I haven't had the chance to dig into the active ingredient in Saffron responsible for this effect. I don't know if the active ingredient is even known. But I thought the following might be relevant to some people's interests.

As I understand it, estradiol is a direct breakdown product of testosterone, and women exposed to saffron produced more estradiol regardless of where they were in the cycle. But they made less cortisol. Since androstadienone also helps with PMS, but it seems like it lowers Testosterone by upregulation of cortisol production this seems to suggest that one critical aspect in helping with PMS might be lowering testosterone rather than raising cortisol, specifically. Does that seem like a valid interpretation?

That seems reinforced by the notion that androstenone may worsen the symptoms of some women with PMS.

The next big question would be; why do some women have bad PMS and others don't?

Quote:Our results indicate that saffron odor exert some effects in the treatment of PMS, dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation. This is the first report to suggest that saffron odor may be effective in treating menstrual distress.

Psychological and neuroendocrinological effects of odor of saffron (Crocus sativus).

...

Thirty-five women with a normal sense of smell were exposed to saffron odor for 20 min. Saliva samples were then collected to measure levels of cortisol ©, testosterone (T) and 17-β estradiol (E) by enzyme immunoassay, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was administered as a psychological test.
RESULTS:

Saffron odor significantly decreased C levels after short-term stimulation (20 min) in both follicular and luteal phases. E level after exposure to saffron odor was increased in both the follicular- and luteal-phase groups. STAI score decreased in the follicular and luteal phases in the saffron group.
CONCLUSIONS:

The present findings support the existence of physiological and psychological effects of saffron odor in women. Our results indicate that saffron odor exert some effects in the treatment of PMS, dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation. This is the first report to suggest that saffron odor may be effective in treating menstrual distress.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21242071

So would saffaron scented cologne be a good idea?

I've been taking Saffron Extract for weight control lately , since I have been going through a very stressful time at work and it helps control the stress-eating/ snacking . I notice that it calms me down and relieves anxiety quite a bit within an hour . Saffron in Persian Cuisine is a known mood enhancer , and I have also read that it works as a mild serotonin uptake inhibitor .
This all refers to ingesting Saffron Extract supplements , or using the actual Saffron as a spice in food . I don't know if just inhaling Saffron scent would affect me .

(03-15-2013 9:15 AM)downtown Wrote:  So would saffaron scented cologne be a good idea?

My big thing to was to try and figure out why androstadienone was good for PMS and why it caused depression. I wanted to possibly show that it did both those things for different reasons so we could tease one effect from another.

fluffygirl12 brings in some new issues I hadn't considered. I'll have to read up more when I have a chance.

Saffron scented cologne would be a long shot, but if you found some and were willing to test it, that would certainly be interesting. If you get 'saffron scented' cologne it's impossible to tell if the scent has the active ingredient (or ingredients) we're looking for. And if it does have that active ingredient, we still don't know if that molecule can act pheromonally. If both of these things were true, the stuff would probably be more on the social side than sexual - something worn to counteract PMS or calm things down rather than something you'd use for a wild romp. That's just my slightly educated guess.

I don't know offhand what extra estradiol would do. I'm also not sure how this stuff would impact men, who sometimes have different reactions than women.