Best Saffron Supplement

If you’ve ever shopped for spices, you may have noticed that saffron costs significantly more than any other seasoning. Saffron is considered the world’s most expensive spice for two reasons: how it’s harvested (completely by hand) and the fact that we only use a small portion of the plant (the stigma). Since there are only three stigmas, it can take around 75,000 or more Crocus sativus flowers to make a single pound of saffron spice.1

Not only can saffron add a complex flavor to your paella, but its bright orange color is also a key indicator that it’s full of carotenoids2 — a type of pigmented nutrient and antioxidant that can lower inflammation,3 improve eye health, and even alleviate depression symptoms in some people.4 If trying saffron sounds like an interesting option for you, taking it as a supplement can be a much less costly alternative than using dozens of saffron strands in your meals.

These days, there are numerous saffron supplements on the market. Our guide delves into how our top picks measure up in terms of price, effectiveness, ingredients, and more. If you don’t have time to read the whole guide, you can take a look at our top five recommendations below.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions to live healthier lifestyles.

Herbal supplements have been around as long as we’ve known about the plants they stem from, but it doesn’t mean that every supplement is created equally, nor that every claim a company makes about it is true. We’ve spent hundreds of cumulative hours researching and testing herbal and botanical supplements that claim to boost your health and wellness.

For this review alone, we reviewed more than 80 scientific studies and journals looking at the safety and efficacy of saffron as a supplement. We also researched the benefits of common complementary ingredients in saffron supplements, such as turmeric, to ensure our recommendations have a strong scientific foundation. Additionally, our team purchased these supplements to get a first-hand look at the customer experience offered by each of our top picks.

Like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. We’ll keep an eye on the latest science and evolving product options for saffron supplements to ensure this guide stays up-to-date.

Despite a company’s best intentions, not every supplement is created equally. When evaluating saffron supplements, we considered four major criteria: safety, effectiveness, cost, and convenience. All of these criteria are important in their own way, but the safety and efficacy of the products carried the most weight in our decisions, while cost and convenience affected them a bit less.

Safety

Winner: Pure Micronutrients

The safety measures employed by a company can be a critical factor when you’re considering taking a supplement — especially since the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) regulation of supplements “primarily begins after the product enters the marketplace.”39

A common safety measure is manufacturing the supplements in a facility that adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices (often abbreviated as cGMP or GMP) regulations, ensuring the production line is run and regulated according to the FDA’s standards. This is the closest you’ll see to FDA recognition in the supplement industry. Another important measure is product testing — especially through an unbiased third party — which shows that a company is dedicated to ensuring you’re getting what you expect.

Of course, a supplement’s dose is a critical factor as well, but none of our top picks have saffron levels anywhere close to the potentially dangerous levels seen in studies (over 1,000mg).40 All of our picks are equal to or above the same dose of saffron used successfully in clinical studies.

Pure Micronutrients is our top choice for safety due to the company manufacturing its supplements in a cGMP-compliant and ISO/IEC 17025-certified facility (demonstrating competency and accurate results), its use of third-party testing, leaving out synthetic preservatives, and more. These are just a few of the steps taken to protect consumers. We’ll further explore Pure Micronutrients’ safety in the company’s dedicated section later in the article.

Pure Micronutrients may demonstrate the most safety precautions out of our top picks, but it isn’t the only one to employ additional safety measures. All of our top saffron supplement recommendations are produced in GMP-compliant facilities. And Vimerson Health, OLLY, and Nutricost utilize third-party testing, with OLLY even being NSF Certified (this means its manufacturing facilities are audited and its products are regularly retested by an independent third party).81 Youtheory tests its products as well, but the company doesn’t make it clear whether that testing is done in-house or by an independent third party; it just notes that the testing is “beyond the industry standards.”

Effectiveness

Winner: Vimerson Health

In scientific research studies, saffron supplements seem to work best in relatively small doses. There are a few other ingredients it pairs well with, depending on your goals — ashwagandha, zinc, and turmeric, to name a few. But saffron may still be very effective on its own, thanks to its high antioxidant content.

