Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) Benefits and Effects, Benefits of Drinking It as a Tea, Harm to Pregnant Women, and Culinary Uses

Safflower aliases: Honglanhua, Cihonghua; a plant of the Asteraceae family, genus Carthamus; the dried tubular florets are orange-red; mainly produced in Henan, Hunan, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Tibet and other places. So what are the benefits and effects of safflower? What are the benefits of drinking it as a tea? How do you eat it for the best results?

The Benefits and Effects of Safflower

Warm in nature, pungent in taste. It is indicated for invigorating blood and clearing the meridians, and for dissipating stasis and relieving pain. It is used for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, retention of lochia, abdominal masses and lumps, and traumatic injuries. When the ancients often had blood stasis in the body, they would often add a small handful of safflower: wrap it in gauze, boil it, and use it to soak the feet twice a day; it is suitable for various varicose veins, peripheral neuritis, and blood circulation.

The Nutritional Value of Safflower

1. Medicinal safflower contains safflorquinone glycoside, neosafflor glycoside, safflor glycoside, safflower yellow pigment, and yellow pigment. It also contains safflower oil, which includes palmitic acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, and others.

2. The fruit is called Baipingzi and contains “safflower seed” oil; the oil can lower cholesterol and high blood lipids; soften and dilate blood vessels, prevent aging, and regulate the endocrine system.

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Safflower as a Tea?

1. Invigorating blood and clearing the meridians, and dissipating stasis and relieving pain

Safflower is warm in nature and pungent in taste. After being infused in water and taken, it has a very good health-preserving effect on the heart and liver meridians. After entering the human body, it has the effects of invigorating blood and clearing the meridians and dissipating stasis and relieving pain. It has a very good therapeutic effect especially for some women with amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and postpartum dizziness from blood loss.

2. Beautifying the skin

Safflower contains a large amount of carotene compounds, and this substance can play a role in removing spots after entering the body. In addition, safflower can also effectively regulate the body's endocrine system, thereby increasing the speed of metabolism in the body, while also effectively removing excess melanin from the body. Therefore, regularly drinking safflower tea can produce a beautifying effect.

3. Calming the mind and steadying the spirit

Working for a long time can make a person mentally irritable, and thinking also becomes slower. This is mainly caused by brain neurasthenia. Safflower can increase the speed of blood circulation in the body and keep the body in a balanced state. It can not only relieve an irritable mood, but also make thinking and reactions more agile.

4. Lowering blood pressure

Drinking safflower tea can have a blood pressure-lowering effect. The yellow pigment and other substances contained in safflower can effectively inhibit the rise in blood pressure, but the duration is not long; after about half an hour, blood pressure returns to its original level.

5. Preventing heart disease

Drinking safflower tea can dilate the arteries, speed up blood circulation, increase blood supply, and improve circulation. It is helpful for the heart and blood vessels and can prevent heart attacks.

Dietary Contraindications for Safflower

Some people today take safflower as a health supplement for a long time, not realizing that long-term use of safflower may produce symptoms of chronic safflower poisoning. According to modern medicine, long-term consumption of safflower can cause severe damage to the nervous, urinary, and digestive systems, and is accompanied by adverse reactions such as skin allergies and anaphylactic shock. People with ulcers and bleeding disorders should use safflower with caution, and the dosage should not be large; 3-9 g is appropriate.

Culinary Uses

Black Bean and Safflower Drink

Ingredients: 30 g black beans, 6 g safflower, 30 g brown sugar.

Method: Add an appropriate amount of clear water to the black beans and safflower, bring to a boil over high heat for 4 minutes, then simmer over low heat until the black beans are thoroughly cooked. Remove the black beans and safflower, add brown sugar to taste, and it is ready. Take 2 cups each time, twice a day.

Benefits: Invigorates blood and resolves stasis, and relieves acute pain.

Safflower Catfish

Ingredients: 1 cleaned catfish (about 250 g), 12 g Sichuan safflower, 150 g black soybeans, 1 piece dried tangerine peel, appropriate amounts of salt and yellow wine.

Method: Pick the black soybeans clean, put them in an iron pot, and stir-fry over medium-low heat until the bean skins split open, then wash and drain. Wash the dried tangerine peel; wash the Sichuan safflower and put it in a gauze bag. Add water and bring to a boil, then add the black beans, dried tangerine peel, Sichuan safflower, yellow wine, and catfish. After it comes to a boil, skim off the foam, then switch to low heat and simmer until the black beans are soft and thoroughly cooked. Season with salt and it is ready.

Benefits: Strengthens the spleen and tonifies the kidneys, invigorates blood and removes spots, and prevents dark circles under the eyes.

Safflower Wine

Ingredients: 200 g safflower, 1000 ml low-alcohol liquor, appropriate amount of brown sugar.

Method: Wash the safflower and dry it in the air, put it together with the brown sugar into a clean gauze bag, seal the bag opening, place it in a wine jar, cover and seal, and soak for 7 days before drinking. It is suitable to drink 1-2 times a day, 20-30 ml each time.

Benefits: It has the functions of nourishing blood and nourishing the skin, and invigorating blood and clearing the meridians. It is suitable for women with blood deficiency, blood stasis, dysmenorrhea, and similar conditions.

Salvia and Safflower Porridge

Ingredients: 150 g japonica rice, 10 g salvia miltiorrhiza, 6 g safflower, 25 g white granulated sugar

Method: Moisten the salvia miltiorrhiza thoroughly and cut it into thin slices; wash the safflower and remove impurities; rinse the japonica rice clean. Then place the japonica rice together with the salvia miltiorrhiza and safflower in an aluminum pot, add 800 ml clear water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then switch to low heat and cook for 35 minutes until the porridge is done, add white sugar to taste, and it is ready.

Benefits: This product has the effects of invigorating blood, resolving stasis, and unblocking the collaterals. It is suitable for patients with coronary heart disease of the stasis-obstructing heart collateral type.

Who Should Not Eat Safflower?

1. People with a hot constitution

Safflower is a medicinal material warm and hot in nature. Generally, people with a hot constitution should reduce their consumption of hot-natured medicines and foods, otherwise it will cause internal heat. This is also the same for many people who use safflower to soak their feet; people with a hot constitution should not use too much of it.

2. Patients with high blood pressure

In traditional Chinese medicine, high blood pressure is a constitution of excess yang. Although using safflower can invigorate blood and resolve stasis, while invigorating blood it does not “guide heat downward,” and it can easily instead lead to a situation in which blood pressure rises even more sharply after falling. It is generally recommended that such patients not use safflower.

3. Pregnant women

Pregnant women are the primary group contraindicated for safflower, because safflower has a blood-invigorating effect. It can excite the uterus, promote uterine contractions, and easily cause miscarriage, so pregnant women are forbidden to use safflower.

4. Women during menstruation

Women during menstruation generally do not need to use safflower, and it should be avoided in the first three days before menstruation and the three days after menstruation, because safflower has a blood-invigorating effect and may increase menstrual flow; excessive blood loss may also lead to anemia. However, if the menstrual blood cannot come down and there is a situation of blood stasis and blockage, it can still be used under a doctor's guidance.