---
title: Can saffron extract help with PMS or PMDD symptoms? | Niyora
description: This review of existing studies suggests saffron extracts, such as a standardized form called Affron, may improve mood and reduce anxiety and depression in PM
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-saffron-extracts-on-reproductive-function-2025/
---

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- Can saffron extract help with PMS or PMDD symptoms?

Study, 2025

# Can saffron extract help with PMS or PMDD symptoms?

This review of existing studies suggests saffron extracts, such as a standardized form called Affron, may improve mood and reduce anxiety and depression in PMS and PMDD, with few side effects. It summarizes other research rather than a new trial, so certainty is limited.

 Early or limited evidence

Not a new group of patients; this review covers earlier studies in women with PMS, PMDD, menopause symptoms, or sexual difficulties.

## What they did

This is a review that brings together existing scientific and clinical studies on saffron, a plant used in medicine for a long time. It looks at saffron's active ingredients and how they may affect mood, hormones, and sexual function in women, drawing on earlier clinical studies of PMS, PMDD, menopause symptoms, and sexual difficulties.

## What they found

Saffron contains compounds the review describes as having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and nerve-protecting effects. Earlier clinical studies cited in the review found saffron improved PMS, PMDD, menopausal discomfort, and sexual difficulties. A standardized extract called Affron was reported to improve mood, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve sleep and hormone-related symptoms, with minimal side effects at the doses used in those studies.

## What it means for you

Saffron extract may be a non-hormonal option worth discussing with a doctor for PMS and PMDD, but because this is a review of other people's studies rather than a new trial, we cannot be fully sure how large or reliable the benefit is. The right dose matters, since higher amounts of saffron can be harmful.

## About the study

Original title Effect of Saffron Extracts on Reproductive Function Authors Gulnara Huseynova Journal NATURE AND SCIENCE Year 2025 Study design Study What was tested Saffron extract, including a standardized form called Affron. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.36719/2707-1146/57/31-34](https://doi.org/10.36719/2707-1146/57/31-34)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Saffron](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-saffron/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Review, 2024

Is saffron as effective as fluoxetine for treating PMDD?

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What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated?

Systematic review, 2013

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Survey study, 2026

What are the causes, diagnosis, and treatments for PMS and PMDD?

Review, 2019

What is the current evidence for diagnosing and treating PMDD, especially in Indian women?

Review, 2015

What treatments work best for PMDD and PMS?

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