Details of Medicinal Plants

Safflower

Carthamus tinctorius L. Asteraceae

This annual grows in Egypt. Its plant height is about 100 cm and the flowering period in Japan is late June to early July. The safflower was used during the Edo period as a red dye in lip cosmetics or dyestuffs. Yamagata prefecture was the number one tea producer at that time and it is the presently designated prefecture flower.

Part used: tubulous flower
Medicinal use: emmenagogue and anti-lethargic
Main component: carthamin

Natural coloring agents from fermented tubulous flowers are used in cosmetics, etc.

Safflower oil is extracted by squeezing the seeds. The oil is full of linoleic acid.

Safflower is a dried tubulous flower with most of its yellow pigment removed. It is prized for its bright red color.