Zang Hong Hua (Saffron) and Hong Hua (Safflower) have names that differ by only one character, yet they are two entirely different medicinal herbs. Moreover, there is a significant price difference between these two herbs; Zang Hong Hua (also known as Xihonghua or Crocus sativus) is a precious medicinal herb, very expensive and hard to obtain, while Hong Hua is commonly used in clinical practice. Today, we will explore the differences between Hong Hua and Zang Hong Hua.Different Sources
Hong Hua is derived from the dried flowers of the plant Carthamus tinctorius, also known as Safflower, with other names including grass safflower, red-blue flower, or thistle safflower.
▲Original plant of Hong Hua
Zang Hong Hua is derived from the dried stigmas of the plant Crocus sativus, also known as Saffron.
▲Original plant of Zang Hong Hua
Differences in EfficacyHong Hua is pungent and warm, entering the heart and liver meridians; it has the effects of invigorating blood circulation, regulating menstruation, and alleviating pain. It is commonly used clinically for conditions such as amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, retained lochia, abdominal masses, chest pain, and traumatic injuries.Note: Pregnant women should use Hong Hua with caution.
▲Hong Hua medicinal material
Hong Hua can also be used externally for beauty purposes.
Hong Hua has a bright red color and is an excellent choice for cosmetics due to its dyeing properties. Therefore, using Hong Hua juice to create rouge or washing the skin with it can enhance one’s appearance and complexion, making women’s skin appear more rosy and radiant.
The external value of Hong Hua is not only due to its bright red juice but also because it invigorates blood circulation, dispels stasis, and alleviates pain. Historical records from the Song Dynasty, such as Gu Wenjian’s “Night Talks by the Boat Window” and Qiu Yuan’s “Miscellaneous Histories” from the Yuan Dynasty, recount a remarkable case: A renowned physician from Fenghua, Zhejiang, named Lu Yan, was called to treat a woman named Xu who had fainted after childbirth. Her family traveled a hundred miles to seek his help. Upon arrival, Lu Yan found the woman unconscious, with only her chest still warm. He instructed, “Quickly buy several tens of pounds of Hong Hua; this can save her life.” He advised boiling the herb in a large pot, and when the broth boiled, to place the woman over a bucket filled with the medicinal liquid to steam her. After a while, she began to move her hands and gradually regained consciousness.This means: A woman was critically ill after childbirth, and her family sought the famous physician Lu Yan. When he arrived, the patient was nearly lifeless, with only a slight warmth in her chest. After careful consideration, Lu Yan concluded, “This is a case of blood stasis; quickly purchase several tens of pounds of Hong Hua to be effective.” The family complied, and Lu Yan boiled the Hong Hua, pouring the boiling liquid into three wooden buckets, placing a window frame over the buckets for the patient to lie on and be steamed by the medicinal vapor. As the broth cooled, he added more hot liquid. After a while, the patient’s stiff fingers began to move. Gradually, she regained consciousness and escaped danger.
The essence of this case lies in the phenomenon of the patient being “nearly lifeless” not being due to a critical condition but rather because of blood stasis in the chest, leading to obstructed qi and blood flow. Therefore, the chest remained slightly warm. Thus, the treatment principle was to invigorate blood circulation and dispel stasis. Since the patient could not take oral medicine, a large dose of Hong Hua was used for medicinal bathing to improve her condition.
Hong Hua is widely used clinically for various conditions caused by poor blood circulation and blood stasis, such as traumatic injuries, headaches, abdominal pain, rib pain, chest pain, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, postpartum abdominal pain, and retained lochia. It can also be used for various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke, vascular headaches, coronary heart disease, and myocardial ischemia.
Moreover, the medicinal value of Hong Hua is also reflected in beauty treatments.
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the luster and delicacy of a person’s skin, the redness of their complexion, and the richness of their hair are closely related to the normal circulation of blood.
When blood flows smoothly, it nourishes the hair and skin, resulting in thick hair, moist skin, and a rosy complexion. Conversely, if blood circulation is obstructed, it leads to insufficient nourishment of hair and skin, resulting in dry hair, rough skin, and a dull complexion.
