourmet meals I've made.

    Also, most claims like this are just that...claims. Rarely have I found them to be true, or if true, very exaggerated benefits.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    True saffron is expensive AF...I've used it in some high end gourmet meals I've made.

    Also, most claims like this are just that...claims. Rarely have I found them to be true, or if true, very exaggerated benefits.

    This is so true. My favorite curry powder blend has saffron, and it's crazy expensive compared to the stuff that doesn't. Even if an extract of saffron worked (dubious, to say the least) I doubt anyone would be able to afford it.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    As far as cravings, what are you craving? Carby, sweet stuff? I find that when I am careful about what I eat in general I don't get cravings. Starting my day with a good amount of protein (30g+ in my morning meal) and staying lower carb in general (100g-150g for me, a smallish woman) then I don't get the cravings. Make sure you're eating enough fat and protein and that you don't have your calories set too low. With all the difficulties you keep posting about I have to conclude you have your calories set too low.

    Try setting your goal at, "Lose 1 pound per week," and see if that helps you with your eating. A couple hundred more calories per day makes a huge difference for me. I can't stick to 1300, but I can stick to 1500.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    Only in my yellow rice! Lol
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    If you have mood related health concerns, I would recommend checking with a mental health professional. For sleep related concerns, ask your doctor to refer you to a sleep specialist. I would not recommend relying on any supplement for medical concerns unless your doctor recommended it--get a professional opinion instead. Many "supplements" that claim to treat medical problems are a waste of money, and some can even be harmful.

    If you are frequently hungry while losing weight, I'd recommend increasing your protein, fiber, and/or fat intake while staying within your calorie goal. These nutrients help many people feel full, but which one(s) work for you is a personal preference that you will need to find out through trial and error.

    Depending on what you're craving and whether or not you feel that you can stop at a small portion of it, you could try having a little bit of a high quality version of it. If you like chocolate, you might have a small piece of nice chocolate; if it's chips, try a small portion of the good stuff rather than trying to substitute "diet" snacks that you don't enjoy. There are actually some pretty good lower calorie ice creams out there; Halo Top is popular, though I prefer Breyers Delights. Enlightened and the low calorie Archer Farms line at Target are also good, but have more calories per pint.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    jenniferanderson3888 wrote: »
    I heard it is supposed to help with mood, sleep and appetite. It’s also supposed to help with cravings along with a healthy diet plan. Has it worked for anyone?

    For me upping protein and exercise did wonders for reducing cravings.

    Here's the long version of that:

    When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

    1. Get sufficient sleep
    2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
    3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
    4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
    5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
    6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
    7. Stay hydrated
    8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
    9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    No it is a flavouring that is all really.

    It is taken from the stamens of the Crocus flower. Each stamen has to be picked off the flower by hand so incredibly labour intensive, which is why it is so expensive. The UK provides around 30% of the worlds saffron surprisingly.

    Pretty sure any extract of saffron will be equally pricey if not then probably fake. I mean how do you know if an "extract" is genuine anyway.



  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    I imagine it could start to turn your skin and sclera yellow if you eat enough... Oh, and it does actually have an LD50 though enough saffron to get a 150-lb person anywhere close to that is several thousand dollars.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5339650/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    manderson27 wrote: »
    No it is a flavouring that is all really.

    It is taken from the stamens of the Crocus flower. Each stamen has to be picked off the flower by hand so incredibly labour intensive, which is why it is so expensive. The UK provides around 30% of the worlds saffron surprisingly.

    Pretty sure any extract of saffron will be equally pricey if not then probably fake. I mean how do you know if an "extract" is genuine anyway.

    The UK has to provide way less than 30% because ever where I look I read that Iran produces around 90%. (During American sanction years "a lot of Iranian saffron ended up exported in bulk to be repackaged and sold as "produce of Spain".")

    I've been buying saffron from Rumi Spice since hearing one of the founders of that company on this podcast: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radio/beyoncé-saffron-and-the-new-women-farmers-of-afghanistan

    Yes, it is more expensive than the Badia I used to buy, but I love Rumi Spice's corporate philosophy.

    And they have a gift box that is a beautiful gift that will delight foodie recipients: https://www.rumispice.com/products/gift-saffron
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    edited April 2019
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    manderson27 wrote: »
    No it is a flavouring that is all really.

    It is taken from the stamens of the Crocus flower. Each stamen has to be picked off the flower by hand so incredibly labour intensive, which is why it is so expensive. The UK provides around 30% of the worlds saffron surprisingly.

    Pretty sure any extract of saffron will be equally pricey if not then probably fake. I mean how do you know if an "extract" is genuine anyway.

    The UK has to provide way less than 30% because ever where I look I read that Iran produces around 90%. (During American sanction years "a lot of Iranian saffron ended up exported in bulk to be repackaged and sold as "produce of Spain".")

    I've been buying saffron from Rumi Spice since hearing one of the founders of that company on this podcast: https://www.177milkstreet.com/radio/beyoncé-saffron-and-the-new-women-farmers-of-afghanistan

    Yes, it is more expensive than the Badia I used to buy, but I love Rumi Spice's corporate philosophy.

    And they have a gift box that is a beautiful gift that will delight foodie recipients: https://www.rumispice.com/products/gift-saffron


    Sorry I must have misheard what they said on the TV programme I watched the other day that included a feature on a UK Saffron farm. :/

    ETA: Looking into it a bit more they probably said "used to provide" Apparantly we were big in the Saffron world once upon a time. We are making a come back though yay.

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