Saffron for Athletic Performance: Boosting Energy and Endurance

Table of Contents

1. Saffron: More Than Just a Pretty Face (and Spice Rack Item)
2. Saffron and the Active Body: A Biological Dive
3. My (Small) Experiments: Testing Saffron’s Endurance Boost
4. A Saffron Supplementation How-To Guide
5. Uncertainty and Hope: Future of Saffron in Athletic Performance

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1. Saffron: More Than Just a Pretty Face (and Spice Rack Item)

Okay, so, when most people hear “saffron,” the images that spring to mind are usually rich-yellow rice dishes or perhaps, for the really culinary inclined, an intricate Persian stew. It’s luxurious. It’s a symbol of high-end eating. Rarely, though, does it pop up in the context of the gym or running track. That, my friends, needs to change.

For a little historical backdrop, saffron (a word derived from the Arabic ‘za’faran’ which means ‘yellow’) comes from a rather labor-intensive process involving the stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower. I find that slightly unbelievable – the fact that such a potent force in cooking and potentially in athletics, grows from something so dainty, but nature has her ways. These delicate threads are then hand-picked and carefully dried and cost more by weight than gold. That’s why its more frequently seen as tiny precious portions within high end, exotic food. And that high cost really makes one question what one gets out of this precious product! But all that effort seems to yield a spice with a resume that’s remarkably…diverse.

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Beyond its obvious role as a coloring and flavoring agent, saffron is chock-full of bioactive compounds. Specifically, the ones researchers and wellness enthusiasts like myself (okay, not really, but lets call it as a potential athlete!) are obsessed about: crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal. They’re antioxidants that, when broken down in the human system, have powerful, science-backed anti-inflammatory properties and mood regulating powers that extend way beyond just “being good”. I mean I wouldn’t claim I am in the “pro” section yet, or am in need of high intensity trainings for next season Olympics, but as someone whose main source of endorphins come from sweating it out, well… This is where it gets fascinating. This is where I started doing some homework. This is where athletic potential started to blend with ancient spices.

2. Saffron and the Active Body: A Biological Dive

Okay, time for a mild dose of nerdy science talk without making anyone yawn: It’s like one of those podcasts that delve a bit more, to really “understand what happens under the hood”.. not so hard. Now, let’s just call it a ‘deeper investigation” and continue.

Here’s what science says saffron might be up to within our bodies during and after physical exertion (and also in daily activity), with a heavy emphasis on “might,” since we’re not proclaiming saffron to be an end-all solution. No one would believe that for such ancient spice that there is all in one magic. Even though deep down there might be slight hope. We already have enough false promising trends. So here’s some realistic insight of how the compounds we talked about (crocin, picrocrocin and safranal) come to play.

Reduction in Oxidative Stress: Intense exercise produces free radicals. In very basic words – byproducts. These nasty free radicals are basically wrecking balls, and the problem with them is that they wreak havoc on a cellular level, causing fatigue and delayed recovery. This is not just when hitting gym, this also occurs for desk job workers under chronic mental exhaustion, its just different level and source of these wrecking ball products. Now that saffron boasts strong antioxidant compounds it is considered a powerful “sweeper team”, in that case by reducing and even fighting these free radicals, thereby alleviating a lot of the oxidative stress our bodies endure, whether its from gym or life. As a casual runner, I sometimes experience these, and the last thing I wanna feel after the run is the feeling that my body is old, with painful soreness everywhere. If a supplement like this that have anti inflammatory and fatigue reducing powers – this can potentially benefit all active people who are struggling to recover quick!
Boosts in Energy Levels: Now that saffron reduces fatigue caused by the process we just talked about, that brings me to this – it has been shown to potentially improve mitochondrial function – the cell’s “powerhouses,” and the ones which basically generate energy within the body. This translates directly to better stamina. Not only this but one more exciting point. One recent meta analysis that combined numerous small saffron trials with regards to daily fatigue, stated an increase of mood. Meaning people overall just have “brighter spirits”, they simply felt good. I was sold here. There is literally nothing better then feeling better after all types of activities. Mental health comes hand in hand with athletic capabilities – so that makes it an easy pick in my case, at least worth giving a real shot.
Muscle Recovery Aid: Some preliminary research points toward saffron possibly reducing post-exercise inflammation. Think less of the groaning struggle after leg day, or the urge to hide away after a rough soccer practice. The faster the body gets over this initial muscle break, the more consistent workouts become! Which of course helps us progress quicker towards our athletic goals! The idea, here is to assist that recovery window period between trainings and in general in reducing soreness for everyday activities. But these researches are also still a work in progress which brings me to…

