Safflower

June 18th, 2008

Botanical Name: Carthamus tinctorius
Family: Asteraceae
Common: N.O. Compositae
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Genus: Carthamus
Species: C. tinctorius
Synonyms: Dyer’s Saffron. American Saffron. Fake Saffron. Flores Carthami. Bastard Saffron.
Indian Name:Koosumbha , Chinese Name: Hoang-tchi
Part Used: Flowers.
Habitat:It is extensively cultivated in India, China and other parts of Asia, also in Egypt and Southern Europe;United States, most notably Arizona and New Mexico, but its native country is unknown.

Description:
It grows about 2 to 3 feet high, with a stiff, upright whitish stem, branching near the top; and has oval, spiny, sharp-pointed leaves, their bases half-clasping the stem. Its fruits are about the size of barleycorns, somewhat four-sided, white and shining, like little shells.

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Safflower is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual, usually with many long sharp spines on the leaves with globular flower heads (capitula) and commonly, brilliant yellow, orange or red flowers which bloom in July. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower has a strong taproot which enables it to thrive in dry climates, but the plant is very susceptible to frost injury from stem elongation to maturity.

One to five flower heads are produced per branch. The plant has a very deep taproot, often penetrating the ground to depths of eight to ten feet. This deep taproot gives the plant significant drought tolerance and possibly the ability to tap fertilizer resources deeper in the soil profile than other spring crops such as wheat.The seed of the plant is white in color with 15 to 20 seeds per head.

This plant is not in any way related to Saffron, though the flowers are used similarly. (It largely replaces the use of Saffron owing to the large price of the latter. ).

Safflower (dried flowers) looks like saffron as available in the market

Main constituents:Safflower flowers contain carthamin, a dye of flavonoid type, but no essential oil.The plant is widely cultivated for edible oil, which is extracted from the seeds. It contains triglycerides of the doubly unsaturated linoleic acid (70%) and the triply unsaturated linolenic acid (10%); the latter is, together with the comparatively high content of vitamin E (310 ppm), responsible for the good reputation of safflower oil among nutrition scientists. Iodine index is rather high, ranging from 140 to 150. See also sesame for a general discussion of vegetable oils.
Medicinal Action and Uses: The flowers are the part used, their action is laxative and diaphoretic. In domestic practice these flowers are used in children’s and infants’ complaints - measles, fevers, and eruptive skin eomplaints. An infusion is made of 1/2 OZ. of the flowers to a pint of boiling water taken warm to produce diaphorasis.

Safflower oil is flavorless and colorless, and nutritionally similar to sunflower oil. It is used mainly as a cooking oil, in salad dressing, and for the production of margarine. It may also be taken as a nutritional supplement. INCI nomenclature is Carthamus tinctorius.

Traditionally, the crop was grown for its seeds, and used for colouring and flavouring foods and making red (carthamin) and yellow dyes, especially before cheaper aniline dyes became available, and in medicines. For the last fifty years or so, the plant has been cultivated mainly for the vegetable oil extracted from its seeds. In April 2007 it was reported that genetically modified safflower has been bred to create insulin.(Click to see:->A Calgary biotech company says it is a step closer to making insulin from safflower, a plant usually grown for its oil.)

Safflower flowers are occasionally used in cooking as a cheaper substitute for saffron, and are thus sometimes referred to as “bastard saffron.” Safflower seed is also used quite commonly as an alternative to sunflower seed in birdfeeders, as squirrels do not like the taste of it.

There are two types of safflower that produce different kinds of oil: one high in monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) and the other high in polyunsaturated fatty acid (linoleic acid). Currently the predominant oil market is for the former, which is lower in saturates than olive oil, for example.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/safflo02.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safflower_oil