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Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.): An underutilized crop with potential

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 Annals of Phytomedicine 10(1): 242-248, 2021
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Original article: Open access

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.): An underutilized crop with potential

medicinal values
Sunil S. Gomashe, Krishnananda P. Ingle, Yukta A. Sarap, Dinesh Chand and S. Rajkumar*
ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional Station, Akola, Maharashtra-444 104, India
*ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus, New Delhi-110012, India

Article Info Abstract

Ar tic le histo ry Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), is cultivated mainly for its seed, which is used for the extraction
Received 25 April 2021 of high quality edible oil. Traditionally, the crop is grown for its flowers, used for paint industry, textile
Revised 13 June 2021 industry, flavouring foods and making dyes. Safflower is used as cut flowers and also having pharmaceutical
Accepted 14 June 2021 potential for the treatment of male and female infertility, cardiovascular diseases, reduction in the
Published online 30 June 2021
blood glucose level, treatment of cancer and reduction in the plasma cholesterol level, etc. Despite
Ke ywor ds having such significant potency, the crop has remained minor, neglected and underutilized. Therefore,
Safflower there is a need of scientific community to focus the research on this crop and make it popularize as a
Pharmaceutical values commercial crop with various values added products. Safflower contains numerous chemical components
Carthamin (secondary metabolites) that possess anticoagulant, antioxidant activities and other human health
Hydroxysafflor yellows A benefits with pha rma cological importance such as treatment a gainst ca rdiac, reproductive a nd
Hydroxysafflor yellows B gastrointestinal diseases. Research should be focused on the development of spineless varieties with
high oil contents. With all these merits, safflower genetic improvement required to be taken up for
enhancing overall productivity and income per unit area. This review provides a brief insight in to the
safflower crop biology, related species, world production scenario, its phytomedicinal properties and
applications, production constraints and future strategies for its overall improvement.

1. Introduction and has been used clinically for the prevention and treatment of
cardiovascular diseases (Guo et al., 2017). Though, crop having
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is an oilseed crop, having 2n=24
tremendous genetic potential and great exploitation for various
chromosomes and belongs to the family Compositae or Asteraceae.
Carthamus is the latinized synonym of the Arabic word quartum, or purposes, the area under safflower around the world is diminishing
gurtum, which means the dye color extracted from safflower flowers due to lack of information on its improved crop management
(Singh and Nimbkar, 2006). An underutilized crop defined as those practices, other competitive crops, global import export policies
domesticated species whose genetic potential has been unraveled and value-added product development from it. The research and
and having “larger biodiversity portfolio” or genetic diversity but development on different aspects of safflower, despite its adaptability
underused for the commercial cultivation (Padulosi and Hoeschle- to varied growing conditions with very high yield potential and
Zeledon, 2004). Such species offers viable agricultural alternatives diversified uses of different plant parts, have not received due
in response to climate change and are adapted to cultivation on the attention. This probably is the main reason for its negligence and as
marginal lands. Thus, it provides additional option for generating the a minor crop around the world in terms of area and production,
income to farmers and agricultural businesses (Mayes et al., 2012; compared to the other oilseed crops. However, interest has been
Thies, 2000). Safflower, a diversified crop has been extensively grown rekindled in this crop in past few years due to three main reasons;
in India, mostly for its quality oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids scanty rainfall leads a huge shortfall of oilseed production in the
(linoleic acid) and for the carthamin (orange-red dye), extracted from country to which safflower is most suited and withstand in limited
the brilliantly colored flowers. Safflower flowers are commercially availability of water; consumers preference for healthy oil with less
exploited for the herbal preparations in China and having medicinal amounts of saturated fats for which safflower is well known; and
and culinary properties (Li and Mundel, 1996). The dried flower herbal medicinal properties and extraction of edible dyes from flowers
petal (Carthamiflos) is a valued drug in traditional Chinese medicine to which safflower is mainly recognized. Each and every plant parts
Co rre spo nding author : Dr. Sunil G. Go mashe
of the safflower have utility either as a food or a phytomedicine.
Senior Scientist, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, National 1.1 World’s distribution and production
Bu rea u o f Plan t Gene tic Re sources, Regiona l S tation , Akola,
Maharashtra-444 104, India Safflower has a long history of cultivation for hundreds of years from
E-mail: [Link]@[Link] China to the Mediterranean region and all along the Nile valley
Tel.: +91-9550276732 spanning up to Ethiopia (Weiss, 1971). Presently it’s grown
Copyright © 2021 Ukaaz Publications. All rights reserved.
Email: ukaaz@[Link]; Website: [Link]
 243

