Also known as: Du Honghua (Carthamus), Jin Honghua (Golden Safflower)
Taste and Properties: Pungent in flavor, warm in nature; enters the Heart and Liver meridians.
King of Linoleic Acid
In clinical practice, Honghua is widely used and is known for its excellent ability to invigorate blood circulation and dispel blood stasis, as well as its role in regulating menstruation. It is regarded as a crucial blood-invigorating herb across various medical disciplines. The “Wai Tai Mi Yao” states, “For all types of swelling, use Honghua, crush it to extract the juice and take it.” The “Jin Gui Yao Lue” also records, “For women suffering from sixty types of wind and abdominal pain due to blood and qi stagnation, use Honghua wine.” Modern research has found that the content of linoleic acid in Honghua is the highest among all known plants, hence it is also referred to as the “King of Linoleic Acid.”
Honghua Profile
Honghua, also known as Du Honghua, Huai Hong, Chuan Honghua, and Cao Honghua, is cultivated across the country, primarily produced in Henan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Xinjiang. It is an annual herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, with the medicinal part being the tubular flowers, which are harvested in summer when they turn red, removing the stems and leaves, and then dried in the shade or sun. Modern studies show that Honghua contains yellow pigments, safflower glycosides, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, arachidonic acid, polysaccharides, catechins, and new safflower glycosides. Additionally, “Honghua Zi” oil is obtained from its fruit, “Bai Ping Zi.”
Functions and Indications:
Functions: Invigorates blood circulation, regulates menstruation, and dispels blood stasis and minor pain.
Indications: 1. Used for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain due to retained placenta postpartum, lochia not flowing after childbirth, and stillbirth. 2. Used for masses, contusions, and pain due to blood stasis. 3. Used for rashes with dark colors due to heat and blood stagnation.
Identification of Authenticity:
Western saffron is a precious medicinal material with effects similar to Honghua but stronger, leading to the phenomenon of mixing Honghua with Western saffron for sale. Honghua has tubular flowers, with the corolla being reddish-yellow or red, the corolla base being slender and five-lobed at the tip, with linear lobes forming a tubular shape, and the stigma slightly protruding from the anther tube, appearing long and cylindrical with a slightly bifurcated tip. When soaked in water, it turns golden yellow. The complete stigma of Western saffron is linear, with a wider tip that tapers downwards, having irregular serrated edges, and the lower end retains a yellow flower column that is purplish-red or dark brown with a slight sheen. When dried, it is brittle and easily breaks, and when the stigma is placed in water, it expands and dyes the water yellow, with a slight stimulating odor.
Precautions:
1. Pregnant women should use with caution as it may induce miscarriage. 2. Reports indicate that some patients taking Honghua may experience nosebleeds, ataxia, prolonged or early menstruation, drowsiness, lethargy, dry mouth, pink urine, or allergic reactions.
Medicinal Diet for Health:
1. Nourishing blood, invigorating blood, regulating menstruation
Honghua Glutinous Rice Porridge: 10g of Honghua, 10g of Danggui (Angelica Sinensis), 15g of Danshen (Salvia Miltiorrhiza), decoct in water, filter to retain the juice, add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice to cook porridge, and divide into two servings. Suitable for those with menstrual irregularities.
2. Tonifying qi and nourishing blood
Black Bean and Honghua Soup: 100g of black beans, soaked in water, simmered until soft, then add 5g of Honghua and an appropriate amount of brown sugar, and simmer slightly. Suitable for those with amenorrhea due to blood deficiency and qi stagnation.
3. Promoting qi, invigorating blood, resolving phlegm, and softening hardness
Honghua, Tangerine Peel, and Seaweed Soup: 9g of Honghua, 45g of tangerine peel, 9g of seaweed, decoct for 15 minutes, season, and consume. Suitable for treating hyperthyroidism.
Ancient and Modern Recipes:
1. Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis
6g of apricot kernels, 6g of Honghua, 6g of chrysanthemum, first boil with high heat, then simmer for 10 minutes, and add an appropriate amount of white sugar. Suitable for patients with chronic hepatitis.
2. Treatment of Frostbite
9g of cinnamon twig, 9g of Honghua, 9g of Dangshen (Codonopsis), 15g of Huangqi (Astragalus), 9g of dried ginger, 9g of Danshen, 9g of tangerine peel, 9g of peach kernel, and 9g of Danggui, decoct for oral administration. Suitable for patients with frostbite.
3. Treatment of Vulvar Vitiligo
6g of Honghua, 9g of Bu Guo Zi (Psoralea), 9g of Amaranth Seed, 6g of Jang Can (Silkworm), 9g of Bai Ji Li (Tribulus), soaked in 120ml of white wine for 7 days, externally applied to the affected area 1-2 times daily.
4. Treatment of Hyperlipidemia
5g of Honghua and 5g of green tea, steeped in boiling water, consumed as tea. Suitable for patients with hyperlipidemia.
5. Treatment of Menstrual Irregularities and Dysmenorrhea
30g of Danggui, 20g of Honghua, 15g of Danshen, and 15g of rose petals, ground into powder, wrapped in gauze, soaked in 1500ml of rice wine for 7 days.
Blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling herbs are a class of medicines primarily used to promote blood circulation, enhance blood flow, and dissipate blood stasis, commonly referred to as blood-invigorating herbs. This includes Honghua, Chuanxiong (Ligusticum), Yujin (Curcuma), Yimucao (Leonurus), Wangbuliuxing (Vaccaria), rose petals, pangolin, and leeches. The causes of blood stasis are numerous, such as qi stagnation, blood stasis due to qi stagnation, cold congealing blood stasis, rheumatic obstruction, and meridian blockage. If patients present with chest, abdominal, or headache pain that feels like a needle prick, with fixed pain; or hemiplegia and numbness after a stroke; or chronic rheumatic joint pain; or internal bleeding with purple-dark blood clots; or external injuries with swelling and pain from fractures, blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling herbs can be applied, adjusting according to symptoms, addressing both the root and branch. Historically, physicians have also believed that “qi is the commander of blood,” “qi stagnation leads to blood stagnation,” and “qi movement leads to blood movement,” thus in clinical practice, blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling herbs are often used in combination with qi-regulating herbs to enhance their blood-invigorating effects. Additionally, it should be noted that blood-invigorating herbs can easily deplete blood and cause disturbances, so they should be used cautiously in pregnant women, avoided in women with excessive menstruation, and not used in those without blood stasis.