A Detailed Explanation of the Benefits and Effects of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius): The Blood-Activating, Menstruation-Promoting Chinese Herbal Medicine

Safflower is the dried flower of the asteraceae plant safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), a traditional and commonly used Chinese herbal medicine, also known as grass safflower or red-blue flower; it is not the same plant as saffron. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that it is pungent in flavor and warm in nature, with the effects of activating blood and promoting menstruation, dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain, and it often appears in formula combinations for treating conditions such as amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea and traumatic injuries.

Safflower is cultivated in many parts of China, and is generally harvested when the corolla turns from yellow to red; those with bright color and a soft texture are considered the best. Besides being used as medicine, safflower seeds can be pressed to obtain safflower seed oil, and the flowers can also be used as a natural dye, making it a crop with fairly wide uses.

In practical use, safflower is mostly seen in formulas and external preparations for activating blood and resolving stasis, and some people also steep safflower in water or liquor as a daily health regimen. It should be noted that safflower has a relatively strong blood-activating effect, so pregnant women and those with heavy menstrual flow should avoid using it, and whether it is suitable to take should be judged by a physician or pharmacist in light of individual constitution.

Many people easily confuse safflower with saffron, but in fact the two come from different sources, and their prices and dosages also differ considerably, so care should be taken to distinguish them when purchasing. Whichever use it is intended for, it is advisable to buy through proper channels and use it under professional guidance, and it is not suitable to take it in large amounts on one's own over the long term.