commercially in India, United States of America, Mexico, Ethiopia, 2001).World’s safflower seed production was about 627,653 tonnes
Kazakhstan, Australia, Argentina, Uzbekistan, China, and Russian in the year 2018. This was decreased by about 17.7 % compared to
Federation. Pakistan, Spain, Turkey, Canada, Iran, and Israel also the previous year and if it is compared to production 10 years ago,
grow safflower to a limited extent. Historically, safflower acreage it was decreased by 1.72% (Anonymous, 2020a). In the year 2019,
and production around the world have witnessed wide fluctuations in Kazakhstan was the top country by safflower seed production among
the past. Safflower seed production in the world rose from 487,000 13 countries. Safflower seed production in Kazakhstan was 199,789
tonnes in the year 1965 to 1,007,000 tonnes in 1975, and tonnes that accounts for 34.87% of total safflower seed production
subsequently, it decreased to 921,000 tonnes in 1985 (Anonymous, in the World. The top five countries (Kazakhstan, United States of
2002). Mexico was the most important producer of safflower in America, Russian Federation, Mexico, and China) accounted for
the world until 1980, when it occupied an area of 528,000 ha with a 79.23% of it. The total safflower seed production was estimated at
production of above 600,000 tonnes during the year 1979-1980. 572,879 tonnes in 2019 (Anonymous, 2020b). The world’s top
However, the production of safflower in Mexico decreased safflower-producing countries in 2019 are depicted in Figure 1. The
significantly in later years, becoming only 10% of the worlds safflower area in India in the year 2004-2005 was 387,000 ha, with
production recorded for the year 1979-1980 (Cervantes-Martinez, a production of 154,000 tonnes of seed (Anonymous, 2004).
2001). Commercial production of safflower in the United States of Presently, it has come down to 24,640 tonnes. In India, Maharashtra
America was started during 1950s, and therefore, the area rapidly and Karnataka states occupied about 72% area and have produced
increased to 175,000 ha mainly in the states of California, Nebraska, about 24% safflower seeds. Along with these two states, other
Arizona, and Montana. Safflower in China occupied an area safflower producing states in India are Andhra Pradesh, Odisha,
from 35,000 to 55,000 ha, producing 50 MT to 80 MT seeds annually. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar. Safflower production in
Xinjiang was the largest safflower producer state, which accounted India is usually confined to rain-fed farming during post rainy season.
for 80% of total safflower production in China (Zhaomu and Lijie,

Figure 1: World’s top safflower-producing (in thousand tonnes) countries in 2019.

1.2 Cultivated safflower and its relatives in all combinations to produce fertile hybrids (Knowles, 1959). Due
to similarity in chromosome number in these species, there is a
Cytogenetic studies led by Imrie and Knowles (1970) and Khidir
complete chromosome pairing in hybrids which is not often noticed
and Knowles (1970) suggest that Carthamus palaestinus, a self-
where parental species differ in chromosome numbers (Ashri and
compatible wild species restricted to the deserts of southern Israel
Knowles, 1960). Introgression of the weedy and cultivated
and western Iraq (Zeven and Zhukovsky, 1975), with white and
species should be taken up to improve the cultivated safflower (Zeven
yellow flowered forms, is the progenitor from which derived the
and Zhukovsky 1975). The weedy progenitors of cultivated safflower
weedy species C. oxyacanthus, a mix of self-compatible and self-
are cosmopolitan within the areas where safflower is grown.
incompatible types, and C. persicus Wild., a self-incompatible
species. These successively are considered the parental species of Carthamus oxyacanthus, a branchy, very spiny and annual weed is
the cultivated species C. tinctorius L. (Ashri and Knowles, 1960). a very serious common weed of Pakistan and Northwest India (Ashri
These four reported safflower species represent the genome denoted and Knowles, 1960). Seeds contain approximately 28% oil and can
as “BB” with chromosome number 2n = 24. These can be intercrossed be used for culinary purposes and as lighting fuel (Weiss, 1983).
244

