American Saffron

• Botanical Name(s): Carthamus tinctorius

• Popular Name(s): Dyer's Saffron, American Saffron, Fake Saffron, Bastard Saffron

• Parts Used: Flowers

• Habitat: Safflower is grown in many parts of India, China and in other parts of Asia. It is found in Egypt and in Southern Europe also.

• Description: Safflower possesses a stiff, upright and whitish stem which grows up to a height of 2 to 3 feet. Its

leaves are pointed, spiny and oval shaped. The flowers have both male and female organs and are pollinated by insects.

Uses: The used part of Safflower is its flowers. The flowers have laxative and diaphoretic actions. The flowers are effective in curing measles, fevers and eruptive skin problems.When scientists found that the presence in man's diet of polyunsaturated fats tends to lower the levels of blood cholesterol-now recognized as contributing to heart disease - attention was focused on a variety of vegetable oils as substitutes for the animal fats that tend to raise cholesterol levels. Safflower oil, it turned out, had one of the highest percentages of polyunsaturates, with the result that the plant is nowadays grown mainly for its oil.In Chinese herbal medicine, the flowers are given to stimulate menstruation and to relieve abdominal pain. The flowers are also used to cleanse and heal wounds and sores and to treat measles. In the Anglo-American herbal tradition, the flowers are also given as a treatment for fever and skin rashes. The unpurified seed oil is purgative.