Academic Journal
Efficacy and Safety of Saffron and Ashwagandha for Stress-Related Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
| Τίτλος: | Efficacy and Safety of Saffron and Ashwagandha for Stress-Related Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Alyami H; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Najran University.; Department of Psychological Medicine, The University of Auckland; hmalemad@nu.edu.sa. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE [J Vis Exp] 2026 Oct 09 (236). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Oct 09. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Systematic Review; Video-Audio Media |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: MYJoVE Corporation Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101313252 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1940-087X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1940087X NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Vis Exp Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Boston, Mass. : MYJoVE Corporation, 2006]- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Crocus*/chemistry , Withania*/chemistry , Plant Extracts*/therapeutic use , Plant Extracts*/adverse effects , Stress, Psychological*/drug therapy, Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic |
| Περίληψη: | Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal) are medicinal plants with emerging clinical evidence supporting their use for stress-related mental health conditions. This PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review, prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261385134), synthesizes randomized controlled trial evidence for both plants across eight mental health outcomes, with the literature search updated to 31 August 2026. From 494 initial records, 452 remained after duplicate removal; 34 studies met eligibility criteria (19 saffron, 14 ashwagandha, 1 comprehensive review), comprising 31 randomized controlled trials. Saffron demonstrated efficacy for depression (10 randomized controlled trials [RCTs]), anxiety (9 RCTs), and sleep (8 RCTs) at 15-30 mg/day standardized extract. Ashwagandha showed efficacy for anxiety (10 RCTs), stress (8 RCTs), and sleep (3 RCTs) at 30-600 mg/day with a withanolide-standardized extract, with a pooled cortisol reduction of -3.27 µg/dL. Risk of bias was low in 10 of 31 trials and raised some concerns in most of the remainder, and GRADE certainty was moderate at best. Both plants exhibited favorable safety profiles, although ashwagandha-associated hepatotoxicity warrants liver enzyme monitoring during prolonged use. Critically, no RCTs exist for burnout or posttraumatic stress disorder in either plant, despite mechanistic evidence of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis normalization, reduced neuroinflammation, and monoaminergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic modulation; this evidence is predominantly preclinical and requires clinical confirmation. This systematic review identifies these conditions as priority targets for well-designed clinical trials. The bioactive constituents-crocin and safranal in saffron, and withanolides in ashwagandha-share overlapping mechanistic pathways highly relevant to these underserved, high-burden disorders. |
| Substance Nomenclature: | V038D626IF (Ashwagandha) 0 (Plant Extracts) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20261010 Date Completed: 20261010 Latest Revision: 20261010 |
| Update Code: | 20261011 |
| DOI: | 10.3791/73092 |
| PMID: | 42858054 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1940-087X |
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| DOI: | 10.3791/73092 |