How can saffron help the 27% of the world’s population with sleep disorders?

Since ancient times, people follow the “sunrise, sunset and rest” routine. However, the reality of today’s situation is: sleepy during the day, want to sleep, very much want to sleep, but in the evening, but toss and turn, can not sleep at night, “counting sheep”, “breathing sleep drill” and other kinds of strange tricks are defeated; and for some patients with severe insomnia Even through the drug to help sleep.
Recently, a new study shows that the use of natural saffron extract can make insomnia patients get rid of the trouble.
Identity of medicine and food

On January 6, 2020, the National Health Commission,State Administration for Market Supervision and Regulation issued the “Announcement on 6 New Substances that are Both Food and Chinese Herbal Medicines According to Tradition (No. 8 of 2019)”, which includes 6 substances such as Angelica sinensis, Kaempferia sinensis, Crocus sativus, Crocus sativus, turmeric, and Wicker betel, etc., in the management of the substance catalog of substances that are both food and traditional Chinese medicine according to tradition and are only used as spices and condiments. Used only as spices and flavorings.
When substances that are traditionally both food and Chinese herbal medicine are produced and operated as food, their labels, specifications, advertisements and publicity information shall not contain false propaganda, and shall not be related to disease prevention or therapeutic functions.
Saffron is also known as “saffron” in spices and seasonings.
Sleep is a big problem and should not be underestimated
One third of a person’s life is spent in sleep. Sleep is a basic life activity of human beings, involving all stages of the whole life cycle, and it is an important part of the body’s recovery, integration and consolidation of memory, and also an indispensable component of health. Adequate sleep, balanced diet and proper exercise are three health standards recognized by the international community.
According to the World Health Organization, 27% of the world’s people have sleep disorders, including 20% in Japan and 30% in France, while the incidence of insomnia among Chinese adults is as high as 38.2%, and more than 300 million Chinese people have sleep disorders.
In addition, more than 60% of post-90s people feel that they do not get enough sleep, and more than 60% of teenagers and children get less than 8 hours of sleep. The Sleep Index Data Report also shows that from 2013 to 2018, the average sleep time of Chinese people was shortened from 8.8 hours to 6.5 hours, a rapid reduction of more than 2 hours in just 6 years! In terms of sleep, Chinese people have become a “vulnerable” group in the global environment.

As we all know, lack of sleep directly affects the quality of life, and can also lead to a variety of diseases. Modern research confirms that there are nearly 90 diseases related to long-term insomnia, such as: obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, depression and stroke, memory loss, cancer and so on. As a result, more and more people who are troubled by sleep problems have begun to go from the traditional ways of standardizing work and rest, dietary adjustments, relaxation and soothing to the emerging sleep technology products, sparing no effort to help themselves improve their sleep.
In February 2020, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine by Dr. Adrian Lopresti of Australia’s Murdoch University showed that saffron extract was effective in improving sleep quality in healthy adults with sleep problems [1].
Research on Saffron Extract as a Sleep Aid
Saffron, also known as saffron and saffron, is the dried stigma of saffron in the family of Iridaceae. It has been called “woman’s flower” since ancient times, and is often used for women to regulate qi and blood, regulate menstruation, remove spots and nourish the face, as well as postnatal discharge. It is recorded in the “Essentials of Pinhui” that saffron is mainly used for dispersing depression and regulating blood, broadening the chest and diaphragm, opening the stomach and feeding the stomach, nourishing the lower yuan for a long time, pleasing the color and treating the cold and madness; and the “Compendium of Materia Medica” has also recorded that saffron is able to “invigorate the blood, mastering the heart’s depression and treating palpitations”.
With the development of modern pharmacological research, the role of saffron has covered the nervous system, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system and other aspects. Dr. Adrian Lopresti said, “A previous study published in the Journal of Neuropharmacology showed that saffron extract had a better antidepressant effect when used in combination with antidepressant medication in patients with mild-to-moderate depression and was effective in improving sleep quality in depressed patients [2]. Therefore, we wondered whether saffron extract could also improve sleep quality in healthy adults.”
So, to investigate whether saffron has a sleep-enhancing effect, Dr. Adrian Lopresti conducted a study using standardized saffron extract. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 63 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 70 who self-reported sleep problems, who were randomly divided into two groups, with one group of volunteers taking a 14 mg dose of saffron extract twice a day and the other group taking a placebo for 28 days.
None of the volunteers were treated for depression during the study period and had not taken any medications (other than birth control pills) for at least four weeks. In addition, while they all had self-reported sleep problems, they were otherwise healthy. The researchers measured outcomes using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 at baseline, as well as the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire (RSQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (PSD) collected on days -1, 0, 3, 7, 14, 27, and 28.
When 55 subjects were subsequently assessed on a standardized insomnia severity index, saffron extract was found to be associated with greater improvements in ISI total score (p = 0.17), RSQ total score (p = 0.29), and PSD sleep quality scores (p = 0.14) compared to placebo. In fact, the majority of the individuals in the saffron extract group showed significant improvement in sleep quality within 7 days of starting treatment.
The findings suggest that intake of saffron extract is associated with improved sleep quality in adults with self-reported sleep problems. Furthermore, in addition to improving sleep, the study showed that the saffron extract was well tolerated and no adverse side effects were observed after consumption.
Currently, sleep disorders are a prevalent problem across all age groups, and more and more consumers are choosing to alleviate this problem through natural botanicals and medications. While this study provides preliminary indications that saffron extract has the potential to be a natural sleep aid, reliable clinical evidence is still lacking. In the future, further studies using larger sample sizes and different populations are still needed.
Although, saffron is relatively new to the market, a report by Future Market Insights predicts that increased demand for the plant-based natural ingredient is driving the consumption of saffron, with more than $200 million worth of saffron being consumed in 2016 in the U.S., China, Iran, the Netherlands, France, and the U.K., among others. By the end of 2026, Americans alone are expected to consume more than $90 million worth of saffron. Coupled with a growing body of research showing that saffron extract has mood-alleviating, anxiety-reducing and sleep-improving effects, the future market potential is huge.
Saffron authenticity methods
1. Soak method: the real saffron is composed of stamens, soaked in water will not immediately become broken, and the water is light yellow; while the fake is the stamens of other flowers or even radish cut into very thin silk, and then dyed into, soaked in water after the radish will become crushed, dyed will quickly fade, and the water will become red or orange-yellow, which is the most effective way to identify.
2. Smell method: authentic saffron has a very strong floral flavor, while the fake or adulterated goods taste very light or even smell.
3. Observation method: put saffron on white paper, spread out and carefully observed, the real saffron is stamen, although some broken, but each are trumpet-shaped, and with radish cut into the silk stained fake is difficult to achieve. Or put the saffron into a plastic bag, and then shake, some saffron will stick the yellow pollen on the plastic bag, a thin layer of light yellow, it is easy to recognize, and the fakes are not.