Safety · Supplement

Saffron: side effects, safety & interactions

Well tolerated at supplemental doses; culinary-scale amounts are safe, but very high doses are toxic. As a serotonergic

Overall grade: Grade B
Last revised: Jul 10, 2026; 0
graded outcomes: 0
references listed

Assembled by the app from other entries in this library. It adds no evidence of its own — follow the links to the entries it draws on.

The evidence in words

Safety profile

Well tolerated at supplemental doses; culinary-scale amounts are safe, but very high doses are toxic. As a serotonergic agent, combining with antidepressants warrants caution.

Interactions to respect

SSRIs / SNRIs — Serotonergic — additive load; clear with prescriber.

What Saffron is

Saffron is the spice from Crocus sativus stigmas, standardized to crocin and safranal for supplements. Its mood evidence outstrips most botanicals.

The honest bottom line

The mood botanical with the most convincing small-trial evidence: 30 mg/day standardized for mild-to-moderate low mood. Clear it with a prescriber if you're on serotonergic drugs.

Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.

Holy Basil (Tulsi): side effects, safety & interactionsWell tolerated; theoretical additive glucose lowering and mild antiplatelet/anti-fertility signals at high doses.Evidence grade C
Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum): side effects, safety & interactionsGenerally tolerated (mild headache, GI); being serotonergic, do not combine with SSRIs/SNRIs/MAOIs — serotonin-syndrome Evidence grade C
Kava: side effects, safety & interactionsLiver-toxicity risk (rare) — avoid with alcohol, hepatotoxic drugs, or existing liver disease; additive with sedatives.Evidence grade B
Lemon Balm: side effects, safety & interactionsVery safe; mild additive sedation; may affect thyroid at high doses theoretically.Evidence grade C

Sources

This entry lists no references of its own — it is assembled from the entries it links to, whose sources are on their pages.

Last revised Jul 10, 2026. A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.