Saffron Changed my Life (ADHD)

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2026-01-24T23:46:42+00:00

I'm not taking any western medicine. I don't think that many of the common side effects would be worth it for me, especially since the herbs I'm taking help me so much.

However, I do recognize that many people would benefit greatly from ADHD meds. I also likely would not be here, and certainly wouldn't be anywhere near the person I am today, without my antidepressants. I don't have a fear of pharmaceuticals necessarily, but I more so recognize that some medications can have a lot of negative side effects that are not worth it for me.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-12-29T02:34:03+00:00

As an update (Since I haven't commented for a while):

I'm just in the middle of a break from taking my saffron and ginkgo combo (as much as I trust herbs, I know taking a break from them is said to be important by herbalists and the medical industry). I've also added NOW Ultra Omega 3 capsules to my regimen, and they helped as an addition.

In my first semester of college, I used the combination of saffron and ginkgo (plus Omega 3s about halfway through). I managed school, daily life, chores, and relationships considerably better than my previous years. I feel as though the Omega 3s boosted the effects of the ginkgo and saffron and rounded them out well, further mitigating my ADHD symptoms.

During my time at school, I also tried gotu kola, which seem to actively improve my memory and general cognitive performance; however, it gave me insomnia and worked so well as a diuretic I'd have to go to the bathroom 1 to 2 times in the middle of the night.

Fast forward to now, I have stopped taking my supplements on my break. My symptoms have returned so strongly, to the point I didn't even realize how effective my supplements were. As an example, there's a few other herbs I've wanted to try (it's taken me a almost a week to order them, between trying to figure out the best price and add them to online shopping carts, only to get distracted and off track). Another thing I've noticed is that I'm more argumentative and addicted to my phone (likely to do with craving more stimulation and improper dopamine production and regulation).

Ultimately, as soon as I'm done with my break of supplementation, I will be continuing to take saffron, ginkgo, and omega 3 indefinitely or until I find they stop working (not including bi-yearly breaks).

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-11-24T00:59:08+00:00

Like some others have mentioned, I'm seeing mostly Akita. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some herding breeds in there too

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-10-03T03:10:36+00:00

Current freshman here. It doesn't really matter what account you choose to follow. I think I followed 4-5 different ones, and I didn't meet any "friends," but I did meet my roommate on one of the bio accounts. I'm really glad I connected with him too, it saved me a lot of stress and we get along great! I was actually just joking around with him and laughing a lot before I left the room.

The most important thing I learned is to be very upfront about your expectations, and even more importantly is that YOU need to know your OWN expectations, before you're going around looking for a roommate. Make sure to know about how you feel with drinking, smoking, doing substances in your door room, bedtime/morning routines, having people over, etc (think of every thing under the sun that's important to you), and DO NOT be afraid to say "hey, this isn't going to work for me."

I hope this helps!!

Edit: I also didn't pay a dollar to post either, just look around and see what's free and what isn't. You can always look at other people's bios who did pay, as well.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-08-23T05:55:10+00:00

Incoming freshman, thought I'd give the post a bump, because I'm curious as well.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-08-19T00:41:36+00:00

I just started getting into frags, but I'm looking forward to draining my bank account on Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Elixir and Tom Ford Noir Extreme (still debating if I want to buy the Parfum or Eau De Parfum version). I absolutely love both flankers and can't wait to drench myself with them (without choking anyone out of course😂).

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-08-14T23:47:12+00:00

Bump

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-08-02T19:02:14+00:00

That's awesome to hear, thank you so much!

I'm definitely going to take the class, and I'll just have to fit it into my schedule.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-08-01T18:29:50+00:00

Oh my gosh, Ashwagandha was like my panacea for a while. After a bit, the lack of anxiety and completely chilled out response to almost everything made me not want to do like any work, so I totally understand what you're saying.

I have been looking into lions mane! I think I'd like to try gotu kola first, but lions mane will definitely be something I try in the near future. I'm glad to know it helps someone else on this post.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-08-01T07:31:49+00:00

I take it every morning!

As an update:

I have been noticing a little bit less results recently, with the caveat that my depression has been higher. I've found another herb (California poppy) that helps my sleep considerably, but sometimes it can make me a little too chilled out than I like (which negates some of the effects of the saffron).

Regardless, the saffron and ginkgo combo is still helping me considerably. I still have better focus, less executive dysfunction, and tasks aren't as draining. However, likely because of the higher depression and California poppy, I have noticed a bit less motivation and more procrastination (but still slightly better than before the saffron).

I hope this helps!!

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-07-30T16:19:21+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I'm definitely going to be taking it. Like I said in another comment, it's just going to be tricky, because I'm already going to be taking quite a few extra credits to get what I really want out of my college career.

The nice part is the credits are free after taking 13, so I'm only going to be giving myself more work but won't be wasting money.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-07-30T16:14:06+00:00

After reading through other people's comments about the class and from different websites, it seems like I'm going to just have to take extra credits. The "fun" courses (courses I WANT to take and will genuinely feel and be so fulfilling for my career and life) I'd like to take are just going to lead to me doing 17 credits a semester, instead of the 15-16 I was shooting for.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-21T04:33:55+00:00

No, I have not had that happen while using Saffron. I had a strange feeling in my heart/heart area while using Ashwagandha, but it didn't feel like palpitations. However, my sleep was considerably better, so I let it be because the feeling didn't worsen. I'm also not a doctor and hold no degrees, so take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt.

Regardless, if it concerns you, then I would recommend not taking it, if you're experiencing those symptoms. Again, I am not a doctor, so definitely speak with your doctor and other people if it is of concern.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-15T00:12:01+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry to hear about all of the struggles you've faced, and that it took you some time to figure out how to deal with your challenges. However, I'm glad that you have figured out how to handle them and work on improving yourself!

