Hello there. I would have posted this in other psychoactives, but it appears it isn't open to me yet, though I do have a picture of a seedling next to my name. First, some background. I have been a psychonaut for around 6 or 7 years now, and a self medicator for just as long, having tried everything from marijuana to DMT, to psilocybe and amanita mushrooms, to the 2c's, the dissociatives (DXM, MXE, K) and prescription drugs (narc and psych meds) All in the name of either treating, masking, or confronting depression and social/general anxiety. I drank alcohol for most of my highschool career to cope along with smoking loads of marijuana and a little tobacco, and none of them really helped me much in the long run, and alcohol really sent me off of my healing path. I credit both psychedlics (namely the 2c's, salvia, and mushrooms) and kratom for ending my budding alcoholic behaviors, quitting smoking cigarettes, and learning that regular marijuana use would not help my anxiety. I have been using plain leaf kratom for 3 years, and it has helped me lead a very healthy lifestyle and I credit it for helping me succeed in ccollege and expand my social network. I'm tiring of the side effects (mainly indigestion and grogginess) 3 years later, and have begun calling upon the spirits of other plants to help guide me to the next step on my road to bliss Lately this has consisted of low dose sublingual salvia tincture, microdose psilocybin caps (.1-.2g) and microdose san pedro (1.5-5g of decent potency) these have helped increase my ability to meditate and have given me insights on bad habits and how to repair them, but I still felt there was something missing day-to-day, particularly motivation. With my last order of kratom (still taking about 12-14g/day of leaf)I decided to purchase 2 grams of high quality saffron strands. I originally thought this would act as a supplement for mood, probably something mild like passionflower... But when I tried about 100mg of material sublingually I was blown away. I immediately entered a state of mild empathy and a combination of energy/motivation and sedation. My focus was increased and I decided to do a short meditation for the first time in weeks. Afterwards I did a little googling and found that this is indeed a very psychoactive plant, with claims of effects similar to even mdma... I wouldn't go so far, but I will say that the antidepressant effect is wonderful, unique, and powerful, and this comes from someone who has tried dozens if not hundreds of supposedly psychoactive herbs (from ginkgo to ginseng, to lotus, to black cumin and mucuna... you get the point) many of them do work subtly, but saffron in my experience passes over the threshold of subtle. Anyway, back to the effects. I originally thought this would be a short-lived experience, feeling a nice pleasant buzz winding down as I left my meditation and the relaxation wore off, so I moved on with my day. About an hour or two later I experienced an almost hypomanic state of wonderful energy that lasted into the night, and woke up the next morning plasantly calm but still motivated and happy. I have since repeated dosing 50-120mg per day for the last 5 days and it has done wonders for motivation, and also increased my talkativeness by a great degree, though the immediate effects are less profound. I especially enjoyed combining it with a homemade cat's claw tincture, (one of my favorite herbs) which was just plain delightful. Great synergy with kratom too. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I plant to take a break soon and resume dosing again later on. (cycling)

I will report back and I hope that this information can help someone.

PS: the saffron is a deep red, I have read that the yellow strands are inactive

Hi there

Interesting story..I've taken saffron before and I would definitely describe it as energy promoting..I've been studying safranal, the active component within saffron, and in high doses it is capable of inducing spasms of laugher, headache, motor dysfunction, and delirium-like states..not incredibly worth while but useful info none the less! Saffron intoxication is actually described as potent as papaver somniferum.

It is better to stick with the low dosages to receive the positive effects IMO. Its quite capable of enhancing coffee, cannabis, chocolate and the like. It is actually said to be an antidote for drunkeness, where as in Chinese medicine, they regard saffron as a psychoactive that produces sensations of happiness(Leung 1995, 186).

In contrast with yellow saffron..Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka wear robes of undyed saffron, which in fact is yellow. Red saffron is known as 'true' saffron. Ancient times describe it as a wine additive to induce additional inebriating effects. In Archaic Greece, saffron was used entheogenically as a substitute for amanita muscaria(Ruck 1995, 133*).

Just my 2 cents I suppose.

Thanks for sharing. My girlfriend just tried some tonight (she is tapering lexapro) and is absolutely giddy!

With that said, its also known as an aphrodisiac, analgesic and antispasmodic.., like many other Greek related plants.

This is fascinating information. I eat an Arroz con Pollo recipe about once every five to seven days and it includes a hefty measure of red thread saffron. Not only do I absolutely love the flavor but I also wind up feeling very euphoric afterwards, whether or not I combine with a half glass of wine and or a bit of cannabis (it would be more than a bit but I'm between harvests, ). And I feel very good the next day. Just generally a bit more upbeat and energized.

Pandora, that sounds delicious, especially with a little cannabis, and let's make it lotus wine. mmm. I'm not going to have any saffron today, and so far there's absolutely no crash, which is nice considering how much energy it's given me this past week.