Saffron works as well against ADHD as regular treatment with methylphenidate

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07.08.2025

Saffron works as well against ADHD as regular treatment with methylphenidate

Children and teenagers with moderate ADHD respond equally well to medication containing methylphenidate [the active ingredient in Ritalin] and to supplementation with saffron extract. According to a 2022 Spanish pilot study, both drugs convert moderate ADHD into mild ADHD.

Saffron works as well against ADHD as regular treatment with methylphenidate

Study

Researchers at the Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda gave 27 children and teenagers aged 7-17 with ADHD a long-lasting Ritalin formulation for three months. At the same time, they had 34 other children and teenagers with ADHD take a capsule containing 30 milligrams of saffron extract with their evening meal.

The children and their parents decided for themselves whether to take a supplement or a medication. There was no placebo group, so the study was open-label.

The researchers used the saffron extract Saffr'Activ, a product of Green Plants Extracts. Green Plants Extracts extracts Saffr'Activ from the dried pistils of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). It consists of at least 3 percent crocin and its analogues, and at least 2 percent saffronal.

Saffron works as well against ADHD as regular treatment with methylphenidate

The active substances in saffron mimic the action of GABA in the brain. Moreover, these phytochemicals inhibit the reuptake of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in brain cells, and moderate glutamate activity if necessary. As a result, they may not only counteract overstimulation but also improve attention.

Results
There were no statistically significant differences between the effects of saffron and methylphenidate.

Both drugs, according to questionnaires completed by the children's parents, increased sleep duration by one hour. Only saffron reduced the time it took the children to fall asleep - by fifteen minutes, to be precise.

Click on the tables for a larger version. MF = methylphenidate.

Saffron [S] and methylphenidate reduced the SNAP-IV total score for ADHD by just over 3 points, as shown in the table above.

Because the average participant in this pilot study initially had a score of 28-31, the scores in both groups dropped below 28. And that, coincidentally, is precisely the cutoff point where moderate ADHD transitions to mild.

Conclusion
"This pilot study presents evidence of the efficacy and safety of saffron extract compared to methylphenidate in a sample of children and adolescents with ADHD", the researchers conclude.

Source:
Nutrients. 2022 Sep 28;14(19):4046.

More:
Extract of Passiflora incarnata works just as well against ADHD as Ritalin 05.12.2018
Magnesium and vitamin B6 combination mitigates ADHD 06.03.2014
L-Carnitine reduces ADHD symptoms 01.03.2014
Supplement helps hyperactive children to focus 28.12.2011

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