Medicinals

hóng huā / 红花 / 紅花 / carthamus [flower];

Latin pharmacognostic name: Carthami Flos

Alternate English names: safflower

Alternate Chinese names: 草红花 cǎo hóng huā; 刺红花 cì hóng huā; 红蓝花 hóng lán huā

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Blood-Quickening Stasis-dispelling agents / Blood-quickening menses-regulating agents

Properties: Acrid; slightly warm.

Channel entry: liver and heart channels.

Indications:

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 3–9 g in decoctions; also used externally. In decoctions, hóng huā should be added at the end.

Warning:

Contraindicated in pregnancy. Avoid high doses when a tendency towards bleeding is present.

Product Description:

This is a tubular flower without ovaries, about 1.5 cm long, and orangey red or brown in color. The corolla is long and narrow and has five incisions, each lobe being 5–7 mm long. There are five stamens. The anthers are yellow and form a tubular shape that projects beyond the lobes, within which is a stigma.

Quality:

Large brightly colored flowers that are soft to the touch and do not contain any stalks are the best.

Product Area:

Hénán, Zhèjiāng, Sìchuān, Japan, and India.

Etymology:

Hóng huā 红花, literally ""red flower,"" describes the color of this item.

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