Benefits of Saffron for Eyes and More [New Research]

Saffron is a spice with a long history, and has been used since the time of Ancient Greece (some sources say it was even used before then). It’s collected from the small golden stigmas from the inside of the autumn crocus flower. At various times in history, the spice was worth its weight in gold! It’s been used as a perfume, in cooking and baking, and medicinally for thousands of years.

Saffron is still used in various recipes that we eat today, but beyond food, research has found several health benefits from using saffron extracts- two of the benefits I’ve been most impressed with are its uses for boosting mood and also for the eyes.

Saffron has been used by many for general eye health for a long time. Just this past month, however, I came across a couple studies that really surprised me, and convinced me to start taking saffron daily.

There are many supplements that can help to preserve eyesight and prevent vision problems, but I had not come across anything that had been found to actually improve eyesight, but that is what the two studies I read about were saying about saffron.

One of the studies found that participants who took 20mg of saffron were able to improve the light sensing cells in their eye’s retina in people with early age related macular degeneration, and that after three months of taking saffron were able to read one entire additional line on an eye chart! I have terrible eyesight, so I know how significant being able to read one more line on an eye chart is. Even more impressively, the scientists tested the long term benefits of saffron, and found that after an average of 14 months, those patients with early macular degeneration were able to read two lines further on an eye chart than they had at the beginning of the study.

The amounts used in the study were a normal dose of saffron that could be found in one pill- I mention that because some studies use amounts of a supplement in unrealistic doses that most people would not be able to take without swallowing handfuls of pills.

Age related macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss in people over 50. Other supplements beneficial for eye health and macular degeneration are lutein and zeaxanthin. I wouldn’t recommend stopping those supplements in favor of saffron, but would suggest adding saffron to your daily regimen.

Another impressive benefit that scientists have found of saffron is its benefit for mood and for helping mild to moderate depression. An analysis of 12 studies on saffron and depression found saffron to be significantly more effective that a placebo and as effective as synthetic antidepressants for mild to moderate depression. For boosting mood, a typical dose is around 30mg of saffron per day, and in most people results were seen after about six weeks, though benefits may be felt sooner.

Saffron is a potent antioxidant with a long safety record, so I’d definitely recommend giving it a try. We have saffron available in supplement form at Pass Health Foods by itself, or in a product with ashwaganda- another herb that has been used for thousands of years that has many benefits- particularly for stress and anxiety. The product with saffron and ashwaganda is by the brand Solgar, called Stress & Anxiety Relief. That’s the one I’ve been using, since it has the daily recommended amounts of both saffron and ashwaganda in one tablet. Since it’s one we really recommend, we have it on sale for 25% off every day.

The Effects of Low Dopamine Levels

Our bodies are so interesting, and it’s so fascinating how different chemicals produced in the brain affect our mood and outlook on life. Our individual brain chemistry is affected by many different factors, and when we don’t have enough of certain neurotransmitters, if our body isn’t making enough, it can really affect us, often being experienced as depression or anxiety.

I’m glad that the stigma against mental health issues has been changing in the past number of years. For the majority of people, depression and mental health problems are the result of imbalances in the naturally produced chemicals in the brain, through no fault of their own. Natural products or pharmaceuticals that help to remedy or boost those mood enhancing neurotransmitters can really help.

Of course I’d recommend trying natural products first, but sometimes a prescription might be needed, and that‘s fine, it’s important to do what’s best for your health. I’d recommend natural products first because they are generally free from side effects and can be stopped at any time without causing a problem (you need to be careful with many pharmaceuticals for depression, it’s not recommended that you just stop taking those drugs abruptly without a doctor’s recommendation).

The two main “feel good” neurotransmitters in the brain are serotonin and dopamine. Both are critical for proper brain function and mood. Serotonin is a little more involved with how we process emotions, whereas dopamine is also involved with mood, but it’s more focused on feelings of wellbeing, pleasure, and motivation.

For boosting serotonin, the amino acid 5-HTP as well as the herb saffron can be helpful and effective. 5-HTP has also been researched for helping with reducing stress and migraines in addition to helping with boosting mood. 5-HTP is not recommended to be used along with certain prescription antidepressants since it works in a similar way.

For dopamine levels, things can be a little trickier. When we are young, the body produces abundant amounts of dopamine in the brain, which is why many of us look back on childhood as a carefree time. As we age, our levels of dopamine are reduced. By age 45 our natural dopamine levels are reduced by roughly 13% for each decade that passes. Low amounts of dopamine in the brain translate to a lower sense of wellbeing. Drugs like cocaine and opioids give the brain a rush of dopamine, which is part of why they are so addictive. Similarly, cigarette smoking also gives a dopamine rush, which is why they are so difficult to quit. Dopamine is involved with our reward system and addictive behaviors, and low dopamine levels in the brain can make it even more likely for those people to seek out risky behaviors to feel that rush or increase in dopamine in the brain.

I am certainly not advocating any of the things above, but rather am just trying to explain how dopamine works. There are supplements that can boost dopamine, but I would not recommend them due to side effects (which is why we don’t carry them at our store). There is a natural supplement I would recommend, however,  that is involved with our bodies levels of dopamine, but it does it in a different way than just artificially increasing dopamine (which I don’t think is  a good idea).

Recent research has found that a plant known as the Amur cork tree works to inhibit an enzyme in our body that depletes dopamine levels in the brain, called MAO-B (it has a longer name, but let’s just call it that). It’s an herb that’s been used safely for centuries in Asia, but now science is confirming its wide reaching benefits, including its ability to help stabilize dopamine levels in the brain. Unlike things (primarily negative like drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol) that temporarily boost dopamine levels in the brain, extracts of the Amur cork tree, known as Phellodendron amurense, work to naturally increase overall levels of dopamine in the brain to levels comparable to when a person was younger, before the MAO-B enzyme levels increased that lower our brain’s amounts of available dopamine. That plant extract is not well known in America, but we’ve found a product by Life Extension that is a good source of it called Dopamine Advantage.

