Safflower

Parts Usually Used

Flowers

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Safflower is an annual plant; its glabrous, branching stem grows from 1-3 feet high and bears alternate, sessile, oblong, or ovate-lanceolate, dark-green, shiny, leaves armed with small spiny teeth. The orange-yellow flowers grow in flower heads made up of clusters of green bracts, topped by tufts of deep yellow florets, turning orange as they mature; about 1 to 1 1/2 inches across.

It is a short lived plant. Grows in poor, dry soil, in full sun. Unrelated to saffron, but the dried and powdered orange-red florets are used as a saffron substitute.

Where Found

Native to the Mediterranean countries and cultivated in Europe and the United States.

Medicinal Properties

Diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, analgesic, carminative

Biochemical Information

Carthamin, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachic acid, oleic acid, linoleic and linolenic acids, safflower yellow

Legends, Myths and Stories

Some herbs are cultivated on a surprisingly large scale. In southern California, vast fields of safflower are the basis for the safflower oil industry. Used by the Chinese in candle making. Safflower used as a coloring for white wines. Color is similar to the very expensive saffron.

Uses

Historically, hot safflower tea was administered to induce perspiration and was used in folk medicine for fevers, colds, and related ailments. Herbalists also employed it for delayed menstruation, poor blood circulation, and measles, as well as incorporating it into liniments intended for bruises and injuries. Beyond medicinal applications, the dried and powdered flowers historically served as a saffron substitute, and when blended with powdered talc, they were used to produce cosmetic rouge.

The fresh petals were traditionally valued as a source of yellow to red dyes, while the dried flowers found use as a scent in potpourris and as ornamental elements in floral arrangements.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.

, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.

Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974