Ingredients : Safflower extract (safflower carmine), Carrier Stability : Heat : Good PH (Colour Range) : Light Yelllow Golden Yellow. Light : Poor.
Product Code : PEARSF – 121	Concentration : 0.5% Carcminic		Applications : Margarine, Butter, Salad Dressings, Desserts, Bakery Products, Soft Drinks, Sauces etc.

Description : Safflower is an annual herb whose botanical name is Carthamus tinctorius. It is a member of the Asteraceae family. It has long, spiny leaves and yellow or reddish flowers on a stiff, upright stem. The seeds produce an edible oil. Safflower grows to a height of about 3 ft (1 m) in poor, dry soils in full sun. The origins of this plant are not clear, although some herbalists suggest the basin of the Euphrates River. Today safflower grows wild in Iran, northwest India, and North Africa. It has also spread to the Far East and North America. Safflower is cultivated extensively both as a herb and as a food crop.

Other names for safflower include false saffron , dyer’s saffron, American saffron, bastard saffron, Mexican saffron, and zaffer. Despite these names, safflower is in no way related to true saffron, although it is sometimes used to adulterate that spice because true saffron is very expensive and safflower is relatively cheap. In Chinese medicine, safflower flower is called hong hua ; in India it is known as koosumbha.

Uses : Safflower flower has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It is used to treat menstrual disorders. Safflower flower is an emmenagogue, meaning that it is given to bring on menstruation . Safflower is also used to treat menstrual pain , to firm up the uterus after childbirth , to ease stiffness and pain in the joints, and sometimes also to treat trauma to the abdomen. According to traditional Chinese usage, safflower flower is a blood regulator; that is, it invigorates and harmonizes the blood and dissolves blood clots . Safflower is said to have a warm nature and a pungent taste. Chinese practitioners use safflower oil in tui na massage.

Safflower flowers are also used to treat such childhood problems as measles , fevers, and skinrashes . Applied externally, safflower flower is used to cleanse wounds . Interestingly, on the other side of the world, North Americans used safflower flower in the nineteenth century in much the same way as the Chinese—to bring on menstruation and to treat measles . They also used it to induce sweating.

Safflower has other nonmedicinal uses. Its flowers produce a dye that in times past was used for dyeing silk yellow or red. Today, chemical dyes have largely replaced safflower dye. The flowers were also dried and ground together with finely powdered talc to produce cosmetic rouge.

Side effects : The unprocessed oil of safflower seed can cause severe diarrhea .