All of our top choices have adequate amounts of saffron based on the amounts used in studies (around 30mg or more), but our winner for efficacy is Vimerson Health’s saffron supplement due to its inclusion of turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom. These ingredients (along with saffron) have varying amounts of evidence showing they may reduce inflammation and promote better cognitive health. And the inclusion of black pepper extract may increase the bioavailability, or absorption, of those other ingredients, particularly turmeric.41

Youtheory’s addition of ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea in its saffron is also worth mentioning. This supplement is our top pick for helping your mood, and both ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea have demonstrated that effect (particularly stress relief) in successful clinical studies.29 55 The brand of saffron Youtheory uses, Affron, has also shown mood-boosting potential in studies.60

OLLY includes vitamin D in its saffron gummies. While this ingredient doesn’t appear to have any researched benefit to being combined with saffron, it may improve the strength of your bones, reduce inflammation, and boost your heart health.61 That’s good news for the approximately one billion people around the world who have vitamin D deficiency.64

Cost

Winner: Nutricost

Most saffron supplements on the market today are around the $20-$30 price range. And while the cheapest option isn’t always the best, pure saffron supplements (those without any additional ingredients, capsule aside) are so similar that you can often find less expensive options that are otherwise virtually identical.

Nutricost continues to be our top pick for the most cost-effective saffron supplement, as you can get an eight-month supply for only $26.95, or about $3.37 per month (versus needing to purchase a $20-$30 bottle every month). It does cost a couple of dollars more upfront compared to OLLY, Vimerson Health, and Pure Micronutrients, but the cost per serving is only $0.11.

Out of our other top picks, Pure Micronutrients comes in second for cost. One bottle of its saffron capsules offers 60 servings (a two-month supply) for $24.97 — about four times the cost of Nutricost’s saffron per month, but still less expensive than most. Pure Micronutrients has the second-lowest cost per serving at $0.42 each.

If you’re looking to pay the least from the outset, then consider OLLY’s Hello Happy Gummy Worms, which are $19.99 for 30 servings (or $0.67 per serving). However, it’s worth mentioning these only give you 30mg of saffron per serving compared to 88.5mg of saffron from both Nutricost and Pure Micronutrients. (30mg isn't bad, however, as that's right about where effectiveness starts to be seen in clinical studies.)

Nutricost also offers the best discount through its subscription program, which will decrease your cost by 20% (to $21.56), whereas Pure Micronutrients' will give you 10% off (to $22.47). Additionally, all of our other recommendations also offer subscription deals — OLLY and Youtheory both take 15% off, while Vimerson Health offers the lowest subscription discount at only 5% off.

Convenience

Winner: Pure Micronutrients

Taking a saffron supplement for potential health benefits is pretty convenient when compared to using the spice — there’s no need to cook a meal or weigh your spice on a food scale to ensure you’re taking the right amount. Since this is true for nearly all saffron supplements, we examined a few of the finer details to determine which choice is the most convenient.

Pure Micronutrients and Nutricost are the only two of our top picks for which the serving size is a single capsule. All of the others require you to take two. Pure Micronutrients also notes that its capsules are designed to be easy to open, meaning you can break it and mix it with a drink or food of your choice. This could be a great alternative if you’re part of the 10-40% of adults who experience difficulty swallowing pills.42

A close runner-up for convenience is OLLY — since its saffron supplement is in gummy form, you don’t need to have a drink on hand to take it.

And when it comes to ease of purchasing (or making repeat purchases), almost all of our picks, except Nutricost, let you customize your subscription delivery frequency. This makes them equally convenient for keeping yourself well stocked.

We’ve put together a chart to help you quickly identify and compare the most important qualities of our top saffron supplements.

Additionally, we put together a comparison of pill sizes from all of our top picks (aside from OLLY’s saffron, which is a gummy).

As you can see, Vimerson Health’s pill size is the largest of our picks. This is likely from the inclusion of four other ingredients. And while Youtheory has the smallest capsules, you do need to take two per dose, unlike those from Nutricost and Pure Micronutrients.

Saffron is a valuable spice used in cooking and as a supplement. If you’ve ever tried to buy saffron at the grocery store, you know that it costs dramatically more than other spices. (Depending on the quality, a pound costs anywhere between $500 and $5,000.)

Saffron comes specifically from the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) flower, and its high price is due to the intricacies of its harvest and production. The long, red, pollen-collecting stigmas in the center of the flower (called threads) are collected and dried to produce saffron powder. Saffron flowers are harvested during a brief window of 3-4 weeks every year and must be gathered before or right after sunrise because direct heat from the sun can damage the stigma. Each flower grows three stigmas that must be gathered and dried for 12 hours.

Because the flowers are so delicate, mechanical collection is not an option; they must be harvested by hand. It takes over 75,000 flowers and about 200 hours of work to make one pound of saffron powder.1

Beyond its uses in the kitchen, saffron has been used for many years in Ayurvedic medicine to treat physical and mental issues, including:

• Low sex drive
• Memory issues
• Mood disorders

And though they may not be the first thing you think of when you hear “herbal supplement,” saffron supplements are becoming increasingly popular because of their unexpected accessibility and wide range of potential benefits.

