The Effectiveness of Crocus Sativus on the Reduction of Depressive Disorder Symptoms - Research Proposal Example

The Effectiveness of Crocus Sativus L on the Reduction of Depressive Disorder Symptoms Pia Huber The Effectiveness of Crocus Sativus L on the Reduction of Depressive Disorder Symptoms The crocus sativus L, also known as saffron, has received increase attention from researchers and novices alike, over the past few years due to its potential health benefits. A triploid form of species, originally found in Eastern Greece, saffron is a sterile plant that cannot produce seeds and is only propagated through the underground plant stem, known as the corm (Katzer, 2010). According to Katzer, saffron is cultivated today in areas of the Western Mediterranean to India (2010). There were attempts to cultivate saffron in cooler climates such as Germany starting in the 15th century but most efforts ended by the end of the 18th century due to minimal production results (2010). Saffron is used as a spice in many ethnic dishes and has a unique taste and aroma (Katzer, 2010). Saffron has unique healing properties, and for this reason is an often investigated subject of herbalists and homeopathic health professionals. Saffron was used in ancient cultures to relieve stomach pain, improve blood circulation and cure kidney stones (Isaacs, 2010). Today, saffron is used as a natural remedy for many ailments such as “inhibiting skin tumors, improving arthritis and improving eye and vision health” (2010, p. 1). The carotenoids found in saffron are believe to be responsible for many of the health benefits provided by saffron (2010). As a preventative medicine, the compound crocin found in saffron is believed by scientists to be the primary compound that promotes “learning, memory retention and recall capacity” (Isaacs, 2010, p. 1). Saffron has also been used in the treatment of the following conditions (2010): asthma menstrual pain depression atherosclerosis whooping cough Recent research also indicates that saffron may have anti-cancer properties, the ability to lower bad cholesterol and improve pulmonary oxygenation (Isaacs, 2010). The subject of this particular study is the effects of saffron on the alleviation of depressive symptoms. The researcher therefore, will provide a brief explanation of depressive disorder, as it pertains to this study. There are several classifications of depression categorized under the diagnostic term of depressive disorder, however, according to Franklin (2003), depression classification is more relevant to the treating physician, as the classification will determine the most appropriate treatment. Types of depression include Major Depression, psychotic depression, postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), bipolar depression, dysthymia, and reactive depression (Franklin, 2003 and NIMH, 2009). For the purpose of this study, the researcher will use the following definition of depressive disorder provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (2009); When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who experience it need treatment to get better. As an herbal medicine student, the researcher has personal experience of depression and the ineffectiveness of most herbal remedies on the treatment of depression. Crocus sativus L, or saffron, however, was the one herbal remedy that had some effect on the improvement of the researchers depression symptoms. It is for this reason that the researcher has decided to investigate whether saffron is an effective herbal remedy in the improvement of depression. The following report reviews current research related to saffron and its potential to improve symptoms of depressive disorder. Following the review of current literature, the researcher will propose a method for further study. AIM The aim of this research is to determine the effectiveness of saffron on depressive disorder. Major depressive disorder, which can “house” all the various categories of depression for the purpose of this study, effects approximately 14.8 million adults in America and is the leading cause of disability for Americans between the ages of fifteen and forty-four (NIMH, 2009). The significance of these statistics is overwhelming; research indicates: Those will depressive disorders are 30% more likely to commit suicide and “five times more likely to abuse drugs” (Leahy, 2010, p. 1). Depressed individuals have 5.6 hour loss of productivity weekly – 50% of which is due to absenteeism and short-term disbility (Leahy, 2010). “Eighty percent of depressed people are impaired in their daily functioning (as cited in Leahy, 2010, p.1). Individuals with depressive disorder are seven times likelier to be unemployed (2010). It costs American employers approximately $44 billion per year in lost productive time (Stewart, et al, 2003). Perhaps most alarming, is that children and adults with depressive disorders will have “lower incomes, lower educational attainment and fewer working days each year” and it can cost the family of an depressed individual a lifetime loss of $300,000 (as cited in Leahy, 2010). Overall, with the loss of productivity and medical expenses, depression costs $83 billion per year (2010). The problem of depressive disorder is enormous and there are many costly drugs and therapies available to treat depression. Anti-depressant medications however, have a host of unpleasant and even life-threatening side effects. Its for this reason