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Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#101

Post by The_rationalist »

inter_netuser wrote: post #21
The_rationalist wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't disregard scientific knowledge like that. Many (albeit not all) drugs have been extensively tested at least by close to exhaustively testing receptor binding sensitivity. Except for the extremely rare drugs that have very atypical action mechanism it allows to understand to a decent extent what it does pharmacologically. But also, understanding how a drug work isn't necessary for taking the risk of trying it gi…

why aren't DRA safe?

Well it was a simplification. I know that many dopamine releasing agents are safe, such as amantadine. However when a drug is a DRA + a dopamine reuptake inhibitor or worse reverse the transport of dopamin reuptake through TRAAR and / or is a dopamin agonist then there is a risk of neurotoxicity and of durably lowering dopamin receptor density in the brain. This also apply for other monoamines but to a lesser extent. Most of drugs that have this combination of action are https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substituted_phenethylamine Some are safe such as D-amphetamine (Adderall, Vyvanse) but most have an unknown risk. Note that you can regrow lost receptors to some extent with e.g Uridine.

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#103

Post by yongjik »

bionhoward wrote: post #95
yongjik wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMHO, they may be healthier than eating only white bread, but "recently been found to be superfood" is a euphemism for "this food now has enough consumers in your country to bootstrap a self-sustaining PR cycle." Did you know kimchi is supposed to boost your immune system and protect you against COVID? Now you know - go buy some! (And please pay no attention to the high rate of colon cancers in Korea, which may or ma…

I like the super good marketing thing, but...What makes you think kimchi is a more likely cause of that unsourced colon cancer claim than the massive amounts of tasty meat in Korean BBQ?

Hmm... from the very scientific method of googling for news articles, you may be right. Should have used stomach cancer instead (another cancer prevalent in Korea) - for stomach, salty/spicy food is considered a potential reason, it seems.

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#104

Post by fogdart »

dataviz1000 wrote: post #26
brahadeesh wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not unique to Persian cooking, but there is wisdom in most cultural foods. I have been cooking a lot during the pandemic and every month I discover a new fermented food that has "recently" been found to be a superfood - kombucha, kefir, kimchi, soy sauce, mole sauce, sourdough etc. That is not to talk about other ingredients like turmeric, chiles, lentils and other stuff that add nutritional value. EDIT: I wante…

I remember listening to an NPR story 2 or 3 decades ago which I can't find about how White people in the United States (probably referring to health food eating yuppies in NYC and Northern California) adopted a staple diet very close to an African American diet in the 40's and 50's while the modern African American diet more often included what White people were eating in the 40's and 50's. If anyone has any links to…

Sweet potatoes?

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#105

Post by FabHK »

bufferout wrote: post #100
FabHK wrote: post #48

Fun fact: (maybe!) Saffron is, per unit of weight, the most expensive thing you can buy in many supermarkets. (That's my conjecture after noticing that the saffron in German supermarkets is about 10,000 to 30,000 EUR/kg, or 68,000 for the bio certified, hand picked, from a women-run enterprise: https://shop.rewe.de/p/herbaria-safran-faeden/VJ7R7E3DA ) Any other contenders?

Gift cards?

Ha, interesting, nice one. I just looked up that plastic credit cards weigh around 5 g, so a with a 50$ gift card you’d get close to the “cheap” saffron ($10,000/kg), but you’d need a 350$ or so gift card to beat the hand picked bio one.

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#106

Post by angrais »

codelord wrote: post #42
angrais wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does where you drink from it matter, let alone its transparency?

Actually color can affect the perceived taste. Red/vibrant colors make the drink taste more sweet.

Upon reflection, I have experienced this so it all makes sense now. Thanks.

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#107

Post by angrais »

cyberpunk wrote: post #23
angrais wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does where you drink from it matter, let alone its transparency?

Dunno about Persian style tea; but the pu’erh I often drink tastes significantly better from a sake cup vs a “normal” double walled bodum tea glass. I can’t really explain why, cup shape does affect hiw much you drink per sip, maybe the nose is involved.. Or it’s all bollocks and completely in my head. Either way, sake cup is the way to go for puerh ;)

Of course ... Makes sense now, thanks! Someone mentioned below that drinking from a metal cup compared with glass tastes different, which again makes sense to me.

Where do you buy your pu'erh? I'll have to buy some, plus a sake cup it seems!

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#108

Post by dariusj18 »

cwkoss wrote: post #6

I think the psychoactive effects of dietary ingredients are really interesting, and an area of research that deserves more attention. "Even in their usual intake range, a variety of spices including vanilla, black pepper, cacao, chili peppers, cloves, saffron, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and turmeric have been described as having mild effects on mood" https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.0059... I th…

Me and my gf once had Samosas that had an amazing effect, both aphrodisiacal and just feelings of contentment.

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#109

Post by joegahona »

codelord wrote: post #77
joegahona wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Persian brewed black tea Can you buy this in stores? Brand preference?

Similar taste can be achieved with non-Persian tea. I think brewing method maybe more important. For the brand I buy loose leaf english breakfast and use a transparent teapot to see when the tea is ready. Usually takes ~5 minutes for the perfect taste. Tea: https://teapigs.com/products/english-breakfast?_sid=3aed062b... (choose the loose leaf version) Teapot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KIW0T9C

$8 for shipping is a bit steep for a $9 bag of tea. Any other loose-leaf recommendations? Thanks for both this and the pot recommendation!

Re: Saffron as an Antidepressant (2018)

#110

Post by cyberpunk »

angrais wrote: post #107
cyberpunk wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dunno about Persian style tea; but the pu’erh I often drink tastes significantly better from a sake cup vs a “normal” double walled bodum tea glass. I can’t really explain why, cup shape does affect hiw much you drink per sip, maybe the nose is involved.. Or it’s all bollocks and completely in my head. Either way, sake cup is the way to go for puerh ;)

Of course ... Makes sense now, thanks! Someone mentioned below that drinking from a metal cup compared with glass tastes different, which again makes sense to me. Where do you buy your pu'erh? I'll have to buy some, plus a sake cup it seems!

From Mei Leaf usually (see if you can get ahold of their tub highness it’s my favourite young Sheng), not cheap though.
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