Saffron contains dozens of compounds that work together to provide health benefits, but four stand out as the most important:

• Crocin
• Crocetin
• Picrocrocin
• Safranal

Crocin is responsible for saffron's red-orange color and safranal determines its smell. You might see some saffron supplements standardized by how much of these compounds they contain (e.g., our picks from Vimerson Health and Nutricost are standardized by safranal content). Picrocrocin, the compound most responsible for saffron's flavor, is an indicator of authenticity because it's found exclusively in saffron flowers. And crocetin is an interesting carotenoid that scientists are studying for what appear to be its antitumor and cancer-prevention effects.

These compounds may help impart a variety of health benefits, such as:

More human studies are needed, as the doses used in rats are often close to or beyond what’s considered a safe dose for humans (about 1,000mg or more).40 Based on the general lack of human studies, it’s hard to tell exactly how saffron might work in practice, but promising research continues. In the meantime, based on the study results available now, the most practical applications of saffron appear to be:

• As an adjuvant or second-line antidepressant drug for mild depression and PMS44
• Slowing progression of macular degeneration45
• Fighting erectile dysfunction (ED)26

In the chart below, we dive a little deeper into the most thoroughly studied applications of saffron for health. It's important to remember that, even in these contexts, we don’t recommend considering saffron as a substitute for standard prescription treatments.

There are several other areas that saffron may influence but are either less conclusive or require more caveats than the conditions above. Most of these have to do with metabolic syndromes and systemic inflammation, which is tricky because medical experts don’t have a complete understanding of how the mechanics of systemic inflammation work yet.

Some other uses — like the fact that 20mg of saffron daily has lowered hyperactive (but not inattentive) symptoms in children with ADHD better than Ritalin, or saffron’s potential role in decreasing Alzheimer’s symptoms — are just starting to be investigated but show promise.27 28 And some outcomes marketed by supplement companies are actually potential side effects that can be spun into positives, like weight loss from appetite suppression and improved mood. All this goes to show there’s still a lot to be discovered through researching saffron supplements.

With all of saffron’s potential effects, it's tempting to think of the spice as a miracle product, but keep your expectations tempered. Most of the studies, while promising, involve small populations of people, and not all of them have consistent results. There’s a lot more research that needs to be done, and supplements can’t cure, treat, prevent, or diagnose any conditions.

Note: Some saffron supplements advertise themselves as being better for specific concerns, such as mood or weight loss. Unless they contain other ingredients — such as ashwagandha, zinc, or curcumin (the main compound in turmeric) — there’s no way to target individual problems with saffron alone.

How to take a saffron supplement

Generally, saffron supplements provide a dose of 20-100mg per day. Most successful studies use 30mg of saffron in two 15mg doses (one in the morning, one in the evening), but a lot of saffron supplements contain about 88.5mg of saffron. That’s more than studies find is necessary to work, but it isn’t enough to cause negative effects by a long shot (you’d need to take at least 1,000mg to be at risk).

Generally, mood-enhancing and eye health improvements start with lower doses around 30mg/day,44 45 while higher doses are necessary if you’re targeting things like ED and hypertension.26 46 For example, the dose used in rats for hypertension would be about 2,500mg per day for a 170lb person, and human trials for ED found that 15mg of saffron twice per day helped a little, but 200mg had the biggest impact. Note, however, that studies yield good results less consistently when they’re targeting concerns that require those higher doses.

If you have a condition that causes significant daily disruptions related to your mood, eyesight, or inflammation but aren’t sure if you’re ready to try a traditional pharmaceutical treatment, saffron may be a reasonable alternative.

For example, If you’re living with macular degeneration, a saffron supplement may be a particularly useful tool in your arsenal alongside regular eye exams, not smoking, and managing your blood pressure. One study found that a genetic predisposition didn’t make a difference in receptiveness to saffron for early-stage age-related macular degeneration; all participants experienced improved visual processing speeds while taking 20mg of saffron daily.83 It won’t prevent macular degeneration — saffron supplements tend to work better for people already experiencing symptoms, and, being supplements, they won’t cure, treat, or diagnose the disease — but it may improve your quality of life.

Likewise, if you’re one of the 80% of people with PMS or PMDD who reported they’d rather try a supplement than a prescription antidepressant or contraceptive, saffron may be a good place to start.84 It shows about the same level of efficacy as Prozac (fluoxetine) in clinical studies but with fewer adverse side effects, and it’s better for targeting bloating and abdominal and breast soreness. Saffron supplements have roughly the same effectiveness as Prozac for people with mild depression, too, but they aren’t something we’d recommend for people with more severe depression or other mood disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder).

