Latin: Carthamus tinctorius flos
Chinese: Hong hua
English: Safflower flower
WHAT IT DOES: Carthamus flower is pungent in taste and warming in action. It promotes blood circulation and helps reduce pain.
RATING: Silver, due to minor limitations in usage
SAFETY ISSUES: Should not be
used during pregnancy. Use with caution if taking anti-coagulant
medications. Do not take during menstruation if bleeding is
heavy.
STARTING DOSAGE: • Dried powder: three to nine grams per day
Note: To make a wine preparation add nine grams of concentrated powder
to four ounces of wine and take in one-ounce doses throughout the day.
Carthamus flower has a beautiful red color. It is one of my
favorite herbs for promoting blood circulation, and it stops pain and
can be used safely to treat poor circulation, dysmenorrhea and
amenorrhea. At our clinic we also include it in formulas for
treating angina pectoris and other serious cerebrovascular
diseases. However, in such cases we only treat with carthamus or
other
blood thinners in coordination with a cardiologist to assure patient safety.
TCM doctors also use carthamus to reduce spleen and liver
enlargement. A rare special form of this flower from Tibet called
tsang hong hua is considered to be the highest quality. TCM
doctors believe taking carthamus flower with wine strengthens the
herb's ability to break down blood stasis.
Research Highlights
• Chinese laboratory studies have shown that carthamus flower can
improve coronary blood flow and increase the time necessary for the
blood to clot. Clinical trials with a tablet made from an alcohol
extract of carthamus resulted in reduced angina pain, improved
endurance and improved EEG. Intravenous infusion also proved very
effective (reported in Dharmananda, 1994).
• Decoctions of carthamus flower with other blood moving and Qi
invigorating herbs have also proven beneficial in patients with
coronary artery disease. In one study, patients reported
significant reduction in symptoms, and 41% had an improvement in ECG
after one month of treatment. Following the four-month study, 90%
of the patients were able to stop using nitroglycerin (reported in
Bensky and Gamble, 1993).
• Carthamus flower has shown pharmacological actions in animal and in
vitro experiments including dilation of the coronary artery,
constriction on the kidney blood vessels, protection against brain
injury from ischemia (lack of blood flow), and lowering of cholesterol
(reported in Yeung, 1983).
references