The Mood Benefits of Saffron—and How to Get More of It | Goop
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Saffron—one of the most expensive spices in the world, due to how labor-intensive it is to harvest—also has a long history of medicinal use. Most recently, it’s been studied for its positive effects supporting a healthy mood.
3 Ways to Consume Saffron
1
Cooking
Saffron needs heat and liquid to coax out the most flavor, which makes it well-suited to rice, risotto, pilaf, and paella. For simple saffron rice, you’ll want to crush your saffron threads and let them soak in hot water before throwing them in with your rice to cook. If you’re making something liquid-y, like a soup or stew, you can simply throw the crushed saffron threads in with the rest of your ingredients.
Lamb Tagine with Tomatoes, Saffron, and Cinnamon
Chicken with Onions, Lemon, and Saffron
Chicken and Vegetable Paella
2
Sipping
We have a well-documented love for saffron lattes. Our favorite is a powdered blend from the Fullest made with just saffron, organic cardamom, coconut milk powder, and coconut water powder that you mix into the steamed milk of your choice. (We prefer oat.) The latte powder blends well—it’s easiest with an electric frother, but if you don’t have one, a matcha whisk or some vigorous spoon-stirring will do the job.
3
Supplementing
Saffron supplements usually come in capsule form. When you’re picking one, the most important thing to pay attention to is the dose—look for a brand that uses a clinically studied dose of saffron extract. (For supplements, we prefer saffron extract over whole saffron. There’s much more research behind it.)
You can find saffron extract in our libido-supporting supplement, DTF. While fenugreek extract does the heavy lifting for sexual arousal and desire in DTF, we rounded out the formula with thirty milligrams of saffron extract—the daily dose studied in most research—for general mood support.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of goop.
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