There’s also some evidence that saffron might be able to support blood sugar regulation in the long term. Most studies conclude that participants’ day-to-day blood sugar evens out after at least 12 weeks of daily saffron use, but it doesn’t seem to lower HbA1c levels, so don’t expect it to steer you away from type 2 diabetes. (If you’re looking for something that might be able to do both, we suggest looking into berberine or inositol.)

With all that said, before you try a saffron supplement, reach out to your doctor to ensure it’s going to be safe for you.

Antioxidant and anti-cancer effects

Since saffron contains several antioxidants, it may work in tandem with a healthy lifestyle to decrease the risk of cellular damage and its corresponding health problems. However, while antioxidants in our food are particularly good at fighting free radicals, the NIH reports that most clinical studies find general antioxidant supplements don’t work how we’d expect.47 Antioxidants tend to work best when paired with other compounds found in the original fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It’s a complicated relationship, but taking something like a saffron supplement with antioxidant properties isn’t likely to cause harm as long as it isn’t replacing a healthy diet or medical care.

If you’re exposed to more oxidative stress than the average person, you might still find benefit from increasing your antioxidant intake, either from your diet or something like a saffron supplement. Many of the biggest contributors to oxidative stress should be no surprise:48

• Environmental pollution from living in a major city
• Smoking cigarettes
• Eating a diet high in saturated fats, carbohydrates, and sugar
• Drinking a significant amount of alcohol
• Experiencing chronic stress

Additionally, taking a saffron supplement is not a replacement for cancer treatment and won’t keep you from getting cancer. It may mitigate some effects of oxidative damage and improve your overall cellular health, but supplements aren’t a replacement for life-saving medical care. It could support your overall health while undergoing cancer treatment, but speak with your oncologist before you start taking a saffron supplement to make sure it’s safe for you.

Saffron is generally safe to take for healthy adults. If taken as directed, it produces very few side effects. The few you might run into are mild and include:

• Drowsiness
• Stomach issues
• Nausea
• Vomiting

These side effects should subside in a few days; if they don’t, stop taking your saffron supplement and reach out to your doctor immediately. If you’re allergic to rye, olives, Salsola plants (including Russian thistle), or, of course, saffron, you shouldn’t take a saffron supplement.

Taking more than 1,000mg (or 1g) of saffron may induce more side effects, including toxicity and poisoning. But it’s pretty difficult to find a saffron supplement that offers more than 100mg per serving, and for a good reason. Apart from the higher risks of adverse reactions at higher doses and increased expenses, there’s very little scientific evidence that positive effects scale with dosage. For example, one study looking at ED found that 200mg of saffron for ten days significantly improved ED symptoms, but so did a study that used 30mg per day for four weeks.26 And studies, in general, typically find the most success with about 30mg per day.

In addition to the risk of side effects, a few health conditions may make saffron supplementation dangerous for you:

• Diabetes or hypoglycemia
• Low blood pressure
• Bipolar disorder

There are also some interactions to be aware of. Saffron may interact with sedatives to cause more pronounced drowsiness and slow down breathing, and you should stop taking saffron before any major surgery involving anesthesia to prevent further effects on your nervous system beyond the anesthetic.

Meanwhile, on the stimulant side, saffron may affect how you metabolize caffeine, causing it to be broken down more slowly and consequently increasing the chances that you experience side effects of caffeine consumption, like caffeine jitters.49

If you’re pregnant or trying to conceive, it’s recommended you avoid saffron supplements. Some research indicates saffron could interfere with fetal development.40 50 While the research isn’t conclusive yet (and most of it’s been performed in mice and frogs), it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your baby’s health.

If you want your child to try a saffron supplement, stick to one designed expressly for children: it’s generally safe, but children often need lower doses than adult formulas provide. And if you're breastfeeding, exercise caution and speak to your doctor before proceeding with saffron supplementation. In fact, no matter how safe any supplement seems, you should always speak to a medical professional before trying it.

Best for most people

Pure Micronutrients Saffron Extract is our top pick because of its simple ingredients, safety measures, and customer-friendly policies. This saffron supplement has 88.5mg of pure saffron as its only ingredient. It’s free from sugar, GMOs, and common allergens like gluten, dairy, wheat, nuts, soy, and eggs. And Pure Micronutrients’ supplements are kosher certified and vegan friendly.

