Safflower


Latin name Carthamus tinctorius)

Common name Safflower

Cultural significance/history

One of the oldest crops in the world having first been cultivated in Mesopotamia dating as early as 2500 BC. It is found mainly in semi-arid climates, including but not limited to India, China, the United States, Mexico, Spain, Ethiopia, Australia, and parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. 

Used medicinally in many different culture:  uses/indications

  • Traditional Chinese Medicine - Known as Hong Hua, said to relieve menstrual pain and promote blood circulation

  • In ayurveda (alternative medicine system originating in indian subcontinent) - Known as kusumbha - treatment of intestinal worms, scabies, arthritis, and mastalgia

  • In Persian folk culture -  for the treatment of diabetes, phlegmatic fever, melancholia, and dropsy

  • Different applications of safflower in the traditional Persian textbooks


Active ingredient

More than 60 different flavonoids have been isolated from safflower. Safflower Yellow (SY) is a general term used for the yellow pigments extracted from the safflower petals and is a mixture of water-soluble flavonoid compounds used in traditional medicine. Among these, Hydroxysafflor Yellow A (HSYA) is widely considered the primary active ingredient which has been extensively researched for therapeutic benefits due to its historical medicinal use.

Mechanism of Action

Several in vivo and in vitro studies confirm that Safflower Yellow (SY) helps prevent atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and cardiovascular-cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs). Hydroxysafflor Yellow A (HSYA) protects against oxidative stress by enhancing GSH, SOD, and NO, while lowering ROS. It regulates apoptosis by upregulating Bcl-2 and inhibiting Bax, PTEN, caspase-3, and LDH. HSYA also suppresses inflammation via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-kB pathway and improves endothelial function by reducing ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and LOX-1.

It also has an anti-thrombotic effect promoting blood circulation and removing stasis. It inhibits platelet aggregation by blocking ADP receptors which play a key role in activation of platelet activation. SY could be used to prevent thrombosis in conditions such as DVT when combined with heparin. It also has a thrombolytic effect prolonging effective clotting time.  It may also play an anti inflammatory, a cardioprotective and a neuroprotective role


Contradictions: In rats high doses can induce slight nephortoxicity


Drug-Drug interactions: HSYA had significant inhibition effects on CYP1A2 and CYP2C11 in rats as oriented from the pharmacokinetic profiles of the probe drugs. Furthermore, HSYA had no effects on rat CYP2D4. However, CYP3A1 enzyme activity was induced by HSYA. 

Safflower significantly increases the anticoagulant effect of warfarin

Pharmacokinetics/dosage

Safflower - HSYA has a very poor oral bioavailability - 1.2% of orally administered HSYA being absorbed and is rapidly excreted primarily Renally. Can be administered IV. Not metabolised by CYP enzymes, but undergoes oxidation, hydrolysis or reduction and then conjugation.

Side effects:

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea after HSYA injections and Hypotension


Sample #34/43

Reference list for Safflower:

Delshad, E., Yousefi, M., Sasannezhad, P., Rakhshandeh, H. and Ayati, Z. (2018). Medical uses of Carthamus tinctorius L. (Safflower): a comprehensive review from Traditional Medicine to Modern Medicine. Electronic Physician, [online] 10(4), pp.6672–6681. doi:https://doi.org/10.19082/6672.

Liu, Y., Liu, S., Shi, Y., Qin, M., Sun, Z. and Liu, G. (2018). Effects of safflower injection on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of warfarin in rats. Xenobiotica; the fate of foreign compounds in biological systems, [online] 48(8), pp.818–823. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00498254.2017.1361051.

Liu, Z., Li, C., Li, M., Li, D. and Liu, K. (2004). The subchronic toxicity of hydroxysafflor yellow A of 90 days repeatedly intraperitoneal injections in rats. Toxicology, 203(1-3), pp.139–143. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2004.06.007.

Xu, R., Xu, Z. and Ge, R. (2013). Effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A on the activity and mRNA expression of four CYP isozymes in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, [online] 151(3), pp.1141–1146. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.12.025.

Yan, C., Li, M., Wen, J., Pan, X., Deng, Z., Chen, J., Chen, G.-R., Yu, L., Tang, Y., Li, G., Xie, X. and Peng, C. (2022). Pharmacological Activities of Safflower Yellow and Its Clinical Applications. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, [online] 2022, pp.1–24. doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2108557.