Saffron Extract and medications.
Saffron Extract is in the Distil supplement database, evidence Grade B. The page below lists every medication we have explicitly assessed it against.
Saffron extract is a concentrated preparation from the Crocus sativus flower, most often standardised as Affron or Satiereal. The active compounds appear to influence serotonin signalling, which is the likely mechanism behind its effect on mood. The Grade B evidence supports a mild antidepressant action, with some trials placing it close to low-dose antidepressant medication, plus modest appetite reduction and anxiety relief. The honest limit is that only the standardised extracts have been trialled. Generic saffron powder does not carry the same evidence, and the studies are relatively small. The interaction that matters most is with SSRIs: saffron adds to serotonergic activity, so combining the two needs GP review rather than a casual pairing. It also has mild blood-thinning activity, so caution applies with anticoagulants. Typical doses run from 28 to 88mg. If you are on a serotonergic medication, treat saffron as a clinical decision, not a self-managed add-on.
Below are the 32 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed for Saffron Extract: 7 red and 25 amber. The pairs cluster around 2 mechanisms: Additive serotonergic activity and Additive glucose lowering. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not listed here is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by medication, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued medication into our next curation pass.
Documented interactions
Additive serotonergic activity
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and isocarboxazid is an MAOI that blocks serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and linezolid is an antibiotic that also acts as an MAOI, blocking serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and moclobemide is an MAOI (the reversible kind) that blocks serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and phenelzine is an MAOI that blocks serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Rasagiline is an MAO-B inhibitor used for Parkinson's, and saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin. Combined, serotonin can rise too high because there is less of the enzyme available to break it down, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Selegiline is an MAO-B inhibitor used for Parkinson's, and saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin. Combined, serotonin can rise too high because there is less of the enzyme available to break it down, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and tranylcypromine is an MAOI that blocks serotonin breakdown. Stacking the two could push serotonin too high, risking serotonin syndrome. We treat this as a do-not-combine pair without specialist sign-off.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and amitriptyline raises serotonin too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect, possibly through serotonin-related pathways, and buspirone acts on serotonin receptors. Combining them may add to the serotonergic effect. Most people tolerate saffron well, but it is worth discussing with your GP before stacking, particularly if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron extract has its own antidepressant effect, possibly via serotonin-receptor modulation. Combined with citalopram, the serotonergic effect may stack. Watch for restlessness, sweating, or muscle twitching, and tell your GP if you start saffron while on citalopram.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and clomipramine is the most strongly serotonin-acting of the tricyclics. Taking them together is more likely to add up than with other TCAs. Discuss it with your GP before stacking, and watch for restlessness, sweating, or shivering, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and dosulepin acts on serotonin and noradrenaline too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and doxepin acts on serotonin and noradrenaline too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that may stack with duloxetine's serotonergic component. Most people tolerate the combination but discuss it with your GP, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that may stack with escitalopram's. Most people tolerate the combination but discuss it with your GP, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect, possibly via serotonin-receptor modulation. Combined with fluoxetine, the serotonergic effect may stack. Most people tolerate the combination but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and imipramine raises serotonin and noradrenaline too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and lithium also affects serotonin signalling when used for mood. Taking them together may add up. If you take lithium, tell your GP before adding saffron, as lithium needs careful monitoring.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and lofepramine acts on serotonin and noradrenaline too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and mirtazapine raises serotonin and noradrenaline signalling too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and nortriptyline acts on serotonin and noradrenaline too. Taking them together may add up. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that may stack with paroxetine's. Most people tolerate the combination but discuss it with your GP, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron has antidepressant effects in its own right, which may add to sertraline's. Most people tolerate the combination but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and sumatriptan is a serotonin-receptor drug used for migraine. Taking them together may add to that serotonin effect. Most people tolerate it, but mention the saffron to your GP, especially if you also take an antidepressant.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has antidepressant, serotonin-related activity of its own, and tramadol raises serotonin as part of how it works. Taking them together may add to that serotonin effect. Most people tolerate the combination, but discuss it with your prescriber before stacking them, especially if your tramadol dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and trazodone is a serotonergic antidepressant. Taking them together may add to that serotonin effect. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own antidepressant effect that may stack with venlafaxine's serotonergic component. Most people tolerate the combination but discuss it with your GP, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and vortioxetine is a serotonergic antidepressant. Taking them together may add to that serotonin effect. Most people tolerate it, but discuss it with your GP before stacking, especially if your dose has recently changed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron has its own mild antidepressant effect that appears to act on serotonin, and zolmitriptan is a serotonin-receptor drug used for migraine. Taking them together may add to that serotonin effect. Most people tolerate it, but mention the saffron to your GP, especially if you also take an antidepressant.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Additive glucose lowering
Saffron can modestly lower blood sugar. Gliclazide already lowers blood sugar, so taking them together may add up and could push your glucose too low. If you take both, monitor your blood glucose, especially in the first few weeks, and your doctor may need to adjust the gliclazide.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron can modestly lower blood sugar on top of the insulin you inject, which may increase the chance of glucose going too low. If you take saffron with insulin, monitor your blood glucose closely, especially early on, and your doctor may need to adjust your insulin dose.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Saffron can modestly lower blood sugar, and metformin lowers blood sugar too, so the two may add up. The combination is generally manageable, but monitor your blood glucose when you start saffron or change the dose, and your doctor may adjust the metformin if needed.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope. Use the checker below to surface any medication, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.
How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.
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