When it comes to quality and safety testing, Pure Micronutrients (like Vimerson Health, OLLY, and Nutricost) uses an independent third party. Moreover, Pure Micronutrients’ products are manufactured in a GMP-compliant, ISO/IEC 17025-certified lab in the U.S. Though all of our top picks are produced in GMP-compliant environments, the fact that Pure Micronutrients is ISO/IEC 17025 further assures us of product safety, as it “enables laboratories to demonstrate that they operate competently and generate valid results.”86

The company’s customer-friendly policies are evident in the flexibility it offers in taking the supplement. Specifically, Pure Micronutrients notes that its capsules can be easily opened and the contents mixed into a food or drink of your choice. We tested this and found that, yes, the capsules were easier to open than the others, and the powder didn’t spill everywhere. (Vimerson’s, on the other hand, made a bit of a mess.) If you’ve ever had to open a capsule, you probably know it’s not always the easiest thing to manage, so we appreciate the inclusive touch that can benefit those who can’t or don’t want to swallow pills. (By the way, such heightened accessibility is also part of why we recommend OLLY’s gummies.)

Some customer reviews have mentioned that Pure Micronutrients Saffron Extract Capsules have a bit of a bad aftertaste, but this could be due to saffron’s complex flavor profile (especially in large or concentrated amounts). Our testers didn’t personally have complaints about the flavor, but research shows some people can be more sensitive tasters than others.80

Price

Each bottle of Pure Micronutrients’ saffron gives you a two-month supply of its single-capsule doses. You can purchase your bottles one at a time or subscribe to have them shipped to you every 30, 60, or 90 days (60 days makes the most sense in this case). A one-time purchase will cost you $24.97, while a subscription takes 10% off and brings your price down to $22.47. If your purchase is over $60, then shipping is free; otherwise, it’s $4.95.

Pure Micronutrients’ saffron is also available, at the same price points, from the company’s Amazon store, where you can also get free shipping.

When you purchase directly from Pure Micronutrients, your purchase is covered by the company’s lifetime guarantee. If you’re unsatisfied with the product for any reason, you can ship it back to Pure Micronutrients for free (the company covers return shipping), and you’ll receive your choice of either an exchange or your full money back. This is similar to the refund policy from Nutricost, except Nutricost keeps what you paid for shipping and handling; Pure Micronutrients doesn’t.

Best budget pick

If budget is a top concern, we recommend Nutricost Saffron Extract Capsules because one bottle contains 240 capsules (an eight-month supply) for only $26.95. It’s the least expensive supplement on our list, but the low price doesn’t mean it’s a low-quality product. The capsules contain the same 88.5mg dose of saffron as found in Pure Micronutrients and Vimerson Health. (Vimerson technically lists its dose as 89mg, but all of the included ingredients appear to be rounded up to the next whole number.)

Nutricost’s saffron supplement, similar to Pure Micronutrients’, is free of gluten, soy, and GMOs. It doesn’t appear to contain any animal-derived ingredients but is still listed as vegetarian, not vegan. It could be vegan friendly, but without the confirmation you should proceed with caution or choose a saffron supplement that explicitly declares itself so — like those from Pure Micronutrients or Youtheory.

As with all of our other top picks, Nutricost uses GMP-compliant facilities to manufacture its products. And while there used to be a lack of information on Nutricost’s testing procedures, the company has since become more forthcoming with this information, revealing that it does indeed utilize an independent third party for its testing. (You can find this information on its website and on the supplement bottle itself.)

When it comes to taking the supplement, Nutricost’s capsules are about the same size as Pure Micronutrients’. Both are single-capsule doses and easy to swallow. Our testers had no issues taking Nutricost’s saffron.

Price

One bottle of Nutricost’s saffron is $26.95, but subscribing for monthly deliveries takes 20% off and brings the price down to $21.56. This is the best subscription discount out of our top picks, with the runner-ups being OLLY and Youtheory (each takes 15% off subscriptions). Nutricost offers free shipping on orders over $59 to the U.S. Otherwise, standard shipping is about $7 (more for UPS Ground or Next Day Air, which vary in cost depending on your location).

Something disappointing about Nutricost’s subscription plan, however, is that it’s only available in 30-day increments. All of our other top recommendations allow you to customize your delivery frequency. A monthly delivery might be particularly convenient for a supplement with a 30-day supply, but Nutricost’s saffron offers eight months' worth of pills.

Receiving Nutricost’s saffron each month means you’ll wind up with quite the excess inventory — especially if only one person is taking the supplement. You can modify or cancel your subscription at any time (as with our other picks), but needing to remember to resume your subscription every eight months may squash the convenience of a subscription in the first place. However, Nutricost’s subscription option is relatively new, so it may evolve over time (or so we hope).

