The spice saffron is pitted head-to-head against the leading drug for severe Alzheimer’s disease.
Saffron vs. Memantine (Namenda) for Alzheimer’s
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
What’s the latest on treating memory disorders with the spice saffron? Saffron had evidently been “widely used in the Persian [medical tradition] for memory problems,” but it wasn’t put to the test—until this study, which I profiled, showing Alzheimer’s dementia symptoms continuing to get worse on placebo, but getting better on saffron over a 16-week period. The researchers concluded that, at least in the short term, saffron is “safe and effective in mild-to-moderate [Alzheimer’s disease].” What about head-to-head versus the leading drug used for such patients? It appeared to work just as well, but with significantly less vomiting—a common side effect of the drug. So, that’s where we were as of 2010. What’s the update?
In 2013, we got the first glimpse at a potential mechanism. Alzheimer’s disease involves “brain nerve cell destruction.” Our brain cells can be killed by the buildup of tangles, or the buildup of amyloid plaques, where “aggregates of [a protein called amyloid beta] act as a poison.” But, in a petri dish, at least, adding the red pigment found in saffron, called crocin, significantly reduces this amyloid clumping—an effect that can be plainly seen under an electron microscope. So, the component of saffron that makes it so colorful appears to have “the ability to prevent amyloid formation.” What about the tangles? There’s the amyloid, and then, there’s the tangles, which crocin also seems to be able to block in vitro—again, as demonstrated with electron microscopy. So, maybe that’s why saffron helps in Alzheimer’s disease. But, do you have to catch it early?
Note this was just for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s. What about moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s? We didn’t know, until now. Head-to-head against the leading drug for severe Alzheimer’s, and again, saffron seemed to help just as well. And, one might consider just as well better, since there haven’t been any serious adverse effects attributed to saffron—whereas the drug is associated with increased risk of “[sleepiness], weight gain, confusion, hypertension, nervous system disorders, and falling.”
And, the saffron study wasn’t funded by supplement or spice companies—just noncommercial public grants. But, all the studies were done in Iran, which controls about 90% of the saffron crop. So, there’s a national interest in promoting saffron consumption, just like the New Zealand government funds research on kiwifruit—though who else is going to fund studies on a simple spice?
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- 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.
- Yang Z, Zhou X, Zhang Q. Effectiveness and safety of memantine treatment for Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;36(3):445-58.
- Pitsikas N. The Effect of Crocus sativus L. and Its Constituents on Memory: Basic Studies and Clinical Applications. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:926284.
- Farokhnia M, Shafiee Sabet M, Iranpour N, Gougol A, Yekehtaz H, Alimardani R, Farsad F, Kamalipour M, Akhondzadeh S. Comparing the efficacy and safety of Crocus sativus L. with memantine in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease: a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014 Jul;29(4):351-9.
- Karakani AM, Riazi G, Mahmood Ghaffari S, Ahmadian S, Mokhtari F, Jalili Firuzi M, Zahra Bathaie S. Inhibitory effect of corcin on aggregation of 1N/4R human tau protein in vitro. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2015 May;18(5):485-92. (note: "corcin" in title is probably a typo)
- Hausenblas HA, Heekin K, Mutchie HL, Anton S. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on psychological and behavioral outcomes. J Integr Med. 2015 Jul;13(4):231-40.
- Ghahghaei A, Bathaie SZ, Kheirkhah H, Bahraminejad E. The protective effect of crocin on the amyloid fibril formation of Aβ42 peptide in vitro. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2013 Sep;18(3):328-39.
Motion graphics by Avocado Video
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
What’s the latest on treating memory disorders with the spice saffron? Saffron had evidently been “widely used in the Persian [medical tradition] for memory problems,” but it wasn’t put to the test—until this study, which I profiled, showing Alzheimer’s dementia symptoms continuing to get worse on placebo, but getting better on saffron over a 16-week period. The researchers concluded that, at least in the short term, saffron is “safe and effective in mild-to-moderate [Alzheimer’s disease].” What about head-to-head versus the leading drug used for such patients? It appeared to work just as well, but with significantly less vomiting—a common side effect of the drug. So, that’s where we were as of 2010. What’s the update?
In 2013, we got the first glimpse at a potential mechanism. Alzheimer’s disease involves “brain nerve cell destruction.” Our brain cells can be killed by the buildup of tangles, or the buildup of amyloid plaques, where “aggregates of [a protein called amyloid beta] act as a poison.” But, in a petri dish, at least, adding the red pigment found in saffron, called crocin, significantly reduces this amyloid clumping—an effect that can be plainly seen under an electron microscope. So, the component of saffron that makes it so colorful appears to have “the ability to prevent amyloid formation.” What about the tangles? There’s the amyloid, and then, there’s the tangles, which crocin also seems to be able to block in vitro—again, as demonstrated with electron microscopy. So, maybe that’s why saffron helps in Alzheimer’s disease. But, do you have to catch it early?
Note this was just for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s. What about moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s? We didn’t know, until now. Head-to-head against the leading drug for severe Alzheimer’s, and again, saffron seemed to help just as well. And, one might consider just as well better, since there haven’t been any serious adverse effects attributed to saffron—whereas the drug is associated with increased risk of “[sleepiness], weight gain, confusion, hypertension, nervous system disorders, and falling.”
And, the saffron study wasn’t funded by supplement or spice companies—just noncommercial public grants. But, all the studies were done in Iran, which controls about 90% of the saffron crop. So, there’s a national interest in promoting saffron consumption, just like the New Zealand government funds research on kiwifruit—though who else is going to fund studies on a simple spice?
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- 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.
- Yang Z, Zhou X, Zhang Q. Effectiveness and safety of memantine treatment for Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;36(3):445-58.
- Pitsikas N. The Effect of Crocus sativus L. and Its Constituents on Memory: Basic Studies and Clinical Applications. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:926284.
- Farokhnia M, Shafiee Sabet M, Iranpour N, Gougol A, Yekehtaz H, Alimardani R, Farsad F, Kamalipour M, Akhondzadeh S. Comparing the efficacy and safety of Crocus sativus L. with memantine in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease: a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014 Jul;29(4):351-9.
- Karakani AM, Riazi G, Mahmood Ghaffari S, Ahmadian S, Mokhtari F, Jalili Firuzi M, Zahra Bathaie S. Inhibitory effect of corcin on aggregation of 1N/4R human tau protein in vitro. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2015 May;18(5):485-92. (note: "corcin" in title is probably a typo)
- Hausenblas HA, Heekin K, Mutchie HL, Anton S. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on psychological and behavioral outcomes. J Integr Med. 2015 Jul;13(4):231-40.
- Ghahghaei A, Bathaie SZ, Kheirkhah H, Bahraminejad E. The protective effect of crocin on the amyloid fibril formation of Aβ42 peptide in vitro. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2013 Sep;18(3):328-39.
Motion graphics by Avocado Video
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Title
Saffron vs. Memantine (Namenda) for Alzheimer’s
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
For more on herbal approaches to dementia, check out:
- Best Aromatherapy Herb for Alzheimer’s
- Treating Alzheimer’s with Turmeric
- Do Lutein Supplements Help with Brain Function?
What else can saffron do? See:
- Saffron vs. Prozac
- Saffron for the Treatment of PMS
- Saffron for Erectile Dysfunction
- Benefits of Cumin and Saffron for Weight Loss
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