Mood Improvement Factor: And don’t you forget this crucial element – exercise can sometimes bring our moods down. We sometimes forget how intertwined mind and body are and that we’re emotional creatures to begin with, no one just “works out”. For real progress the body needs to also feel good and willing to challenge itself, meaning mindset has crucial element here. As we covered above, this ancient golden herb has been also shown in studies to uplift and to improve daily mood levels!

Now I would like to really stress on that point. The “might be,” potential side. The “initial,” point and overall caution for those claims are in early investigation! This is something I keep constantly mentioning when chatting to people, be they “athletes”, family or friends, and in my own daily self talks. Because in the field of supplementation it is easy to believe into false narratives! Now here is one honest note – there’s no scientific proof yet to say for certainty. There’s potential based on emerging science – nothing more nothing less, we do not give any promises just highlighting that the spice shows a very good profile and might benefit active individuals, based on our deep investigation. That is just a good starting point. So keep this disclaimer in mind. We will get back to this in the ‘Future’ part of the conversation. But first! I had a question in mind!

3. My (Small) Experiments: Testing Saffron’s Endurance Boost

This is not “professional grade athletes lab” at all, but this was very genuine process and as truthful and personal as you could possibly have:

Armed with research and an unusual amount of newfound enthusiasm, I embarked on my own unscientific but heartfelt (and small) exploration of saffron. Now don’t expect some double blind control type experiment, where every data point will be measured by some “professional” , cause you might be slightly disappointed.

What I did:
I did not hire any athletes for that experiment – my regular training sessions consisted in mixing my own morning routines. Which for most consists a good cardio portion of long distance slow tempo running, mixed with sprint intervals. The goal? Try saffron in one set of days and monitor performance of energy, and recovery and keep some days with no supplement to measure results based on feelings and basic “on field tests”, without much tech gadget interference. My very professional scientific methodology of checking and evaluating whether to take a second dose or not, and what my performance outcome was. Now my scientific methodology basically summed into – did I FEEL anything at all.

My daily supplement was rather inconsistent. I wasn’t using pills – not a supplement type person to begin with. It mostly consisted into trying to add a good dash of saffron into my coffee, before the morning training routine. I also found that it can give an aromatic vibe in morning oats too and tried that, every other day, when feeling less time pressured and more in experimental mindset. After that I usually just added half to 3/4 of normal saffron portion in the food during the lunch/dinner portions of the days (my lunch is fairly regular while dinner portions are often flexible). Just regular, day-by-day activities. Nothing major really, and not trying to turn saffron into “the end all be all solution” – but also a very “close encounter” with it so I can better assess potential benefit and side effects if any.

What happened?
Now remember the key words: Unscientific, Subjective, I will even add anecdotal. Those are big. Huge disclaimers. But I want to give genuine sense and insights on the process, rather than focusing on controlled tests that I have not done and am not a qualified personal to perform and explain with confidence and full knowledge. First, that tiny pre-workout dash in coffee, while at first looked a bit weird, the color it created within the mug became the only motivator at early morning 6 am alarm. Its kind of ridiculous in how subtle those things impact us. I also noted the shift within training. Again, all very anecdotal, I know – but this small adjustment to the diet helped increase consistency to begin with, before talking about energy boost and actual athletic outputs. That’s how my subjective and “scientific process of exploration” became a consistent tool to try the spice for.

