The Gut-Brain Connection

A chromatography column showing separated bands of colour beside a laboratory flask, saffron threads and a certification seal

What a saffron extract is tested for before it ...

Four heavy metals, four aflatoxins, plant alkaloids, pesticide residues and seven microbiological limits. What is on an ingredient specification sheet, which tests run on every batch, and the difference between...

What a saffron extract is tested for before it ...

Four heavy metals, four aflatoxins, plant alkaloids, pesticide residues and seven microbiological limits. What is on an ingredient specification sheet, which tests run on every batch, and the difference between...

A fanned stack of research papers drawn as blank ruled sheets, with saffron threads resting on the top sheet

The most studied saffron extract: what that act...

Most saffron reviews pool a dozen different preparations made in different ways. Eleven randomised, placebo-controlled trials have tested one standardised extract, in more than 1,000 people aged 12 to 77,...

The most studied saffron extract: what that act...

Most saffron reviews pool a dozen different preparations made in different ways. Eleven randomised, placebo-controlled trials have tested one standardised extract, in more than 1,000 people aged 12 to 77,...

Three eras of saffron side by side: an ancient carved vessel, a botanical study of the crocus, and a modern laboratory flask, with crocus flowers growing along the base

Three thousand years of saffron, and where it g...

Saffron appears in both of the great classical catalogues of medicinal plants and in the everyday cooking of five cuisines. A short history, where it is grown today, and why...

Three thousand years of saffron, and where it g...

Saffron appears in both of the great classical catalogues of medicinal plants and in the everyday cooking of five cuisines. A short history, where it is grown today, and why...

A single crimson saffron stigma in a glass of water, its red pigment blooming outward through the water

Why saffron is red, and why it costs what it costs

Crocins make it red, safranal makes it smell like saffron, picrocrocin makes it bitter and proves it is genuine. Plus the arithmetic behind the price: up to 170,000 hand-picked flowers...

Why saffron is red, and why it costs what it costs

Crocins make it red, safranal makes it smell like saffron, picrocrocin makes it bitter and proves it is genuine. Plus the arithmetic behind the price: up to 170,000 hand-picked flowers...

A small balance scale holding a measured pinch of saffron threads on one pan and a saffron crocus flower on the other

How much saffron the research actually used

Twenty-eight milligrams a day of a standardised extract, split 14 in the morning and 14 in the evening, with or without food. In the one trial that also tested 22...

How much saffron the research actually used

Twenty-eight milligrams a day of a standardised extract, split 14 in the morning and 14 in the evening, with or without food. In the one trial that also tested 22...

A row of identical laboratory vials filled to the same exact depth, with one irregular vessel behind them

What a standardised extract actually means

Standardised means a named compound at a stated percentage, assayed on every batch rather than assumed. What the percentage on a saffron label refers to, and the published analysis of...

What a standardised extract actually means

Standardised means a named compound at a stated percentage, assayed on every batch rather than assumed. What the percentage on a saffron label refers to, and the published analysis of...

A magnifying glass over three saffron stigmas showing their flared trumpet ends, beside frayed straight-cut imposter strands

How to tell a real saffron extract from a fake one

Saffron is expensive enough to be worth faking, and once it is a powder you cannot see the difference. One compound, picrocrocin, settles it, and a published analysis used it...

How to tell a real saffron extract from a fake one

Saffron is expensive enough to be worth faking, and once it is a powder you cannot see the difference. One compound, picrocrocin, settles it, and a published analysis used it...

A split scene: a sachet in a cream sunrise on the left, a sachet under a crescent moon on the right

Morning and evening: why the routine is the par...

The most common reason a supplement stops working is that it stops being taken. Anchor it to breakfast and the hour before bed, keep it identical every day, and give...

Morning and evening: why the routine is the par...

The most common reason a supplement stops working is that it stops being taken. Anchor it to breakfast and the hour before bed, keep it identical every day, and give...

A map of Australia in sage green with a gold location pin on the east coast and a ribbon seal

Australian made: what the claim means, and how ...

Grown in, Product of, Made in and Packed in Australia are four different claims with four different tests. On a priority food the kangaroo tells you it was grown, produced...

Australian made: what the claim means, and how ...

Grown in, Product of, Made in and Packed in Australia are four different claims with four different tests. On a priority food the kangaroo tells you it was grown, produced...

Cross section of an intestinal wall with rounded bacteria settled along it and light radiating outward

What a probiotic actually does in the gut

Gut bacteria finish digesting food, occupy space, work alongside the immune system and manufacture vitamins and neurotransmitters. What these organisms do, and the two things worth finding on a label.

What a probiotic actually does in the gut

Gut bacteria finish digesting food, occupy space, work alongside the immune system and manufacture vitamins and neurotransmitters. What these organisms do, and the two things worth finding on a label.

Four supplement formats in a row: a gummy, a chewable tablet, a capsule, and a stick sachet lit from behind

Gummies, powders, pills or sachets: what childr...

The best children's supplement is the one your child will take every day for a year, and the deciding factor is almost never the formula. An honest comparison of the...

Gummies, powders, pills or sachets: what childr...

The best children's supplement is the one your child will take every day for a year, and the deciding factor is almost never the formula. An honest comparison of the...

A branch of bright red acerola cherries with citrus segments and a rising sun behind

Vitamin C: how much a child needs, and where it...

An Australian child needs 35 to 45 mg of vitamin C a day depending on age. Australian food law has already approved what may be said about it: immune function,...

Vitamin C: how much a child needs, and where it...

An Australian child needs 35 to 45 mg of vitamin C a day depending on age. Australian food law has already approved what may be said about it: immune function,...