On the topic of returns and refunds, Nutricost’s policy is similar to that of Pure Micronutrients. If you’re unsatisfied with your purchase for any reason, you can receive your money back (minus shipping and handling costs) if you reach out to the company within 60 days of your order. Although Pure Micronutrients’ policy is a bit more forgiving — there’s no time limit, and you receive all of your money back — Nutricost’s is still generous. In comparison, Youtheory only accepts returns of unopened products, meaning you can’t try them first, and (if your supplement is unopened) you’ll have to pay $14.99 for return shipping.

Best for mood

Youtheory Saffron, designed specifically to promote relaxation and help even out your mood, contains the following ingredients in each two-capsule serving:

• Saffron extract (Affron): 28mg
• Ashwagandha extract (Sensoril): 150mg
• Rhodiola rosea root extract: 350mg

The chart below breaks down how these three ingredients may benefit your mental health.

It’s worth noting that ashwagandha contains a decent amount of oligosaccharides (a simple carbohydrate that humans can’t digest very well, if at all).58 They can act as a probiotic, but for people who have IBS or IBD or those who require a low-FODMAP diet, ashwagandha should probably be avoided.

Additionally, the ashwagandha dose in Youtheory’s saffron supplement is on the low end. Many ashwagandha supplements contain about 225mg-600mg of the plant, which aligns with successful clinical studies.29 59 The 150mg here may still give you some mood-boosting effects, but it might be less evident than a stronger dose.

However, the saffron and Rhodiola rosea extract doses are well formulated; the aforementioned 2020 review of Rhodiola rosea studies found that the most successful research used between 150mg and 200mg of the herb once daily,30 and others show that saffron seems to work for most people at around 30mg daily.44 (Youtheory does have the lowest dose of saffron out of our top picks, followed closely by OLLY.)

Also, the brand of saffron Youtheory uses, Affron, has been analyzed in several different clinical studies. Results suggested Affron may help with menopausal symptoms, sleep quality, evening melatonin production, and mood in both adults and teens.60 Of course, any studies funded by the company that produces the product being studied have the potential to be skewed by bias, but the outcomes are still interesting.

On another note, we feel that Youtheory could definitely use a much smaller bottle for its saffron supplement. Upon opening it, we initially thought it wasn’t properly filled all the way. This wasn’t the case — all of the pills were there — it’s just that the company just uses a bottle that’s far too large, to the point that it feels like a bit of a waste.

On the plus side, Youtheory has the smallest capsules out of our top picks, so they’re the easiest to swallow (though Pure Micronutrients’ and Nutricost’s capsules aren’t exactly difficult to swallow). They don’t have any strange aftertastes, either.

Pricing

One bottle of Youtheory’s saffron supplements (60 capsules, or a 30-day supply) costs $36.99 if you purchase it once. Alternatively, you can join Youtheory’s subscription program to save 15% (dropping the price to $31.44) and get a new bottle every 30 or 60 days. The company has recently increased the discount savings from 10%, which is a nice improvement. This makes it equivalent to OLLY’s subscription discount.

Youtheory’s shipping costs and return policy are where the company falls short. Previously, the company charged shipping based on how much product you ordered, where you’re located, and how quickly you wanted your package to arrive; the cost could be anywhere from $3 to $50. In the past year, Youtheory has gotten rid of this program, instead opting for a flat shipping rate. Ordering just one bottle of the saffron blend now means you’ll pay a whopping $14.99 for standard shipping or $19.99 for express. That’s half the price of the supplement or more.

To qualify for free shipping, you’ll need to purchase $40 or more ($19 less than the threshold for free shipping from Nutricost.) However, you can get free shipping on Youtheory Saffron by ordering via Amazon as part of an order of $25 or more. This makes one bottle, at a normal cost, eligible for free shipping.

If you purchase directly from Youtheory, you can return any unopened product within 30 days of purchase for a “full refund,” but you won’t get your shipping fees refunded, and you’ll have to pay another $14.99 for return shipping. That means that if you order one bottle of saffron from Youtheory and have to return it, you’ll end up getting, at most, $7.01 back. It’s better than nothing, but not by much. Overall, Youtheory’s policy pales greatly in comparison to our other top picks, especially Pure Micronutrients.

Easiest to take

OLLY’s Hello Happy Gummy Worms are citrus-flavored supplements that contain 50mcg (2,000IU) of vitamin D and 30mg of saffron (and taste very good, according to our testers). While there are currently no studies showing any direct benefits of combining vitamin D and saffron, both ingredients may help to reduce inflammation as well as support brain health.43 61 62 63 Additionally, vitamin D deficiency affects nearly one billion people worldwide, including 35% of U.S. adults, so supplementation may very well be beneficial.64

Each bottle of OLLY’s Hello Happy supplement contains 60 gummies for a total of 30 servings — each serving is two gummies. This is the same serving size as the saffron supplements from Vimerson Health and Youtheory. Only Nutricost and Pure Micronutrients have single-item servings.

