Comparison of the Anxiolytic Effects of Saffron (Crocus sativus. L) and Diazepam Before Herniorrhaphy Surgery: A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Anxiety is an unpleasant state of feeling agitation and pressure induced by the patient's fear of hospitalization, anesthesia or surgery. Objectives: The present study is aimed to compare the effects of dried extract of saffron and diazepam on soothing the preherniorrhaphy surgery anxiety. Patients and Methods:In this double blind clinical study, during 8 months, 102 patients were studied in 2012. all the patients in intervention group (n = 50) received 25 mg dried extract of saffron and participants in control group (n = 52) received 5 mg oral diazepam. Level of anxiety of the patients was measured using speillberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) before intervention and 3 hours after administration (immediately after entering the surgery room) filled out by the patients. The patients in the two groups were compared concerning level of anxiety before/after intervention. The two groups of participants had almost equal demographic features.

Evaluation of saffron (crocus sativus L) effects on anxiety in hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndrome

“…and Basiri-Moghadam et al . compared the effects of saffron with those of diazepam on reduction anxiety before and after urological surgery[ 11 12 ]; in their study, saffron did not reduce state anxiety, which is consistent with the results of the present study, whereas its effect on trait anxiety was significant. Differences in findings may be related to the study population.…”

A preliminary assessment of a combination of rhodiola and saffron in the management of mild–moderate depression

“… 35 – 37 An anxiolytic effect has also been reported for saffron. 22 , 38 In our study, after 6 weeks of supplementation with a combination of rhodiola and saffron, HADS anxiety scores were reduced significantly by >30%. This anxiolytic effect is particularly interesting, because the concurrent presence of a depressive disorder with prominent anxiety symptoms or an anxiety disorder is common in clinical practice.…”

Current Knowledge of the Antidepressant Activity of Chemical Compounds from Crocus sativus L.

“…Therefore, they can potentially be used as adjuvant agents in treatment of mental disorders, including depression [ 204 , 233 , 311 , 332 , 333 , 334 , 335 , 336 ]. Literature data have demonstrated in a number of in vitro, in vivo, basic and clinical trials that dried C. sativus stigmas and petals as well as their active ingredients exhibit strong antidepressant properties similar to those of the current conventional antidepressant medications from the class of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including citalopram [ 337 ], fluoxetine (Prozac) [ 338 , 339 , 340 , 341 , 342 ], and sertraline [ 343 ], as well as the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine [ 176 , 344 ] and the benzodiazepine diazepam [ 345 , 346 ]. Table 7 , Table 8 , Table 9 and Table 10 summarise the results of preclinical studies, conducted in animal models and human clinical trials, on the antidepressant effect of extracts and bioactive chemical compounds from the saffron crocus.…”