comparison of the anxiolytic effects of saffron (crocus sativus. l) and diazepam before herniorrhaphy surgery: a double blind randomized clinical trial

Background: anxiety is an unpleasant state of feeling agitation and pressure induced by the patient’s fear of hospitalization, anesthesia or surgery. objectives: the present study is aimed to compare the effects of dried extract of saffron and diazepam on soothing the pre-herniorrhaphy surgery anxiety. patients and methods: in this double blind clinical study, during 8 months, 102 patients were studied in 2012. all the patients in intervention group (n = 50) received 25 mg dried extract of saffron and participants in control group (n = 52) received 5 mg oral diazepam. level of anxiety of the patients was measured using speillberger state-trait anxiety inventory (stai) before intervention and 3 hours after administration (immediately after entering the surgery room) filled out by the patients. the patients in the two groups were compared concerning level of anxiety before/after intervention. the two groups of participants had almost equal demographic features. results: according to the results, level of trait anxiety in the intervention groups decreased from 37.24 ± 7.4 to 34.72 ± 7.45 and the trend among the control group was vice versa and increased from 34.51 ± 10.74 to 38.8 ± 9.97. the data showed significant relation between level of trait anxiety before and after intervention in control and experiment groups (p = 0.019). conclusions: considering the findings, in comparison to diazepam, dried extract of saffron at 25 mg dose is more effective on soothing anxiety.