Saffron (Crocus sativus) 30 mg: standardization, safranal and level of evidence

In brief. Eclo uses 30 mg/day of a saffron-stigma extract (Crocus sativus) standardized to 0.40% safranal, theoretically equivalent to 0.12 mg = 120 µg of safranal. Human trials exist on several saffron extracts at doses close to 28–30 mg/day, particularly in sleep, stress and mood. But the main publications cited concern different proprietary raw materials, such as affron® or Safr’Inside™. Eclo evidence rating: botanical identity, dose and standardization documented; no direct clinical evidence is established here for Eclo’s own extract.

Eclo saffron at a glance

What does “30 mg standardized to 0.40% safranal” mean?

The calculation is: 30 mg × 0.004 = 0.12 mg = 120 µg of safranal.

Standardization improves definition and reproducibility of the raw material. It does not mean that safranal is the only compound responsible for an effect, or that two extracts with the same percentage of safranal are identical. Crocins, crocetin, extraction process and the full phytochemical profile can differ.

Why is the exact identity of the extract essential?

For botanicals, “Crocus sativus 30 mg” is not a sufficient clinical identity. A trial on affron®, Safr’Inside™ or another raw material documents that specific extract. A similar dose alone is not enough to transfer the result.

What does the human saffron literature show?

Several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have evaluated standardized saffron extracts. A 2025 trial studied Safr’Inside™ at 20 or 30 mg for four weeks in adults with moderate insomnia. Other work has evaluated affron® at 14 or 28 mg and other standardized extracts around 30 mg/day on sleep, stress, anxiety or mood endpoints.

This literature shows that some standardized saffron extracts have been studied in humans. It does not allow their effect sizes to be presented as if they had been obtained with Régénère™, Ressource™ or Eclo’s extract.

Saffron at Eclo

Régénère™ and Ressource™ each provide 30 mg of Crocus sativus stigma extract standardized to 0.40% safranal. Eclo does not present this ingredient as a medicine or as a treatment for insomnia, anxiety or depression.

Precautions: the finished-product label takes precedence

Precautions should remain those of the formula sold. For Ressource™, product information includes precautions concerning pregnancy, people taking antidepressant medication and children under 10. These statements should not be generalized to every saffron extract independently of its formula and label.

What we know — and what it does not allow us to conclude

• Documented for Eclo: 30 mg of stigma extract standardized to 0.40% safranal.
• Documented in the literature: several proprietary saffron extracts have been tested in humans at similar doses.
• Do not extrapolate: same plant and same dose do not mean same raw material.
• Do not extrapolate: standardization is not clinical proof.
• Do not extrapolate: affron®/Safr’Inside™ trials are not trials of Eclo products.

Frequently asked questions

How much safranal is 30 mg at 0.40%?

Theoretically, 120 µg of safranal.

Is a 30 mg extract equivalent to affron® or Safr’Inside™?

No. Dose alone is not enough to establish equivalence between botanical extracts.

Can Eclo saffron be called clinically proven for sleep?

Not from the studies cited here. They were conducted on other identified raw materials.

Does Eclo saffron treat anxiety or depression?

No. The products are not presented as medical treatments.

Sources

• [Publication — different extract] Safr’Inside™ — 20/30 mg, sleep, 2025
• [Publication — different extract] affron® — 14/28 mg, sleep
• [Publication — different extract] Standardized 30 mg extract — stress/mood

Read next

Understanding doses and standardization · How to read a clinical study · Régénère™ · Ressource™

Method note: Eclo attaches a result to the extract that was actually studied and does not use similar dosing as proof of clinical equivalence.

Last scientific review: 27 August 2026.