Is saffron (Crocus sativus) Safe with cyclosporine?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid taking saffron supplements while on cyclosporine. If saffron is consumed, inform your transplant or prescribing physician immediately and request cyclosporine blood level monitoring.
Why this interaction occurs
Saffron and its active constituents (safranal, crocin) inhibit CYP3A4, the primary enzyme responsible for cyclosporine metabolism. Inhibition of CYP3A4 can increase cyclosporine blood levels, raising the risk of toxicity (nephrotoxicity, immunosuppression excess) in a drug with a narrow therapeutic index.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Data source
PubMed - PMID 40167627
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 58,058 reports mentioning cyclosporine. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the cyclosporine + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All saffron (Crocus sativus) interactions → · All cyclosporine interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.