What I felt mostly after that – was overall feeling, well.. lighter. Yes! I know what you’re thinking – very generic explanation – but the tiredness of the run was gone, at least significantly reduced on a day to day basis (remember to check ‘oxidative stress reduction’ for biological potential on this note), especially that I keep getting up so early for trainings (sometimes even feeling groggy) – having the ability to consistently improve workouts started from here, before even mentioning endurance, strength etc. Second thing I noticed is faster recovery. It seems my muscle soreness got a mild improvement.

As mentioned above these observations are super subjective and not meant to be taken as an evidence for “magical powers” – just basic on the field findings and evaluations! The biggest takeaway of that personal deep dive? Even if you remove potential physical effect in performance for a second – which, it is impossible, based on what science suggests- there’s definite mental perk when integrating this exotic ingredient into routine.

4. A Saffron Supplementation How-To Guide

Now, if, you’re feeling as intrigued as I did during this little experiment (even though, based on very “home” test methodology) and you’re eager to dabble into that spice route and integrate it as potential athletic benefit – I’m gonna guide you here:

First off, please note: always consult a medical or dietary professional before integrating anything new into your diet. I know we live in times of self experiments and bio hacking trend, so some basics and cautiousness has to be here first. Now this done – here is some simple ( and very honest ) advice.

Dosage Guidelines: Most of the preliminary research utilizes small to moderate saffron dosages ranging from 30-50mg. However for actual cooking, I personally used larger portions in many recipes with zero side effects – but its best practice is to use this data range to evaluate possible benefits. I mostly stick to around 40-50mgs max throughout the day when actually keeping track of consumption. Some individuals get up to around 100mgs without much problems reported – but this seems to be out of scope, when we’re discussing specifically athlete-centered dosage guidelines, rather stick to the “moderate zone”.

Methods of Saffron Intake: Here you go!

• Supplement Form: Capsule is arguably the easiest method when aiming for daily consistency, with fixed and measurable dosage and a peace of mind. The plus with pills, is the standardized extract of active ingredient for effective usage in the range you’d be more or less interested into (mentioned above – 30-50mgs). But many may find pill ingestion inconvenient for everyday routines, also if buying supplements try opting for higher grade ingredients and well reviewed brands.
• Natural Form (powder and strands): You can use strands and powders (which mostly means grounded dry stigmas) – as both are interchangeable. Strands are obviously harder to mix, unless you want to wait in hot water, in this case you’re losing most of nutritional values. Powder form is far more adaptable in every kind of meal or snack for a direct and efficient absorption, when actually keeping proper measurements of each use. There’s very distinct saffron flavors when directly ingested with food, and that could be one of its charms to incorporate into various cooking preparations, but be careful when mixing – you can create a weird dish, as some people find flavor a bit off putting, but hey – at least you try, right! It seems, based on my observation with people, this particular way is most favored in traditional way of integrating saffron into one’s habits. For culinary preparation I highly recommend using dried strands.
• Teas: Steep the threads or powder in hot water. You’ll receive much smaller dose, but can potentially extract mood uplift properties as we previously mentioned with some studies that show direct effect of safranal intake. I use this from time to time with added green tea or regular coffee. But from supplement usage point of view is the least beneficial because dose might be much too weak and random.
• Incorporation into meals: A creative and tasty solution of ingesting daily saffron by utilizing spice form for maximum benefit. The more complex method but the one, which might become favored by those not eager to use pills but still craving consistency of this habit.

Timing: It appears it makes very little difference if you intake during morning or afternoon, or even as meal supplement throughout day! Based on initial trials the absorption takes a very good pace so the overall consistent approach to supplementation is far more important than precise daily intake timing. So feel free to evaluate which moment and meal suits you the most, and incorporate spice based on preferences! Consistency first!

