Saffron (Crocus sativus) is a herb that is known to have mood elevating effects. One of the principle active ingredients that is thought to confer these effects is crocin. The mood elevating effects of crocin and saffron have been investigated in animals models of post traumatic stress disorder, a form of anxiety disorder. Rats were exposed to experimental stress in the form of electric shocks and then administered crocin or whole saffron extracts. The electric shocks caused the rats to undergo a reduction in the normal dopamine dependent activities they perform. In addition, levels of corticosterone, the main stress hormone in animals, increased significantly. However, the extracts of saffron and crocin were able to attenuate these changes. The authors concluded that saffron extracts and crocin were effective at reducing post traumatic stress type physiological changes in the rats, and this suggests that as has been shown in other studies, crocin and saffron have significant mood elevating effects.
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