Safralis is whole Mongra saffron, the highest and purest grade of saffron from Kashmir, standardized to 8% crocins and 3% safranals.
When extracting saffron, you concentrate some things, but you lose others. In our quest to make the best saffron, we decided to find the best raw material first. This led us to a small Himalayan valley in Kashmir, where we discovered saffron so potent, it outperformed all the extracts on the market. Safralis is cold-milled and stabilized Kashmir saffron stigma, in 15 mg and 30 mg capsules.
How Safralis started
It all started with us questioning the common strategy of trying to get higher bioactives by just using more potent extractions.
Here at Nootropics Depot, we are known for making the most potent extracts in the world. However, we started to question if that was the best strategy. After all, you can only extract what the plant or fungi actually make naturally. With our work on Erinamax, we were able to bring out the world's most potent erinacine A lion's mane without doing any extraction at all. What if we could do the same thing with saffron?
In partnership with the scientists at Omnient Labs, who created more advanced methods for testing the bioactives in saffron, we were able to start scouring the planet for the most potent stigmas possible. This led us to a tiny valley in Kashmir, where we found saffron of such high quality that we could make a cold-milled whole saffron stigma powder that had higher bioactives than any extract on the market.1
Extraction is meant to concentrate a plant, and with saffron it does the opposite.
Three things we learned about why the raw threads won.
Safranal is volatile, so heat and solvent drive it off.
Safranal gives saffron its aroma. It forms from picrocrocin through HTCC as the threads dry and cure, and an extraction run can lose the very compounds that make saffron smell like saffron.
Growers have been concentrating saffron for centuries.
Saffron has always been graded on color and aroma. The crocins are its red and orange pigments and safranal is its aroma, so selecting the brightest, strongest-smelling saffron selected for the bioactives.
The best thing to do with great saffron is keep it whole.
Skip the solvent, keep the stigma, and protect the volatiles on the way into the capsule. That became Safralis.
Kashmir saffron is prized for its color and aroma, and color and aroma indicate the level of its bioactives.
When we all tried the stigmas from Kashmir, they felt extremely potent compared to other saffron that we had tried. Our CEO Paul, known for going all-in, took 60 mg for his first dose, and found that to be too strong for his taste.
However, setting up a stable supply chain in a region known for instability was no easy task. Relationships had to be made with the farmers, and trust had to be built. Getting access to the best saffron in the world made all the effort worthwhile.
We chill the mill and grind the threads with acacia fiber, which stabilizes the volatile safranal.
Saffron threads are slightly oily and flexible, so a warm mill chops them into a paste, and the friction heat drives off safranal. We cool the mill so the threads turn brittle and break into a fine powder, and we mill them with acacia fiber, which absorbs the volatiles as they are released.
- Kashmir stigmaWhole threads from the Kashmir region.
- A chilled millCold makes the threads brittle, so they powder instead of smearing.
- Acacia fiberAbsorbs safranal and its precursors as they are released.
- Standardized8% crocins and 3% safranals, batch after batch.
- Identity checkedHPTLC confirms Crocus sativus before it is encapsulated.
The specification
Safralis carries three times the safranals our previous extract was standardized to.
| Per capsule | Crocins | Safranals |
|---|---|---|
| Safralis 15 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.45 mg |
| Safralis 30 mg | 2.4 mg | 0.9 mg |
Standardized to 8% crocins and 3% safranals, with botanical identity verified by HPTLC.2 The previous extract was standardized to a minimum of 7.5% crocins and 1% safranals.1
We made a 15 mg strength because 30 mg is a lot of saffron for some people.
Both strengths carry the same 8% crocins and 3% safranals. Choose the amount that fits your day.
Most people should start at 15 mg.
1.2 mg crocins and 0.45 mg safranals per capsule. Plenty for many people, and an easy way to learn how saffron feels for you.
The 30 mg is the dose that surprised us.