Part of the convenience of OLLY’s gummies comes from not needing a drink on hand to get your daily saffron; for most people, eating a couple of these soft-textured gummy worms should be easier than swallowing a pill. However, if you or a loved one have difficulty with gummies, then Pure Micronutrients’ easy-to-open capsules might be the better option.

OLLY’s gummies are the only one of our top choices that isn’t vegetarian or vegan friendly, as they contain gelatin. But we do appreciate that they contain no artificial flavors or colors, especially since some evidence suggests artificial dyes may have links to various health concerns, though more research is needed.65

Price

OLLY’s Hello Happy Gummy Worms come in either a 30-serving bottle or a 45-serving refill pouch. Both options can be bought as one-time purchases or on a subscription basis. Subscriptions can be delivered every one, two, or three months. The chart below breaks down the pricing.

For subscriptions, OLLY’s delivery intervals are the same as those offered by Pure Micronutrients, so both brands are the most flexible in that regard. Vimerson Health and Youtheory only offer one- and two-month intervals, and Nutricost only has monthly deliveries.

Shipping from OLLY is free for orders over $59. Otherwise, it’s $6.99 for express two-day shipping (the only available option).

The company’s return policy only applies to products purchased directly from the OLLY website. If you’re unhappy with your purchase for any reason, OLLY will refund your full purchase price if you return the product within 30 days of ordering. While the return window is shorter, this policy is quite similar to Nutricost’s and Pure Micronutrients’.

Best for cognition support

Vimerson Health’s saffron supplement includes several ingredients that may work alongside saffron to reduce inflammation — namely, turmeric,66 cinnamon,67 and cardamom.68 Each two-capsule dose delivers the following quantities:

• Turmeric: 1,000mg
• Saffron extract: 89mg
• Cardamom: 50mg
• Cinnamon: 50mg
• BioPerine (black pepper extract): 10mg

Both curcumin (the active compound in turmeric) and cinnamon might help alleviate some symptoms of cognitive impairment,69 70 while cardamom may regulate oxidative stress and protect against free radicals.71 As for black pepper extract, it has been shown to potentially increase the bioavailability (or absorption) of certain other ingredients, particularly turmeric.72 None of our other recommendations include such ingredients.

Many of the potential benefits were found in animal studies, however, so you may or may not experience the same effects. We look forward to seeing more human trials on these botanical ingredients in the future.

One bottle of this supplement provides you with a 30-day supply, like nearly all of our other top picks (the exception being Nutricost, which offers an eight-month supply).

Of note, Vimerson’s capsules are the largest among our top picks, and you need to take two per dose (similar to Youtheory). While they aren’t the biggest we’ve ever seen, they may be a bit more difficult to take than smaller alternatives. One tester reported they needed a good few mouthfuls of water before they could swallow.

Price

Each bottle of Vimerson Health’s saffron supplement costs $22.87 for a one-time purchase or $21.73 through the company’s subscription plan (for deliveries every one or two months). The 5% subscription discount is the lowest offered by our top picks. However, Vimerson Health is the only company mentioned to have free standard shipping available on all orders. And, if you spend over $50, it becomes free expedited shipping (unfortunately, this option isn’t available for those in Alaska or Hawaii).

In terms of returns and refunds, Vimerson Health offers a one-time satisfaction guarantee. If you’re unhappy with your purchase for any reason, the company will refund your money (including shipping) and provide you with a free bottle of any other supplement of your choice. The deal is available only once per customer, but it could be a good option for those who wish to try the supplement but aren’t completely sure whether they’ll like it. Pure Micronutrients offers similar flexibility, however, and that company’s offer doesn’t expire.

The supplements mentioned below didn’t make our list of top picks for one reason or another, but their unique perks might still appeal to you.

BrainMD Happy Saffron Plus

Each three-capsule serving of BrainMD Happy Saffron Plus contains zinc (20mg), curcumin (400mg), and, like Youtheory, Affron-brand saffron (30mg). It’s also vegan friendly and free of many common allergens, including dairy, gluten, wheat, yeast, eggs, and corn. However, there are trace amounts of soy in this supplement.