that an herbal medicine that could treat depressive disorder would be more favorable over traditional medication. Hypothesis The researcher believes that depressive disorder patients currently using saffron as an antidepressant experience the same or improved benefits when compared to users of traditional antidepressants. The researcher is most interested in investigating the experiences of those saffron users who formerly used traditional antidepressants and therapies. The researcher will aim to answer the following questions: Do saffron users feel that the benefits of saffron are comparable to previous methods of antidepressants? Do saffron users use saffron in addition to other forms of depression treatment and therapy or alone? What benefits are achieved by saffron that are in addition to traditional antidepressants? Review of Literature Research shows that the stigma and petal of the Crocus sativus L, or saffron plant, are medicinal in quality and can be used for many ailments and as preventative medicine. In this section the researcher will review current literature and data on the effectiveness of saffron petal and stigma on the treatment of depressive disorders. Akhondzadeh (et al., 2005) support the need for alternative treatments for depressive disorder due to low remission rates and high relapse and recurrence rates seen with “atypical antidepressants” (p. 148). According to the authors (2005), plant extract are a promising source of depression treatment and saffron is extremely promising due to its therapeutic nature. In a six week clinical trial, Akhondzadeh (et al., 2005) investigated the use of saffron as a treatment for mild to moderate depression. In comparison with a placebo group, the patients using saffron experienced significant benefits in mood after six weeks of treatment. There were also little difference in side effects between the placebo and saffron groups. In a double-blind pilot study, forty patients with Major Depression diagnoses were randomly given either doses of 30mgs of saffron or 20mgs of fluoxetine (a selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor also known as Prozac used for depression treatment) daily for six weeks (Noorbala, et al. 2005). Both Noorbala (et. al., 2005) and Akhondzadeh (et al., 2005) used the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression for scoring results. The significance of this study is the insight into the ability of a natural medication such as saffron to effectively treat depression as well as a chemical drug such as the popularly described Prozac. Noornalas (et al., 2005) research indicates that saffrons effect on the improvement of depression treatment is comparable to that of Prozac. In one study, saffron was compared to imipramine (Tofranil) in a double-blind, single center trial, results were comparable to Noorbalas (et al., 2005) results (Afkham. Et al., 2004). according to Afkham (et al., 2004), the use of saffron had similar treatment effects to that of imipramine and the researchers determined that saffron may be practical and effective in treating mild to moderate depression. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was used for ratings. Akhondzadeh, (et al., 2008) did a follow-up study to the 2005 saffron versus placebo clinical study, in the second study, the researchers examine the use of saffron in depression treatment versus fluoxetine; similar to Noorbalas (et.al, 2005) research. By implementing the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression as a scoring tool, the researchers found similar results to Noorbala (et. al., 2005) which indicate that saffrons medicinal qualities are comparable to fluoxetine in the treatment of depression. Wang (et. al. 2009) conducted a study in the effectiveness of saffrons medicinal value to improve depressive symptoms at a much higher dosage than previously seen. Whereas previous studies used dosages no higher than 30mgs, this study used 150mg, 300mg and 600mg of saffron. At this higher level, greater levels of treatment were achieved as seen in implemented behavioral models (2009). Methodology There has been numerous studies performed on the effectiveness of saffron on depressive disorders, therefore the researcher is not interested in repeating the actions of previous studies. The present research will look into the personal opinions and experiences of current depression patients using saffron to treat their condition. To best understand the experiences of saffron users, the researcher will conduct a qualitative study using a convenience sample. The reasoning behind the design of this study is the researchers lack of financial options and time. Convenience sampling offers a faster response time and can reduce cost pf the study by conducting an online survey. The study will be conducted using the internet survey company, Survey Monkey, to create a ten question survey. The survey will be posted to herbal medicine groups and on the popular social network Facebook. The survey will be posted in the following online groups: Health Education Alliance for Life and Longevity: http://www.heall.com/groups/herbalmed.html Health Remedies: http://health.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/Herbal_Remedies/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=1 Health Network: http://www.medindia.net/healthnetwork/support-groups/herbal-medicine.htm The data collection will cease one month after the study is released. Survey Questions 1. Have you been clinically diagnosed with a depressive disorder? 