Opioid addiction has reached epidemic levels, and withdrawal from the use of drugs such as heroin or prescription opioids can cause acute physical and mental distress. Methadone is often used as replacement therapy in the treatment of opioid dependence since it is slow-acting and able to treat withdrawal symptoms while blocking the high associated with other opioids. Since methadone is itself an opioid, there is still the potential for abuse and addiction, so the search for non-addictive alternative treatments is ongoing. Saffron (Crocus sativus, Iridaceae) stigma may work similarly to methadone in preventing serotonin reuptake, while also having anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Its use, therefore, might allow patients to reduce their methadone dose.

The authors conducted a parallel, eight-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to study the effect of saffron on patients undergoing methadone treatment for opioid addiction. The study took place in Sabzevar county, Iran from 2016-2017…