Additionally, due to blood stasis, obstructed blood vessels and meridians can lead to toxin accumulation and metabolic disorders, resulting in clinical manifestations such as rashes and obesity. In such cases, an appropriate amount of Hong Hua taken internally can invigorate blood circulation, dispel stasis, and improve symptoms related to blood stasis, thus achieving a certain degree of “nourishing from within” for beauty.
In the long-standing tradition of Chinese culture, beauty is not merely equated with external charm. While the luster of the complexion, the shine of the hair, and the proportion of the body can often be achieved through makeup and clothing, as with using rouge for coloring, this is only temporary. True natural beauty must be rooted in the internal balance of the body and the smooth flow of qi and blood. Ancient people understood this well, which is why Hong Hua is used externally for coloring and internally for nourishing the complexion, perfectly illustrating the integration of traditional medicine and folk culture.
Classical Texts on the Efficacy of Hong Hua
“Compendium of Materia Medica”: Invigorates blood, moistens dryness, alleviates pain, and disperses swelling.
“Kaibao Materia Medica”: Treats postpartum blood stasis, abdominal pain, and mouth lock, and can be taken with wine.
“Bencao Fengyuan”: Blood is generated in the pericardium, stored in the liver, and belongs to the Chong and Ren meridians. Hong Hua juice is similar, thus it can promote blood circulation in men and regulate menstruation in women, invigorate blood and resolve toxin, and disperse redness and swelling.
“Bencao Beiyao”: Enters the lung meridian to break blood stasis, invigorate blood, moisten dryness, and reduce swelling and pain. Treats amenorrhea, constipation, blood lock, fetal death in utero, blood heat from smallpox, and throat obstruction.
“Bencao Biandu”: Red and warm, affecting both the heart and liver, sweet and bitter in taste, pungent and dispersing, regulates blood vessels to remove stasis and generate new blood, treats fractures, and regulates conditions before and after childbirth.
“Bencao Jingjie”: Treats postpartum blood stasis, mouth lock, abdominal pain from retained blood, and fetal death in utero.
“Bencao Qiuzhen”: A key agent for promoting blood circulation and dispelling stasis. Blood is generated in the pericardium, stored in the liver, and belongs to the Chong and Ren meridians. When external pathogens invade, blood stagnates and does not flow. Hong Hua juice is similar to blood, thus it is used for conditions such as throat obstruction, smallpox not erupting, skin swelling and pain, amenorrhea, mouth lock, and fetal death in utero.
“Bencao Yidu”: Eliminates postpartum lochia, unblocks menstrual stasis; invigorates blood and moistens dryness, effectively alleviating pain and dispersing swelling.
“Leigong Paozhi Yaoxing Jie”: Disperses retained blood in the abdomen and supplements blood deficiency. Eliminates postpartum blood stasis and alleviates blood lock. Treats traumatic injuries, skin infections, elderly blood deficiency with constipation, and amenorrhea.
“Yaodian”: Specifically enters the blood, primarily treating women’s diseases. For fetal death in utero, it is a sacred medicine. Treats mouth lock and blood lock, indeed a fine product for childbirth. It is often used to break blood, and less for nourishing blood. Generally, pungent and warm can harmonize blood, thus less used for nourishing blood. If overly pungent and warm, blood may disperse, hence more used for breaking blood. This is a necessary medicine for unblocking meridians, and must be cooked with wine. Dongyuan believes that for blood deficiency, it can be used with blood-nourishing herbs to achieve both blood circulation and nourishment, thus having a blood-nourishing effect.
“Zhenzhu Nang Buyi Yaoxing Fu”: Its uses are fourfold: to disperse retained blood in the abdomen; to supplement blood deficiency; to eliminate postpartum blood stasis; and to alleviate blood lock.
Compatibility
“Bencao Cuoyao”: Specializes in invigorating blood and reducing swelling, can be combined with wind-dispelling herbs to treat sixty-two types of wind; can be combined with tonifying herbs to generate new blood; used in rouge to invigorate blood and detoxify, and can be applied with oil-based rouge.
“Bencao Beiyao”: When stasis is resolved, blood flows. If there is heat accumulation, vomiting purple-black blood is favorable. If not fully expelled, add peach kernel and Hong Hua to promote flow. Generally, fresh blood should be stopped, while stasis blood should be moved.
