Saffron and several other plant extracts have shown early signs of easing mood-related symptoms during perimenopause, the transition around the final menstrual period when hormones and menstrual patterns change. A review in Frontiers in Nutrition brings together small trials reporting improvements with particular preparations. Frontiers in Nutrition (source, opens in new tab)
Frontiers in NutritionPlant-derived nutrition and perimenopausal emotional health: current evidence and research prioritiesOpen source (opens in new tab)
One saffron trial offers a concrete example. Researchers randomly assigned 86 perimenopausal women to take a standardised saffron extract or a placebo for 12 weeks. Among the 82 women included in the analysis, those taking saffron showed greater improvement in scores measuring psychological symptoms and negative mood. The result suggests that the tested extract may help with the emotional symptoms assessed. PubMed (source, opens in new tab)
PubMedThe Effects of a Saffron Extract (affron®) on Menopausal Symptoms in Women during Perimenopause: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled StudyOpen source (opens in new tab)
The improvement was specific to those measures: saffron did not outperform the placebo for symptoms such as hot flushes or for the broader category of physical complaints measured in the trial.
The review also describes small trials reporting psychological-symptom improvements with particular preparations of rhapontic rhubarb, fenugreek, ashwagandha and shatavari. Results were not uniformly positive: a trial of a combined Hypericum–Vitex preparation found no effect.
Understanding what was tested is essential. A standardised extract is made to contain a specified composition or amount of selected plant constituents. Its formulation and dose help define the treatment being studied, so a finding for that extract cannot simply be transferred to another supplement or to eating the plant itself.
The evidence on broader dietary patterns and many individual plant compounds is less directly relevant to this stage of life. Much of it comes from general adult populations or women at other menopausal stages, rather than trials measuring emotional-health outcomes specifically during perimenopause.
The review summarises research available through 31 July 2026. It discusses the studies rather than statistically pooling their results, and it did not formally assess whether weaknesses in study design or conduct could have distorted the findings. The trials were small and used different preparations and measures of improvement. Some also reported industry funding or product-supplier involvement; the saffron trial was funded by Pharmactive Biotech Products.
Taken together, the studies offer encouraging early evidence for particular extracts. Their size and uneven results nevertheless leave the review’s authors with insufficient evidence to recommend any specific plant-derived supplement as an established treatment for perimenopausal depression, anxiety or insomnia.
- Frontiers in Nutrition · Peer-reviewed studyPlant-derived nutrition and perimenopausal emotional health: current evidence and research prioritiesfrontiersin.org · opens in new tab
- PubMed · Peer-reviewed studyThe Effects of a Saffron Extract (affron®) on Menopausal Symptoms in Women during Perimenopause: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Studypubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · opens in new tab