Seeds are mostly small and black with no pappus. Carthamu the florets. Kunming in Yunnan Province in China is having large
spersicus is additionally a really serious weed, in Syria, Lebanon factory for the production of dyes from carthamin. It is mixed with
and Turkey (Knowles, 1959) with light yellow to orange flowers. French chalk, and in Japanese cosmetics, it is used in the preparation
Outer involucral bracts are narrow and extend beyond the top (Ashri
of lipstick (Smith, 1996).
and Knowles,1960).
2.2.2 Dyes
1.3 Production issues
Safflower florets are mostly extracted for the preparation of
Safflower is a day length-neutral, long-day plant. During the
carthamidin (water soluble yellow coloured dye) and carthamin
emergence, first few leaves after a frost show little bit injury but
(water-insoluble red dye), having solubility in alkali. Florets contain
plant compensate over it and grow quite normally. But, frost can
0.3-0.6% carthamin (Weiss, 1971; 1983).
cause substantial damage to crop during the elongation phase. As
plant develop and bears flowers, this frost at the other end of the 2.2.3 Pharmacological application
plant’s development, lower oil content and yield level and sometime
In China, the consumption of safflower is more to prevent most of
lead seed death (Mündel et al., 1992). Safflower is a poor competitor
the serious illness and health related issues. Usually, safflower has
with weeds, most of the weeds become taller than the safflower crop
bitter taste. The Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of
and competes for the nutrition, sunlight and soil moisture, which
Sciences in Beijing has successfully developed a non-bitter tea having
effectively shed the crop and lower the yield. Weeds can cut safflower
sweet smell and which also contains amino acids, minerals and
yields greatly and can cause complete crop losses (Dajue and Mundel,
vitamins B1, B2, B12, C and E (Weiss, 1971). The active and main
1996). Very few chemical herbicides are registered in safflower for
ingredient in the safflower is water soluble yellow coloured pigment
pre-plant incorporation to control a variety of grass and weeds.
“carthamidin” having medicinal values to treat the cardiovascular
Seeding safflower into a firm moist seedbed not only enhances its
disease, menstrual problems, and swelling associated with trauma.
emergence and stand, but also improves vigor and allows the crop to
Recently, carthamin and carthamidin pigments have been used for
compete more effectively with weeds (Dajue and Mundel, 1996).
cosmetic coloring, such as face andhair cream, and shampoo and
Safflower owing to its good tolerance level to drought and heat because
body lotion (Mani et al., 2020).
of deep taproot and xerophytic attribute of spines; does not survive
in case of standing water conditions for a few hours in warm weather Safflower remarkably shows purgative, analgesic and antipyretic
when the temperature goes above 20ºC and led a rapid spread of soil characteristics, and is useful in patients with poisoning (Delshad et
borne pathogens such as Pythium and Phytophthora (Rubis, 1981). al., 2018). Safflower extracts from flowers and seeds having different
This ultimately leads to the plant death (Mündel et al., 1995). pharmacological importance and use for the development of the
Safflower attains maximum yield in deep fertile, well drained and drugs. Safflower also contains anti nutritional factors (ANFs)/
sandy loamy soil and reduce the germination and seedling emergence compounds in the form of tannins, acacetin, serotonin and luteolin
in heavy clay soils. Prolonged and heavy rainfall during the flowering and which have anticoagulant, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-
interferes the seed setting and pollination in the safflower. Also, lead inflammatory activities and are associated with reduction in the blood
to pollen shedding as the temperature moves above 32ºC (Mündel et glucose level, treatment of cancer and reduction in the level of plasma
al., 1992). cholesterol (Singhal et al., 2018; Huang et al., 1999; Duarte et al.,
2001; Dajas et al., 2003; Benavente-García andCastillo, 2008; Lin et
2. Safflower importance and potential
al., 2008). Safflower decoctions have been used successfully for
2.1 Whole plants treatment of male sterility (Qin Yuehao, 1990) and dead sperm excess
disease (Qu Chun, 1990). Safflower reduces hypertension, dilates
Safflower use for the herbal preparation (from safflower blossom)
arteries and increases blood flow and, hence oxygenation of tissues
and tea to overcome the infertility/sterility and abortion issues in
(Deng, 1988; Wang Guimiaoand Yili, 1985). Safflower, along with
women and are mostly consumed in India and Afghanistan
other herbs, has been used to treat respiratory diseases (whooping
(Weiss1983; DajueLi and Han Yuanzhou, 1993). The products from
cough) and chronic bronchitis (Wang Guimiao and Li Yili, 1985).
all safflower plant are sold in India and Pakistan as ‘pansari’ to treat
Hydroxysafflor yellow A and B (HSYA and HSYB) extracted from
various ailments. Safflower young leaves used as curry or dishes,
flowers elicit varied inflammatory response, including proliferation
and as a salad in India, Burma and [Link] varieties have
and inflammatory responses of human fetal lung fibroblasts (Liu et
been used as cut flowers in Latin America, Japan and Western Europe.
al., 2019), and an asthma-related inflammatory response in human
2.2 Flowers bronchial smooth muscle cells ( HBSMCs) (Guo et al., 2019).
2.2.1 Food colour and cosmetics Safflower eye drops reduce myopia, especially in children (Wang
Guimiao and Li Yili, 1985). Safflower seeds and extracts have been
For saffron, the most popular and costly spice in the world safflower used to stimulate bone formation and preclude the osteoporosis
dried florets are used as a common adulterant. In restaurants, sauces, occurrence (Alkhafaji et al., 2020). The pharmaceutical importance
pickles, bread and rice soups take on a yellow to orange colour from of safflower metabolites/extracts enlisted in Table 1.
 245