BrainMD’s saffron is more expensive than any other option on our list. A one-time purchase of a single bottle costs $51.45 — a little over double the cost of a bottle of Pure Micronutrients’ saffron. The company’s subscription model is fairly unique, as well. Deliveries can be every month, 45 days, two months, or three months. And subscribing for 1-2 bottles nets you a 15% discount, 3-5 gets you 20% off, and six or more saves 25%.

Something we appreciate about BrainMD is that the company offers a seven-day free trial for its supplements, saffron included (you just pay for shipping). However, you will be automatically enrolled in a subscription if you forget to cancel before the trial is up.

Life Extension Optimized Saffron

Similar to Pure Micronutrients and Nutricost, Life Extension’s Optimized Saffron only contains saffron (88.25mg) as its star ingredient. The company claims that its particular brand of saffron, Satiereal, can eliminate cravings and help you lose weight, but research paints a more complicated picture. Studies on Satiereal show fairly positive outcomes, though any study funded by the manufacturer of the product has the potential for bias.31 Studies on saffron itself have shown mixed results for its effects on appetite — some show a decrease while others have resulted in an increase.73 74 Until more research is done on the subject, it doesn’t feel right for Life Extension to claim its supplement can help you “achieve your weight management goals.”

This gluten-free, non-GMO, vegetarian supplement comes with 60 one-capsule doses for a one-time purchase price of $27.00. If you subscribe, you’ll get free shipping and receive 11% off, bringing the price down to $24.00. Life Extension’s shipping frequency is more flexible compared to our top picks, allowing you to receive the supplement anywhere from every 1-12 months.

Saffron supplements aren’t going to work for everyone, and many of the herb’s potential health advantages require more research to determine whether or not they might actually be of benefit. Luckily, for all of saffron’s potential perks, there are other options that may work just as well, depending on your situation. In this section, we delve into some possible alternatives.

To get more antioxidants

If you’re looking for more antioxidants in your diet, the best alternative is to add more of them to your diet. Indeed, since antioxidants are best absorbed and used alongside other compounds and chemicals present in food, eating antioxidant-rich foods is the optimal route of administration. Some antioxidant-rich foods include:75

If your diet isn’t something you can easily change, you might want to try a greens powder. They’re more expensive than saffron supplements — most of our favorites range from $87 to $99 for a one-month supply — but provide antioxidants within their natural contexts (instead of from a capsule).

You can learn more in our guide to the best greens powder.

For depression, PMS, and PMDD

There are several types of supplements that studies have shown can support depression, PMS, and PMDD — either altogether or independently.

Since the 1990s, studies have repeatedly shown that vitamin B6 and vitamin E can improve PMS symptoms, especially pain and soreness.32 33 And a 2022 literature review found that deficiencies in omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin B6, and iron can all contribute to PMS and PMDD symptoms.34

If you menstruate, you need more iron than someone who doesn’t, and not getting enough — like many vegans and vegetarians — may lead to an iron deficiency. Luckily, omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin B6, and iron all come in relatively inexpensive and easy-to-find supplement forms. A good multivitamin should easily meet your nutrient needs while also supporting your overall health for about the same price as a saffron supplement, which is much more niche and less critical for your day-to-day life.

Fish oil and other omega-3-rich supplements also seem to improve depression symptoms across several studies.35 So do vitamin D (with which deficiencies are correlated with higher rates of depression) and B vitamins (especially vitamin B12).36 Additionally, a 2017 meta-analysis found that St. John’s wort may be just as good as prescription antidepressants in alleviating mild to moderate depression symptoms. However, you shouldn’t take St. John’s wort if you have a more severe form of depression, are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or take other supplements or prescriptions that increase your serotonin levels.37

Some other supplements you may want to consider include:

• S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe)
• Methylfolate
• N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

Of course, most medical experts still recommend SSRIs (such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and Paxil) as the first step in treating unmanageable PMS, PMDD, and depression at any stage. If these conditions interfere with your day-to-day life, don’t be afraid to reach out to your doctor. Aside from prescribing an SSRI, they may have other ideas for supplements that could work better for you based on your health history.

For eye health

The carotenoids found in saffron supplements show great promise for supporting eye health and may slow the progression of macular degeneration. However, plenty of supplements can support your eyesight in general, and others have equally specific potential benefits.

If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, krill oil supplements may be an alternative. Not only do they contain large amounts of healthy omega-3s, which may support eye health, but shrimp get their classic red-pink pigment from astaxanthin — a carotenoid found to be 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C and 100 times stronger than vitamin E without containing the same negative side effects as other antioxidants and carotenoids.38 Most krill oil supplements cost around $30 per month — roughly as much as a saffron supplement — but you can get Costco-brand Kirkland Signature krill oil supplements for a mere $0.16 per serving.