326-SYNCPodcast_Saffron

Jenny Swisher: [00:00:00] Welcome friends to this episode of The [00:01:00] Sink Your Life podcast. Today we’re diving into the topic of Saffron as an herbal remedy for PMS and PMDD symptoms. If you’ve listened to this podcast, you know that I like to endorse my favorite supplements and suggestions for women dealing with hormone imbalance.

I’ve done episodes on vitamin D, omega threes, magnesium adaptogenic herbs, and even bio HRT. Recently, however, I’ve done a bit of a deeper dive myself into herbal remedies for common issues in women. Things like migraine headaches, digestive issues, mood swings, brain fog. Turns out there’s some powerful science behind some of these herbs, especially saffron, which is what we’re diving into today.

As usual, I will link up PubMed research for you and other resources so that you can go deeper yourself with learning more about Saffron, but I also wanna keep this concise, informative, and helpful. So let’s start here. What is Saffron? Well, saffron is a spice. Research findings suggests that Saffron has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and may improve heart health, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, [00:02:00] improve sleep, and even protect eye health as a natural anti-inflammatory full of phytochemicals.

You can see why it can be beneficial in the P-M-S-P-M-D-D issues that so many women are faced with each month. If no one’s ever said this to you before, let me be the first. Your period is an inflammatory event. Your uterus has been signaled by a drop in hormones, estrogen, and progesterone to shed. Its lining and start again.

And this process is inflammatory to the body. Some women tolerate this just fine, largely due to genetics. Others like myself can suffer also largely due to genetics. If you’ve been diagnosed with endometriosis or PMDD, or even if you haven’t been diagnosed, but you struggle with painful periods, migraines, mood, or depression issues around your period, , this episode is for you.

Saffron could be your game changer. According to Dr. Jolene Brighton, quote, saffron demonstrates promise in reducing depressive symptoms associated with PMDD, possibly due to its mood enhancing effects and ability to influence neurotransmitter [00:03:00] activity in the brain end quote. In fact, some studies show that Saffron can be just as effective as taking an SSRI for PMS or PMDD.

That being said, only a few specific extracts have actually been studied in clinical trials. Those are Aron, which is shown effective in adolescents and adults with stress and mild depression. Saffron side, which is clinically tested for mood, stress, and sleep support, and cerial studied more for appetite and emotional eating with some mood benefit.

I will link those up for you in the show notes so that you can be sure that if you decide to go with Saffron, you’re going with one that’s actually been clinically studied. If your saffron doesn’t name the extract, it may not work like the studies suggest. Once again, quality of supplement matters. This tiny flower holds massive potential, but only if you’re using the right form at the right dose with real evidence behind it.

Not all saffron is created equal, and when it comes to mood quality matters. So let’s go a little bit deeper in how exactly Saffron can [00:04:00] play a role with your mood and depressive disorders around your period. While according to the NIH quote, saffron extracts and tinctures have been used for centuries in traditional medicine for the treatment of different syndromes and diseases.

End quote. It turns out Saffron impacts the central nervous system. According to the NIH, pharmacological effects on the central nervous system have been attributed to saffron and its metabolites, including a biological action on memory and learning neurodegenerative diseases, depression and anxiety among others.

The biological activity of these molecules in the system have been studied for over two decades. These works are some examples of the profusion of literature supporting this bioactivity. Among the numerous effects shown on the central nervous system, we draw attention to the following, positive effect on learning and memory.

Positive effect on Alzheimer’s disease, positive effect on Parkinson’s disease, positive effect on cerebral tumors, cerebral ischemia, age related macular de degeneration, MS. [00:05:00] Diabetes, and even has antidepressant effects as we’ve discussed.

In fact, saffron and its metabolites have proven to be effective in different models of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. Various studies in clinical environments concluded that the daily administration of 30 milligrams of saffron. Could be useful in the management of depression when compared with popular pharmaceutical brands.

Indeed, some studies have demonstrated the usefulness of Croson tablets in conjunction with two popular pharmaceutical brand SSRIs. A trial of 66 patients with anxiety depressive disorder compare treatment with Saffron at 30 milligrams per day with these pharmaceuticals.

The results expressed in the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale showed no significant difference between the use of Saffron versus the drug and proposed Saffron to be a potentially effective and tolerable treatment for this disorder. The bottom line here, my friends, is that nature itself gives us so many remedies to the things that we tend to suffer with, but often we’re quick to reach for pharmaceutical [00:06:00] interventions, or in the case of women’s health and PMDD, I see women blaming ourselves that were broken.

Largely thanks to the missed marks on behalf of doctors and the lack of research done on women. There are options out there. We don’t have to suffer and blame ourselves. Just a few weeks ago, a woman in my course came to me in tears about how she had heard on one of my podcasts that zinc could be powerful for painful periods.

She implemented something this simple into her regimen, and eight months later, she claims her life has been changed. She no longer has to plan her life around her period. Every week someone in my sync community claims the same thing about magnesium or bio HRT, how their sleep is improved and their mood is improved.

What if it really was that simple? What if instead of reaching for the Midol, we investigated root cause? What if we tried something like Bio HRT or something as simple as saffron? Perhaps it sounds too good to be true because it is. As we speak, saffron is something that I’m implementing myself, and I’ve noticed considerable improvement in my PMS [00:07:00] symptoms.

The last two cycles. I’ve not seen drastic improvement with my migraines just yet, but I am noticing less bloat, less mood swings, and less cramping, and that is something there are too many women out there suffering from painful periods and cramping. I every day women are in my inbox complaining about just that.

So I hope that this episode helps you or someone you know, share this out. And as always, my friends, thank you for tuning in. Until next time, we’ll talk soon. Bye-bye. [00:08:00]