Trial reportPsychopharmacology2012
Effect of saffron on fluoxetine-induced sexual impairment in men: randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Dietary Supplements for Erectile Dysfunction: Analysis of Marketed Products, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Rational Use.Nutrients · 2023Pooled it
- Herbal Dietary Supplements for Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Drugs · 2018Pooled it
- A systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on psychological and behavioral outcomes.Journal of integrative medicine · 2015Pooled it
- Strategies for managing sexual dysfunction induced by antidepressant medication.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- The effects of crocin on psychological parameters in patients under methadone maintenance treatment: a randomized clinical trial.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2019Trial
- Adverse Events of Saffron (Health science reports · 2026Article
- Review
- Herbal dietary supplements for erectile dysfunction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2026Article
- Plant-derived bioactives in depression-related and antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction: a narrative review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Functional, Nutraceutical and Health Endorsing Perspectives of Saffron.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Review
- Saffron extract as an emerging novel therapeutic option in reproduction and sexual health: recent advances and future prospectives.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2024Review
- Combining Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with Conventional Treatments for Major Depressive Disorder.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024Review
- Comprehensive Extraction and Chemical Characterization of Bioactive Compounds in Tepals ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Botanical drugs for treating erectile dysfunction: clinical evidence.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Current Knowledge of the Antidepressant Activity of Chemical Compounds fromPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Authentication of Iranian Saffron (Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Medicinal Plants Used for Anxiety, Depression, or Stress Treatment: An Update.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Saffron and its active ingredients against human disorders: A literature review on existing clinical evidence.Iranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2022Review
- A Systematic Review on the Effect of Nutraceuticals on Antidepressant-Induced Sexual Dysfunctions: From Basic Principles to Clinical Applications.Current issues in molecular biology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleSaffron (Crocus sativus L.) has shown aphrodisiac effects in some animal and human studies.
objectivesTo assess the efficacy and tolerability of saffron in fluoxetine-related sexual dysfunction.
methodsThis was a 4-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Thirty-six married male patients with major depressive disorder whose depressive symptoms had been stabilized on fluoxetine and had subjective complaints of sexual impairment entered the study. The patients were randomly assigned to saffron (15 mg twice per day) or placebo for 4 weeks. International Index of Erectile Function scale was used to assess sexual function at baseline and weeks 2 and 4.
resultsThirty patients finished the study. Baseline characteristics as well as baseline and final depressive symptoms scores were similar between the two groups. Effect of time × treatment interaction on the total score was significant [Greenhouse-Geisser-corrected, F (1.444, 40.434) = 6.154, P = 0.009]. By week 4, saffron resulted in significantly greater improvement in erectile function (P < 0.001) and intercourse satisfaction domains (P = 0.001), and total scores (P < 0.001) than the placebo group. Effect of saffron did not differ significantly from that of placebo in orgasmic function (P = 0.095), overall satisfaction (P = 0.334), and sexual desire (P = 0.517) domains scores. Nine patients (60%) in the saffron group and one patient (7%) in the placebo group achieved normal erectile function (score > 25 on erectile function domain) at the end of the study (P value of Fisher's exact test = 0.005). Frequency of side effects were similar between the two groups.
conclusionsSaffron is a tolerable and efficacious treatment for fluoxetine-related erectile dysfunction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
22552758What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.