2.4 mg crocins and 0.9 mg safranals per capsule. Those of us who tried it found it far stronger than 30 mg of our old extract.
Take one capsule, once or twice a day.
With or without food, at whatever time fits your routine.
Give it two to three weeks of daily use.
Some people notice a lift the same day. The fuller effect builds with consistent use, so judge it after a few weeks.
Stack it with Cognance Bacopa or Sabroxy.
Saffron's mood support pairs with Cognance's support for memory and focus, or with Sabroxy's support for motivation and sustained attention.
Saffron's crocins and safranals support you in four ways.
01Positive mood
Safralis supports a positive mood.
Mood is the most studied use of saffron, and most of that research supports it. Some people feel a lift the same day, and the effect builds over two to three weeks of daily use.3
02Cognitive function
It promotes healthy cognitive function.
Crocins and safranal support the everyday thinking you rely on to stay focused and engaged.3
03Oxidative defenses
Crocins support the body's oxidative defenses.
The red pigments in saffron support your body's own antioxidant defenses, the systems that handle the oxidative stress of an active life.3
04Neuronal protection
Crocins support neuronal protection.
The same crocins back up the defenses your neurons use against oxidative stress.3
Research on saffron has looked at mood, cognitive function and oxidative balance.
Our Research Snapshot graded the published studies on each question by whether their findings support it.3
Does saffron support a positive mood?
Does saffron support cognitive function?
Does crocin support oxidative defenses?
Does crocin support neuronal protection?
Adults reporting low mood, 4 weeks
In 128 adults who reported low mood without a diagnosis, a standardized saffron extract at 28 mg a day for four weeks reduced negative mood and stress-related symptoms compared with placebo. A 22 mg dose did not.4
Healthy adults, 8 weeks
In 56 healthy adults with everyday low mood or stress, 30 mg a day of a standardized saffron extract for eight weeks lowered low-mood scores and improved ratings of social relationships compared with placebo.5
These studies used saffron extracts, not Safralis, and the snapshot summarizes published research rather than testing this product. Safralis is a dietary supplement that supports a positive mood and healthy cognitive function. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Safralis High Potency Kashmir Saffron
Choose the strength and the size that fit your day.
Kashmir saffron stigma, cold-milled and standardized to 8% crocins and 3% safranals. One capsule once or twice a day.
Strength- Vegan
- Non-GMO
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Third-party tested every batch
Questions people ask about Safralis
Why whole saffron stigma instead of an extract?
When we tested raw Kashmir saffron against extracts, the raw stigma carried more safranal, picrocrocin, HTCC and crocins, because those volatile bioactives are easily lost during extraction. Cold-milling with acacia fiber keeps them in.
Should I take 15 mg or 30 mg?
Start with 15 mg if you are new to saffron or sensitive to it. Many people are well served there. The 30 mg is the stronger option, and you can take up to two capsules a day.
When should I expect to notice effects?
Some people notice a lift the same day. Saffron's mood support builds over consistent daily use, so take it daily for two to three weeks before you judge how it works for you.
Is Safralis safe to take daily?
Safralis is formulated for daily use at 15 mg or 30 mg per capsule. If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication, talk to your healthcare provider first.
Every claim on this page links to its source.
- Nootropics Depot analytical testing of our previous saffron extract (standardized to a minimum of 7.5% crocins and 1% safranals) and the raw saffron it was made from internal
- Safralis specification: 8% crocins, 3% safranals (safranal, picrocrocin, HTCC); identity by HPTLC against Crocus sativus L. 2026
- Nootropics Depot Saffron Research Snapshot: 26 to 40 published studies graded per question 2026
- Kell G et al. affron, a novel saffron extract, improves mood in healthy adults over 4 weeks. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 33:58-64 2017
- Jackson PA et al. Effects of saffron extract supplementation on mood, well-being, and response to a psychosocial stressor in healthy adults. Frontiers in Nutrition 2021
