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Saffron Versus Aricept

The spice saffron was compared to donepezil (Aricept), a leading drug treatment for slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease cognitive impairment.

September 7, 2011 |
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Supplementary Info

Saffron Versus Aricept, 5.0 out of 5 based on 5 ratings

Sources Cited

Akhondzadeh S, Sabet MS, Harirchian MH, Togha M, Cheraghmakani H, Razeghi S, Hejazi SSh, Yousefi MH, Alimardani R, Jamshidi A, Zare F, Moradi A. Saffron in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a 16-week, randomized and placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2010 Oct;35(5):581-8.

Akhondzadeh S, Shafiee Sabet M, Harirchian MH, Togha M, Cheraghmakani H, Razeghi S, Hejazi SS, Yousefi MH, Alimardani R, Jamshidi A, Rezazadeh SA, Yousefi A, Zare F, Moradi A, Vossoughi A. A 22-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial of Crocus sativus in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 Jan;207(4):637-43.

Acknowledgements

Image thanks to medsindia.com

Transcript

The spice saffron beat out placebo in this randomized double-blind study, but Alzheimer’s patients aren’t on sugar pills,  they’re on drugs like donepezil, sold as Aricept. If some drug company wanted to release a new drug, they’d have to compare it not to placebo, but to the current leading treatment, and  why should it be any different with flowers? “A 22-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial of saffron in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease, saffron versus Aricept

Here are the results. In a graph of cognitive dysfunction, the circles are saffron, the triangles are the leading drug that costs about $2000 a year and associated with all sort of side-effects. Can you tell the difference? Saffron worked just as well as Aricept, which is to say not very well at all, but remember what  untreated Alzheimer’s patients look like? They get worse; the reason drugs are prescribed is to just slow down the progression of Alzheimer's, so we still have a long way to go, but saffron appeared to work just that as well as the leading drug, and without the side-effects.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Dianne Moore.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

See the prequel to this video, Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer's, and leave any questions you have about this exciting research below.

For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Natural Alzheimer’s Treatment, Alzheimer's Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable, and  Saffron vs. Prozac for Depression

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    See the prequel to this video, Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s, the corresponding blog post, Natural Alzheimer’s treatment and leave any questions you have about this exciting research below.

    • Kathy

      I noticed on WebMD, they say a specific saffron product will help with Alzheimer’s. Does it need to be this product from Iran? I noticed the study is by Iranian researchers. Here’s what WebMD said: “Alzheimer’s disease. Some research shows that taking a specific saffron product (IMPIRAN, Iran) might improve symptoms about as well as the prescription drugdonepezil (Aricept) over 22 weeks of treatment.”

      Thanks!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/PatrickNottingham/ Patrick Nottingham

    So 15mg twice a daqy. Is there any evidence for its use as a preventative for those of us with family history?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/NiaGarciaMerritt/ Nia Garcia Merritt

    I second that…Is it preventative? Thank you:)

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/JenniferArsenault/ Jennifer Arsenault

    I just checked it out on Amazon. Saffron would cost about $200 for a year. That’s only 1/10 of aricept and apparently it helps with cholesterol as well. Probably full of antioxidants as well. You can’t lose.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/justava/ justava

    It is exciting to discover that something as simple and reasonably-priced as saffron would work equally as well as Aricept. It would be a bonus if it helped to lower cholesterol as well – a win-win situation for prevention of both conditions.
    Keep up the good work.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/working-at-it/ working at it

    Love the idea of using saffron.
    As an FYI, Aricept went off patent Nov 2010, and a generic (donepezil) is now available in some places (although NOT from my mother’s insurance provider, who still charges as if they are selling the on-patent drug!) as cheap as $10/month. But who would want the generic drug, if saffron provides the benefit without side effects?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/eileenmcv/ eileenmcv

    30 mg transposes into about how many stigmas per day?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      Each flower yields 7mg dried saffron, and I think there are 3 stigmas per flower, so 30 mg should be about 13 stigmas. There’s research on saffron and infertility, cancer, PMS, obesity, and erectile dysfunction. I’ll be rolling out more videos evaluating the latest science on spices–stay tuned!

  • Michael Greger M.D.

    For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!

  • Mgibsonic

    Question for you, Dr. Greger:
    Just viewed a lecture on the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii’s website by Steve Blake onAlzheimers. About 47 minutes into the lecture he reviews research on Ginko Bilobo, Gotu Kola, and saffron. he concludes that there is more support for the use of Ginko Bilobo and Gotu Kola than saffron. At his website, naturalhealthwizards.com is a book on the subject, which may contain more info. Am wondering if you have an opinion?
    Than you,

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