Considerations and Red Flags

• Quality: Quality matters here. Genuine, high grade saffron is notoriously expensive (remember gold price analogy in part one?). But look at labels – you should also prioritize transparency on where and how the stigmas have been farmed and dried – be cautious of ridiculously cheap imitations. In particular avoid lower quality “saffron spice blends”.
• Consistency is King Don’t expect some explosive overnight miracles. Like any healthy habits, patience and discipline with saffron is vital. And also… give time for evaluation on effectiveness, do not quit too quickly when you still need consistency for at least two weeks.
• Start slow: If it’s your first encounter with spice intake in terms of supplementations it’s advised to take very slow, small dosage. There’s really nothing magical about this, start by measuring tiny amounts, and take notes on subjective feelings during the whole process.
• Avoid any quick expectations: Do not believe that one supplement will magically do a work that needs physical hard training. There is absolutely no replacement for real workouts. As we established this spice works in terms of potentially helping increase recovery, provide more mental fortitude for training – this should come alongside hard efforts done consistently over time. No pill will ever turn you into some high grade athlete in one night. Be careful when thinking this way, and it’s good that no scientist, reputable or self claimed is telling you to replace training sessions with supplement intake.

5. Uncertainty and Hope: Future of Saffron in Athletic Performance

Okay, here’s my raw opinion: The narrative is currently being shaped! And this ancient plant that I have been just exploring, appears promising, yes – potentially even really, very promising. However! With each potentially breakthrough claim I also would like to keep things very rational and logical so… I can’t emphasize this enough, current research in terms of direct use and performance in athletic training, are rather… preliminary. That doesn’t mean we should totally dismiss the topic, quite opposite! It seems to be a good enough excuse for my own personal “testing trials”. More robust, large-scale trials, that use both, double-blind (and more importantly with high diversity among participants) with proper controlled testing protocols, will shed greater insights on mechanisms and their efficacy – with far more precision. And we do have to remember some of human reactions to placebo – this also comes as vital part of real results. We will find this answer sooner rather than later for sure. It feels just the right moment to witness (and be participant) in history. At least that’s my hope.

The promise for me, rests on saffron’s potential ability to make our lives and in particular the routines we adopt (workouts being part of it) less taxing. I often question – If saffron proves to help active people consistently perform at their peak by managing the body’s inner turmoil – both physical and emotional, the “sky” would literally be the limit. As in personal improvements and new benchmarks, it goes deeper than simply making us all athletes or peak performers – rather give everyone that consistency in doing their everyday, with slightly more “ease”. Its more a story about us, human and not solely limited by pro athletes needs. But only rigorous studies that take time and energy can answer us. Until then – all these conversations can go in circles without scientific results. Which again, should not distract us, from using caution in evaluation of the plant and doing your very own evaluations if and when feel compelled. As with any potential habit and spice intake is no exception, make slow well researched progress and consult professional to achieve best overall results, safety first of all.

What’s for certain now is the fact this spice (if its proven by time) seems not only for culinary art but also has ability to touch the athlete side in each of us. It opens us questions about potentials that spices hold in aiding active individuals – beyond only basic nutritional benefit of micro vitamins intake (which for sure matters!) If one day you can buy saffron and go to gym just like your old coffee habit (I am kidding…), that might revolutionize active routines for a whole world. Who would think that such fragile plant could hold the future for human kind? But lets wait before any conclusions, because future can still change this, it may be good or simply – irrelevant as next fad! As mentioned before – It’s more about the human aspect in all of that – we simply tend to gravitate around anything which can assist to achieve long lasting energy and better well being. Until science is finished evaluating this – the saffron’s promise remains open for your and my daily small, human “experimentations”, explorations – if you are on that “testing” mind set anyway! Let’s keep our curiosity intact and the bodies strong – lets see where all of this “takes” us!

Do you already integrated saffron into your habits? I’m more then curious in your very personal discoveries? I’ll do keep you all updated in my own trials along the way! This should do for this “brief intro”, let me know in comments section what you feel! Good luck!