Safran Up

Safran Up brings together three active ingredients with complementary roles: 30 mg of Safr’Inside™ saffron extract, 538.6 mg of griffonia powder and 1.4 mg of vitamin B6 per daily dose of two capsules.

This combination targets several mechanisms involved in mood, managing emotional tension and nervous-system function. It can notably support periods of temporary stress, mental load, irritability or a temporary drop in mood.

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Safr’Inside™: a standardised saffron extract

Saffron comes from the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus. Used since Antiquity as a spice and traditional plant, this raw material is particularly precious: each flower produces only three stigmas, which are harvested by hand.

Drying helps develop and stabilise several characteristic compounds:

  •  crocins, carotenoid pigments responsible for saffron’s red-orange colour;
  •  picrocrocin, mainly associated with its flavour;
  •  safranal, a volatile compound contributing to its aroma.

After ingestion, some crocins are converted into crocetin and various circulating metabolites. The proposed mechanisms explaining saffron’s value for emotional balance notably concern communication between neurons, pathways using serotonin and dopamine, and the body’s response to stress.

During a stressful situation, the brain triggers a response that notably leads to the release of cortisol. This reaction is normal and useful, but it can become taxing when prolonged. Saffron supports a more balanced emotional response, without aiming to suppress the normal function of cortisol.

Safran Up provides 30 mg of Safr’Inside™ daily, a patented full-spectrum saffron extract. Produced in Europe using a process designed to preserve the different families of saffron constituents, this extract contains at least 3% crocins and 2% safranal.

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Griffonia: a plant source of 5-HTP

Griffonia simplicifolia is a plant native to West and Central Africa. Its seeds are known to naturally contain 5-hydroxytryptophan, more commonly known as 5-HTP.

5-HTP has a precise role in the body: it is the intermediate stage between tryptophan and serotonin. Serotonin is a messenger used by the nervous system and notably contributes to the regulation of mood, emotions and the stress response.

The presence of griffonia therefore provides a natural precursor in this physiological pathway. Safran Up contains 538.6 mg of griffonia powder per day.

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Vitamin B6: nervous and psychological support

Vitamin B6 acts as a cofactor for many enzymes. In its active form in the body, it notably contributes to the conversion of 5-HTP into serotonin and the synthesis of other nervous-system messengers.

The daily dose provides 1.4 mg of vitamin B6, or 100% of the nutrient reference value. In accordance with claims authorised in Europe, vitamin B6 contributes to:

  •  the normal function of the nervous system;
  •  normal psychological function;
  •  normal energy-yielding metabolism;
  •  the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

This vitamin therefore has a place in a formula intended for periods when emotional tension is accompanied by a feeling of fatigue or significant mental strain.

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Who is this product for?

Safran Up may be particularly suitable for:

  •  adults going through a period of temporary stress or mental load;
  •  people wishing to support a temporary drop in mood or greater emotional sensitivity;
  •  people prone to irritability or tension associated with a demanding pace of life;
  •  those whose fatigue accompanies a period of nervous strain;
  •  people looking for a plant-based formula intended to be taken in the morning or at midday;
  •  vegetarians and vegans.

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What does the science say?

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in the United Kingdom and published in 2021 assessed the effect of Safr’Inside™ extract on mood and the response to a stressful situation.

The researchers recruited 56 healthy women and men aged 18 to 54 who nevertheless reported a temporarily lower mood and certain signs of stress or anxiety.

For eight weeks, they randomly received:

  •  either 30 mg of Safr’Inside™ per day, as two 15 mg capsules;
  •  or two placebo capsules containing maltodextrin.

The extract studied was characterised by a content above 3% crocins and above 0.2% safranal. Participants were assessed at the start of the trial and then after 14, 28 and 56 days. A psychosocial stress test performed in the laboratory also made it possible to observe their physiological response.

After eight weeks, the group receiving saffron showed a more favourable change in the “depression” subscore of the POMS questionnaire than the placebo group. This result corresponded to a statistically significant difference at the boundary of the usual threshold: F = 4.18; p = 0.05.

An improvement in the “social relationships” domain of the WHOQOL quality-of-life questionnaire was also observed on day 56. During the stress test, the reduction in heart-rate variability was less pronounced with saffron, suggesting a more moderate physiological response to stress.

Full reference: Jackson PA, Forster J, Khan J, Pouchieu C, Dubreuil S, Gaudout D, Moras B, Pourtau L, Joffre F, Vaysse C, Bertrand K, Abrous H, Vauzour D, Brossaud J, Corcuff JB, Capuron L, Kennedy DO. Effects of Saffron Extract Supplementation on Mood, Well-Being, and Response to a Psychosocial Stressor in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel Group, Clinical Trial. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2021;7:606124. DOI 10.3389/fnut.2020.606124 — PubMed.