What is depression
Depression is a common mental disorder affecting more than 300 million people all around the world. Depression could be severe or mild. Sever depression called major depressive disorder and mild depression which can be categorized into some types.
1- Persistent depressive disorder
It’s a continuous depression that may last for two years. You may lose interest in doing your daily activities.
2- Seasonal affective disorder
This kind of depression may not be constant and habitual. It occurs at a particular time or season.
3- Antenatal depression
During the period of pregnancy, you may feel changes in your mood, or you are not in mood to do anything.
4- Postnatal depression
This depression occurs after the first year of having baby, either mothers or fathers may feel hopeless or changes in appetite and mood.
5- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
This is a hormone related disorder that affects someone’s body and also how someone feels. It’s more serious than PMS.
How saffron affects depression?
Major depressive disorders are primarily treated with psychological or pharmacological therapies. The brain derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF) is a protein from the neurotrophin family involved in cellular brain function such as neurogenesis, cell growth, cell survival and synapse formation. BDNF and its receptors are found in areas of the brain linked with mood disorders such as hippocampus, per fontal cortex and amygdala.
Saffron can intervene major depressive disorder which is suggested to exert antidepressant effect by increasing hippocampal level of BDNF.
Studies on the effect of saffron on depression
Mojtaba Shafei et al, reviewed some studies which had been done on the efficacy of saffron constituents on depression and other mental disorders. In conclusion they revealed, Saffron may exert antidepressant effects and represents an efficacious and safe treatment.
In another study the result says, saffron had a large treatment effect and when we compared it with antidepressant medications, had similar antidepressant efficacy. Saffron antidepressant effects potentially are due to its serotonergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuro-endocrine and neuroprotective effects.