“Depei Bencao”: Combine with Dang Gui to invigorate blood; combine with cinnamon to disperse stasis. For breaking blood, often used with wine; for nourishing blood, less used with water. Avoid excessive use postpartum, as it may cause blood to flow uncontrollably and lead to death.
Contraindications
“Bencao Beiyao”: Use less for nourishing blood; excessive use can cause blood to flow uncontrollably and lead to death.
“Gu Songyuan Yijing”: Excessive use can cause blood to flow uncontrollably and lead to death; caution is advised! Pregnant women should avoid it.
Zang Hong Hua (Saffron) is sweet and neutral; it enters the heart and liver meridians; it has the effects of invigorating blood, cooling blood, detoxifying, and calming the mind; it is commonly used clinically for amenorrhea, abdominal masses, postpartum stasis, warm toxin-induced rashes, depression, and anxiety.
Note: Pregnant women should use Zang Hong Hua with caution.
▲Zang Hong Hua medicinal material
First, it should be noted that many people believe that Zang Hong Hua is produced in Tibet, which is incorrect. In fact, Zang Hong Hua does not originate from Tibet; its original production areas are in Mediterranean coastal countries such as Greece and Spain, as well as Central Asia, with Iran currently being the largest producer. The term “Zang” is used because it was transported from the Mediterranean coast through India and Iran to Tibet, where it was collected and then transported to the mainland, becoming one of the most precious medicinal materials offered to the imperial court in ancient Tibet.Currently, the use of Zang Hong Hua is popular in society, and the dosage is generally excessive, which is not advisable. Especially for women during menstruation, they should not use it casually, and certainly not in large amounts, as it may lead to excessive bleeding.
Although both Zang Hong Hua and Hong Hua have the effect of invigorating blood and regulating menstruation, the former is more potent than the latter, and Zang Hong Hua has a slightly cold nature, with milder properties. It also has the effects of cooling blood, detoxifying, and calming the mind, making it effective for heat toxin-induced rashes, skin eruptions, and anxiety, earning it the title of “cleanser of blood vessels.” Therefore, in terms of medicinal value, Zang Hong Hua is more precious.
Finally, regarding dosage, there is a significant difference between the two. Generally, Zang Hong Hua is mostly used internally, with a dosage typically controlled below 1 gram for health maintenance and usually not exceeding 3 grams for treatment. Hong Hua can be used externally in larger amounts, depending on the specific condition, and is generally not used alone internally, often combined with other herbs, with a dosage typically between 10-30 grams.
Significant Price Differences
Zang Hong Hua belongs to the Iridaceae family, while Hong Hua belongs to the Asteraceae family. The yield of Zang Hong Hua is extremely low; it blooms with the rising sun and withers at sunset, much like a fleeting flower, quickly wilting, after which the flower stigmas lose their medicinal value, making harvesting very difficult. Approximately one kilogram of high-quality Zang Hong Hua requires the manual separation from nearly two hundred thousand flowers, hence Zang Hong Hua is known as “the gold of plants” or “red gold.” Therefore, the price of Zang Hong Hua is far higher than that of ordinary Hong Hua.
In summary, while Zang Hong Hua and Hong Hua differ by only one character, their main effects are similar, both primarily focusing on invigorating blood and dispelling stasis. However, there are differences in terms of botanical family, potency, application range, dosage, and price.
Identifying Authenticity of Zang Hong Hua
Water Soaking Method: When Zang Hong Hua is placed in water, it should show an orange-yellow color, sinking straight down, gradually diffusing, with the solution being yellow rather than red, clear and bright without sediment, and no oily floating on the surface. Stirring with a stick should not easily break it apart.
Observation Method: Spread Zang Hong Hua on white paper and observe with a magnifying glass; it should be wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with the upper end bulging like a trumpet, resembling a dragon’s head and phoenix’s tail.
Pressing Method: Press Zang Hong Hua with white paper; although it is oily, the paper should not retain any oil stains. If dipped in water and rubbed on white paper, it should turn golden yellow.
【Source: This content is a comprehensive compilation from the WeChat public accounts of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, etc. Images are sourced from the WeChat public account of Medicinal Plants Illustrated and the China Plant Image Database】Recommended Reading
