Huang Hua (Carthami Flos)
Source
This product is the dried flower of the Asteraceae plant Carthamus tinctorius L.
Alias
Grass safflower, red orchid, red orchid flower, danhua, yellow orchid, duhonghua, dahonghua, red blue flower, southern red flower.
Provided by Lizhan
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Textbook Version
Online Version
Production Area
Mainly produced in provinces such as Henan, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Yunnan. It is a cultivated product.
Harvesting and Processing
Flowers are picked in the summer when they turn from yellow to red, on sunny mornings before the dew has dried, and then dried in the shade or sun.
Identification of Characteristics
This product consists of tubular flowers without ovaries, measuring 1-2 cm in length. The surface is reddish-yellow or red. The corolla tube is long and slender, with five lobes at the tip, and the lobes are narrow and 5-8 mm long; there are five stamens, and the anthers are tubular and yellowish-white; the stigma is long and cylindrical with a slightly bifurcated tip. The texture is soft. It has a faint fragrance and a slightly bitter taste.
Properties and Channels
Pungent, warm. Enters the Heart and Liver meridians.
Characteristics
This product is pungent, dispersing, and warming, entering the Heart and Liver meridians. It can invigorate blood circulation and unblock meridians, disperse blood stasis, and alleviate pain, particularly effective for conditions related to blood stasis, especially in cases of cold.
Functions
Invigorates blood circulation, unblocks meridians, dispels blood stasis, and alleviates pain.
Memorable Note on Safflower
Most Painful Snow, Safflower Dispels
Safflower: Stops pain, invigorates blood, unblocks meridians, dispels blood stasis.
Indications
1. Invigorating blood and dispersing stasis: Used for trauma, bruising, and pain, often combined with Chai Hu (Bupleurum), Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis), Da Huang (Rhubarb), etc.; used for retained placenta, postpartum lochia, and chronic abdominal pain, often combined with Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum), and Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus); used for sores and swelling, often combined with Sheng Di (Rehmannia), Chi Shao (Red Peony), Lian Qiao (Forsythia), and Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion) for cooling blood and detoxifying.
2. For rashes due to blood stagnation: Used for rashes that do not surface smoothly due to blood stagnation, often combined with Zi Cao (Lithospermum), Da Qing Ye (Isatis), Dang Gui, and Niu Bang Zi (Burdock Seed).
Additionally, combined with Chuan Xiong, Dang Gui, Bai Shao (White Peony), and Shu Di (Rehmannia) for treating fetal qi; combined with Chuan Xiong, Niu Xi (Achyranthes), Rou Gui (Cinnamon), and Che Qian Zi (Plantago) for treating fetal death in utero; combined with Dang Gui, Mo Yao (Myrrh), and wine for treating hematuria.
Note: Safflower enters the blood, is pungent and warm, dispersing blood stasis, thus it is a key herb for breaking blood stasis, but its strength varies with the dosage; a small amount can nourish blood, while a large amount can break blood and move stasis.
Compatibility
Safflower combined with Tao Ren (Peach Kernel): Safflower is pungent, dispersing, and warming, with functions to invigorate blood, dispel stasis, and alleviate pain; Tao Ren is sweet, moistening, and neutral, with functions to invigorate blood, dispel stasis, and moisten the intestines. The combination enhances the ability to invigorate blood and dispel stasis, suitable for any blood stasis condition.
Dosage and Administration
Cattle and horses: 15-30g; pigs and sheep: 3-9g. Ground into powder, mixed with hot water, and taken warm, or decocted and taken.
Precautions
This product is pungent and warm, with strong blood-invigorating properties, thus it is contraindicated for pregnant women and those with excessive menstruation.
Pharmacology
This product has effects such as stimulating the uterus, dilating blood vessels, improving microcirculation, reducing coronary resistance, increasing coronary blood flow, anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-coagulation, anti-thrombus formation, lowering blood lipids, and anti-inflammatory.
The Story of Safflower
According to the Song Dynasty’s Gu Wenjian in “Night Talks by the Boat Window”, there was a woman surnamed Xu in Xinchang who fell critically ill after childbirth. Her family invited the famous doctor Lu Riyang to treat her. When he arrived, the patient was nearly at death’s door, with only a slight warmth in her chest. After careful consideration, Lu Riyang said, “This is a case of blood stasis; quickly buy several tens of pounds of safflower to be effective.” He boiled the safflower in a large pot, and after it boiled, poured it into three wooden barrels, placing a window frame over the barrels for the patient to lie on and inhale the medicinal vapor. After the decoction cooled, it was reheated and poured back into the barrels repeatedly. After a while, the patient’s stiff fingers began to move, and after half a day, she gradually regained consciousness and escaped danger, for which her family was immensely grateful.
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