Safflower (Carthami FLOS)
Source
This product is the dried flower of the plant Carthamus tinctorius L. from the Asteraceae family.
Aliases
Safflower, grass safflower, red orchid, red orchid flower, danhua, yellow orchid, du safflower, big safflower, red blue flower, southern safflower.
Provided by Lizhan
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Textbook Version
Online Version
Origin
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 change from yellow to red, on sunny mornings before the dew has dried, and then dried in the shade or sun.
Identification
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 elongated, with five lobes at the tip, and the lobes are narrow and 5-8 mm long; there are five stamens, and the anthers are fused into a tubular shape, 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 and dispersing, warming and activating blood, entering the Heart and Liver meridians. It can invigorate blood circulation and unblock meridians, disperse stasis, and alleviate pain, particularly effective for conditions related to blood stasis, especially in cases of cold.
Functions
Invigorates blood circulation, unblocks meridians, dispels stasis, and alleviates pain.
Memorable Safflower
Most Painful Snow, Safflower Dispels
Safflower: Alleviates pain, invigorates blood, unblocks meridians, dispels stasis.
Indications
(1) Blood stasis leading to amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and postpartum retention of lochia.
(2) Chest obstruction and heart pain, masses and accumulations, trauma and swelling pain.
(3) Dark-colored rashes (combined with heat-clearing, blood-cooling, and detoxifying herbs).
Compatibility
Safflower combined with peach kernel: Safflower is pungent, dispersing, and warming, with functions to invigorate blood, dispel stasis, and unblock meridians to alleviate pain; peach kernel is sweet, moistening, and slightly bitter, with functions to invigorate blood, dispel stasis, and moisten the intestines to relieve constipation. The combination enhances the effects of both herbs, strengthening the ability to invigorate blood and dispel stasis, suitable for any blood stasis condition.
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: Decoction, 3-10 g; or in pills or powders. Small doses invigorate blood and unblock meridians, while large doses break blood and induce labor.
Precautions
This product is pungent and warm, with strong blood-activating properties, thus 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 effects.
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 was 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 examining her, Lu Riyang thought for a moment and said, “This is a case of blood stasis disease; 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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Editor: Publicity Department
Reviewer: Wang Xin
Qiu County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
National Level II Class A TCM Hospital
National Advanced Unit in TCM Work
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