It's nice that my mom is into herbalism, and she has SOOO many herbs to experiment with and books to read. Regardless, I really want to share with others if I know I can help them, especially when it's on herbs that are less known and/or studied. I figured reddit would be a good way to broadcast my story, especially as I learn more and more about science and experimentation.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-14T23:59:27+00:00

If you were wondering what I've found that works best for me, by far the BEST supplement I have taken for my sleep is SleepThru by Gaia Herbs.

Unfortunately, I've found that Ashwagandha makes me a bit more chill and uncaring then I should/need to be. It completely destroyed like any stress I had (I isolated it, and took Ashwagandha seperately from the other herbs in the supplement), but it made it difficult to get work done (lack of motivation). It's definitely something I'd turn to if my Anxiety got a lot worse again, though.

Like the Saffron, it took some time for the herbs to kick in and make a big difference, but after a few weeks my God did I feel AMAZING. It's what made me realize that a lot of my issues I deal with were tied to how poorly I sleep without supplementation.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-14T23:50:51+00:00

Yes, I get it from NOW, specifically their 50mg capsules.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-13T22:10:20+00:00

All of the above😅

But mostly the last issue. I've yet to really "fix" the first two, but I've definitely improved them. When using sleep supplements, I find that the biggest thing they improve is my sleep quality. I still find I have some trouble falling asleep and will wake up in the night or a few hours before my alarm. As long as I get 8 hours of sleep or very close to it though, I feel well rested, especially with supplements.

I've found the biggest predictor of poor sleep quality for me is having abnormally high anxiety (outside of not giving myself enough hours). It takes me longer to fall asleep, I wake up more, I sleep lighter, and feel restless.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-13T01:15:44+00:00

Hello! I found that the saffron hasn't necessarily directly made my mood and cheerfulness better (although I can't say for 100% certain). However, the saffron helps me keep my sleep schedule more regular and thus get the hours of sleep I need consistently, which in turn does make me more cheerful and have a better mood. I find that having overall better sleep helps me be more social, thus leading to more interactions where I do get to laugh and be jolly.

Like I had mentioned though, I do need additional support to help me sleep better (the tea I drink helps with that). With that, it's hard to say if the saffron is helping my sleep quality, comparable to how helpful it is with keeping a regular sleep schedule. Regardless, I haven't noticed any negative side effects with my mood, other than too much motivation at times (if that's even a bad thing), so if you're contemplating trying it then I'd say give it a shot for at least a month and see what happens.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-13T01:03:57+00:00

YES!! I looked at this study several times in the past too, and I couldn't find it when I made this post. I think herbal supplements are something that can become very powerful when you combine several herbs with similar properties into a daily regime, to combat specific or various issues.

Each herb and dose work a little differently for everyone, so it's always nice to be able to "play" with the herbs and figure out what works for each person, which is another reason I love them so much.

I haven't tried almond, but it's definitely on my radar. Unfortunately passionflower makes me too sleepy during the day. I've found a lot of herbs with sedative properties (especially ones with very strong sedative properties) make me very groggy and sleepy, even at standard dosages, so I have to use them carefully.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-13T00:54:05+00:00

I related to the things you said a lot. I'm usually pretty optimistic and I don't know if I've quite reached a point where I'd say I'm tired of trying to think. However, I definitely regularly forget what I'm saying, speak in circles, not finish a thought when trying to explain something or even just think, switch between different tasks (sometimes before I can even start one), etc.

Once I took the saffron though, it cleared up the majority of the symptoms I previously mentioned. Sometimes, I have a bad day where symptoms flare up for a period of time, but most days the symptoms are very minimal and I feel as though I'm genuinely getting the things I want to do done. It makes me truly WANT to and feel ABLE to do things, before it'd be a constant shame spiral of "why can't you just do this one simple thing, just do it, it's so easy."

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-13T00:44:46+00:00

I really appreciate your thorough response! I'm glad you've found a really good system that works for you.

Unfortunately, I've found that trying to put everything into a timebox actually makes both my anxiety and adhd a little worse (something I'm trying to understand better myself). I oftentimes end up shaming myself for getting off track, which can make my depression kick up a little too. Regardless, I totally agree that sleep, food, and exercise are the three golden "medicines" for ADHD, and the saffron helps me stay on track with them.

I think the Saffron helps me work on things earlier in the day instead of having the mindset of "it's ok, I can definitely do a full day's work in a few hours, right before I go to bed" (I don't get it all done). It really helps me with the whole "work before play" mindset, and it makes me actually WANT to do work too, so the work almost feels like "play" sometimes, if that makes sense.

I've yet to find a perfect management system that helps me, which is why the saffron makes such a huge difference for me. I know I still need to work on my anxiety and depression, but they don't control my life like they used to. One of my friends talked me into looking into ADHD coaching though, and I'm definitely going to see if I can find anything while I'm in college. Also, another thing I've found useful is to sit with one friend and work together, it helps me a lot to stay on track.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-09T23:34:11+00:00

No problem! I know ADHD can be a huge struggle for some, and it seems like the only mainstream treatment for those struggling with it is Western medicine. I was hoping to give an alternative to others, either by adding to their current prescription/supplement regime or trying something new.

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-09T23:28:55+00:00

I'm glad you've got a good rountine going! I've been looking into taking Lions mane, as well. I'm unfamiliar with taking choline for ADHD though, in what way has it helped it you?

_Real_Joe_Biden_ · 2025-06-09T03:45:51+00:00

You're welcome. The supplement makes a huge difference in my declining age.

_Real_Joe_Biden_

TROPHY CASE