Safflower / gur gum (hong hua, false saffron)

Carthamus tinctorius

Edible plant

Tibetan

Photo credit: Unknown (see Wikimedia Commons)

Safety information

Toxicity: Low at culinary/traditional floret doses. Higher/medicinal doses have a uterine-stimulant (blood-moving) reputation — a documented traditional caution.

Contraindications: Pregnancy — avoid medicinal doses (traditional blood-mover/emmenagogue; uterine-stimulant reputation). Bleeding disorders, pre-surgery, concurrent anticoagulation.

Interactions: Possible additive bleeding risk with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs; caution with antihypertensives.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid medicinal doses in pregnancy (blood-mover/emmenagogue).

Evidence level

Clinical

Supported by clinical trials in humans.

Preparations

infusion · floret

Part used: floret

Evidence:Preclinical

powder · floret

Part used: floret

Evidence:Preclinical

pill · floret

Part used: floret

Evidence:Preclinical

decoction · floret

Part used: floret

Traditional use: blood-moving/circulation and liver drug; blood stasis, liver heat, menstrual and circulatory complaints; constituent of precious-pill formulas

Proposed mechanism: quinochalcone C-glycosides — hydroxysafflor yellow A and safflor yellows, flavonoids, seed oil (linoleic-acid-rich) — antiplatelet/anticoagulant, vasodilatory, antioxidant

Dosage note (descriptive only): higher/medicinal doses have a uterine-stimulant reputation

Evidence:Clinical

General preparation guide →

Associated conditions

Poor circulation Liver support Menstrual disorders circulatory complaints

Edibility

Edible parts: Florets used as a food-colour/tea; seed yields edible safflower oil; medicinal blood-moving doses are not food.

Toxic lookalike warning

Safflower florets are the classic adulterant of/confused with true saffron (Crocus sativus); 'crocus' foraging risks the deadly autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale, colchicine) — never substitute or wild-gather crocus/saffron.

Nutritional notes

Seed oil is a recognised edible oil (high linoleic acid); florets used as colourant.

Healing traditions

Tibetan

Sources (3)

Li et al. 2018, Tibetan liver-disease review (PMID 29441019)
Bai et al. 2025, Front Pharmacol (PMID 40918514)
Hao et al. 2025, Pharmaceuticals (Basel) (PMID 41599653)

All sources →