2. What type of depression are you diagnosed with? Major Depression Psychotic Depression Postpartum Depression Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Bipolar Depression, Dysthymia Reactive Depression Other 3. Are you currently using saffron to treat symptoms of depression? Yes No 4. What dose of saffron do you use daily? 5-10mgs 10-20mgs 20-30mgs Above 30mgs 5. Why did you decide to start saffron as a treatment for your depression? Advised by a physician A friend suggested it I read about it in a magazine and wanted to try it 6. How long have you been using saffron? Less than one year More than one year but less than three years Over three years 7. Did you formerly use traditional antidepressants such as Prozac or Paxil prior to using saffron? Yes No I dont know 8. Do you use saffron in addition to a traditional antidepressant? Yes No I dont know 9. Do you feel that saffron... Works as well as traditional antidepressants such as Paxil or Prozac Works better than traditional antidepressants Does not work as well as traditional antidepressants Does nothing to improve my symptoms of depression 10. Please take a moment to share previous treatments or therapies that you have used to treat your depression. Please be as specific as possible. The objective of the survey questions is to determine the effectiveness of saffron on treating depressive disorders as experienced first-hand by the users. The researcher believes that this survey will demonstrate saffron to be a useful herbal medicine treatment of depressive disorders. There is ample research indicating that saffron has been as effective as traditional antidepressants. Preliminary research indicates that saffron does treat depressive symptoms as indicated in the literature review section of this report. It is with this support that the researcher seeks further study into the personal experiences of depressive disorder patients using saffron for treatment. References Afkham, K., Akhondzadeh, S., Fallah-Pour, H., Jamshidi, A., and Khalighi-Cigaroudi, F. 2004. Comparison of Crocus Sativus L. and Imipramine in the Treatment of Mild to Miderate Depression: A Pilot Double-blind Randomized Trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (4)12. [Online] Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/4/12 (Accessed 22 December 2010). Akhondzadeh, B., Ghoreishi, S. A., Noorbala, A. A., Akhondzadeh, S. H.,and Rezazadeh, S. 2008. Petal and Stigma of Crocus sativus L. in the Treatment of Depression: A Pilot Double - blind Randomized Trial. Journal of Medicinal Plants. [Online]. Available at: http://www.sid.ir/En/VEWSSID/J_PDF/822200804S04.pdf (Accessed 22 December 2010). Akhondzadeh, S., Tahmacebi-Pour, N., Noorbala, A., Amini, H., Fallah-Pour, H., Jamshidi, A., and Khani, M. 2005. Crocus sativus L. in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression: A Double- blind, Randomized and Placebo-Controlled Trial. Phytotherapy Research. (19)148–151. [Online]. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.1647/abstract (Accessed 21 December 2010). Franklin, D.J. 2003. Symptoms of Major Depression. [Online]. Available at: http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/major-symptoms.html (Accessed 21 December 2010). Isaacs, T. 2010. The Golden Spice Saffron Has Golden Health Benefits Too. [Online]. Available at: http://www.naturalnews.com/030763_saffron_spice.html (Accessed 21 December 2010). Katzer, G. 2010. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) [Online]. Available at: http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Croc_sat.html (Accessed 21 December 2010). Leahy, R. 2010. The Cost of Depression. Huffington Post. [Online]. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-leahy-phd/the-cost-of-depression_b_770805.html (Accessed 21 December 2010). National Institute of Mental Health. 2009. What Are the Different Forms of Depression? [Online]. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/what-are-the-different- forms-of-depression.shtml (Accessed 21 December 2010). National Institute of Mental Health. 2009. What is Depression? [Online]. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/what-is-depression.shtml (Accessed 21 December 2010). National Institute of Mental Health. 2009. The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America. [Online]. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders- in-america/index.shtml#MajorDepressive (Accessed 21 December 2010). Noorbalaa, A.A., Akhondzadeha, S., Tahmacebi-Poura, S., and Jamshidib, A.H. 2005. Hydro-alcoholic Extract of Crocus Sativus L. Versus Fluoxetine in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression: A Double-Blind, Randomized Pilot Trial. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. (97) 281– 284. [Online]. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-4F662J6-1&_user=10&_coverDate=02%2F28%2F2005&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1586061214&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=62974585547d6c1462baf79c1e676556&searchtype=a (Accessed 22 December 2010). Walter F. Stewart, W.F., Ricci, J.A., Chee, E., Hahn, S.,R., and Morganstein, D. 2003. Cost of Lost Productive Work Time Among US Workers With Depression. The Journal of the American Medical Association. [Online]. Available at: http://jama.ama- assn.org/content/289/23/3135.abstract (Accessed 21 December 2010). Read More