In addition to helping with higher overall dopamine levels in the brain, inhibiting the MAO-B enzyme in the body can also have brain protective effects.

There are prescription drugs that influence that dopamine enzyme that have been used for many years as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease (patients with Parkinson’s disease can have extremely low dopamine levels, in fact, low dopamine levels are thought to be one of the contributing factors in Parkinson’s disease). The Dopamine Advantage supplement I mentioned above works in a similar way, but naturally. Another nice thing is that the recommended amounts to be found effective in research is available in just one pill a day, and it’s also very reasonably priced (we have it for sale for $13.99 for a month’s supply- I love it when companies don’t price gouge, especially when they have a unique supplement that’s not found many places).

Please stop by Pass Health Foods for more information or if you have any questions. Everyone is different in their individual needs, and especially for issues like depression and anxiety, it’s not always “one size fits all”. Luckily, there are a lot of natural products that can really make a difference, and we are extremely knowledgeable about the various supplements for boosting mood and reducing stress and anxiety.

Supplement Spotlight: Irwin Naturals Sunny Mood

December can be a month of wonder and joy, but for many it can also be a time of stress, sadness, and depression, due to a combination of the holidays and the darkening days of winter where it may feel like you hardly see the sun.

Because of this, I wanted to write about a fantastic supplement we have at the store that we love, it’s Sunny Mood by Irwin Naturals.  It is an amazing combination of herbs and supplements that help to boost mood, relieve depression and melancholia, and also help with stress and anxiety.  Sunny Mood even won an award for being one of the best supplements of 2015 by Better Nutrition Magazine.

It is a very unique blend; in fact I have never seen all of the ingredients in one formula before finding Sunny Mood.  I have heard of a number of our customers who feel they can see a difference as soon as the first week in taking it, with increasing benefits in the second and third week.

Another thing I like about Sunny Mood is that it is helpful for boosting mood and reducing anxiety and stress, but without you feeling out, sleepy or “drugged”.  I’ve even heard from customers that in addition to a better mood, they have found themselves feeling less annoyed and slower to irritation- which can be helpful if you’re anywhere near La Grange Road this month! 

We’re having Irwin Natural’s Sunny Mood on sale this December for 25% off, so I’d really recommend trying it this month, since just about everyone would benefit from a “sunnier mood” during this holiday season!

Help for Stress Free Holidays

This month’s focus is on having a happy, healthy, and stress-free December. The holidays are a time of togetherness and love, but it can also be a time of heightened stress, anxiety, and depression for many. There are a number of very effective natural products which can help each of us to make it through these weeks in a calmer, more positive state.

Theanine for Anxiety

All of us at the store view theanine as one of the best supplements there is for stress and anxiety. It works best when taken on a regular basis, but is also very effective when taken occasionally for a circumstance that you know is going to be stressful (Christmas dinner, anyone?). It works by helping the brain to produce alpha brain waves, which encourages a state of calm, restful alertness. One of the best things about theanine is that unlike many other things for stress and anxiety, it will not cause drowsiness. I think theanine is one of those supplements we could all use this month.

5-HTP for Mood

5-HTP is an amino acid that’s great for giving yourself a mood boost. It works by increasing serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is known as the “feel good neurotransmitter”. Research has shown it to be as effective as prescription antidepressants, but without the side effects. Interestingly, other research has found that 5-HTP can help with weight loss, particularly “stress eating”, most likely due to its relaxing and mood boosting properties. The one caution would be not to mix 5-HTP with prescription antidepressants in the class known as SSRIs (Prozac for example) since they work similarly in the body.

SAMe for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or comes into full swing for many people during this month, since the days are the shortest they will ever be. Supplementing with extra vitamin D can be helpful (and really, everyone should be taking extra D in the winter), but the supplement we’ve found to be most effective for SAD is SAMe (pronounced “Sammy”). It works by enhancing feel good neurotransmitters and helping to maintain the proper structure of cell membranes. SAMe is nice because its effects can be felt very quickly, for most people within the first week, compared to prescription antidepressants which can take weeks to gain effectiveness. SAMe also has the side benefits of helping to reduce joint pain as well as detoxifying the liver. It is very effective, and has also been found to be useful for fibromyalgia symptoms since it helps with both depression and pain.

Valerian for Extreme Stress

Valerian is best known as a sleep aid, but in lower doses it works very well for stress, in fact, it is often known as “Nature’s Valium”. Research has found valerian to be similar in effectiveness to valium, but without the side effects. One of the owners, Theresa, went through a rough time a few years ago, and found valerian to be a real help.

Ginseng for Energy

If you find that December and all the planning that goes with it has sapped your energy, ginseng may help. A warm ginseng like panax or Korean ginseng is great for giving you an extra boost. Ginseng is an adaptogen, which basically means that it helps the body to adapt to stress while easing its negative side effects. Herbs like ginseng work best when taken on an empty stomach. Interestingly, panax ginseng has also been found to have benefits for mental functioning, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction.

Immune Shield for the Immune System

Getting sick around the holidays is often a common occurrence due to increased stress and social engagements. One supplement that greatly increases the odds of staying healthy is Irwin Natural’sImmune Shield- it’s a mix of a number of very effective herbs that help the body to fight off bacteria and viruses. If you do end up getting sick, you can take a higher dose to help yourself to get better faster. We all take it at the store and find it to be very effective. Another supplement to think of is vitamin D, which also is great for the immune system. Our bodies can make vitamin D from the sun, but most Americans become deficient in the colder months since they’re only outdoors for short periods.