Table 1: List of safflower metabolites/extracts and their uses in the pharmacology

Biological activity Safflower Active compound Biological/ Observed activity References

plant lab model
parts for testing

Flower Hydroxysafflor Human It leads the activation of human bronchial Guo et al., 2019
yellow A smooth muscle cells and also inhibits
platelet-activating factor (PAF) which
leads the pro-inflammation
Anti-inflammatory
effect Flower Carthamin yellow Rat It leads complete reduction of ischemia- Lu et al., 2019
reperfusion injury

Flower Hydroxysafflor Rat Brain protection against cerebral ischemia Du et al., 2019
yellow B reperfusion injury

Flower Safflower Human It inhibits metastasis and the proliferation Luo et al., 2015
polysaccharide of breast cancer cell

Flower Hydroxysafflor Human Reduces the growth of cancerous cells Qu et al., 2019
yellow B
Anticancer effect Seed Fatty acid and Rat Anticancer activity against HEPG2 cancer Doha et al., 2019
phytic acid cell line

Seed Seed extract In vitro Inhibitory effect of the safflower seed Jeong et al., 2016
(SS) on the proliferation of human
colorectal cancer cells

Seed Seed granular tea Human Antioxidant activity and potential effects Cho et al., 2011
in postmenopausal women

Flower Carthamus red Rat Antioxidant and protection against Wu et al., 2013
Antioxidant effect hepatitis to lowered the induction of liver
damage

Seed Serotonin In vitro Strong radical scavenging activity and Khalid et al., 2017
derivatives lipid peroxidation

Seed Seed oil Rat Improves osteoporosis Alam et al., 2006

Osteoporosis effect Seed Seed oil Rat Safflower seeds and extracts stimulate the Khalid et al., 2017
differentiation of osteoblasts and promote
speedy recovery in bone fracture incidents

Flower Hydroxysafflor Rat Potential treatment for hepatic fibro Dong et al., 2013
yellow A genesis

Seed Seed powder Rat Safflower seeds powder possessed Doha et al., 2019
cytotoxicity against hepatocarcinoma cell
Brain and liver line HEPG2 and afford hepato-protection
disease effect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
(NAFLD)

Seed Oil Rat Reduction in plasma and hepatic total- Moon et al., 2001
cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, and
atherogenic index

Cell proliferation Seed N-(p-Coumaroyl) Human Grows the proliferation of normal human Takii et al., 1999
and inhibition serotonin andmouse fibroblasts
effect
Flower Flower extract Rat Effective against diabetes Asgary et al., 2012

2.3 Safflower seed utilization in food industries

enzymes as an experimental substitution for rennin, a white cheese
Over the years there have been many studies conducted to increase having pleasant smell and good softness was produced (Smith,
the utilization of safflower seed as food and value added products. 1996).Roasted seeds, generally mixed with chickpeas, barley or
The safflower finely ground seed paste is use to enhance the cheese wheat, are eaten as a snack food in Ethiopia and Sudan (Belayneh
and curd formation in Iran (Knowles, 1965).By using safflower seed and Wolde-Mariam, 1991).
246

2.4 Safflower oil composition and its uses high oleic acid content under irrigated conditions compared to rainfed
crop (Anjani and Yadav, 2017). Safflower oil contains two main
Safflower in the whole world is primarily grown for its edible oil,
unsaturated fatty acids: oleic (18:1) and linoleic acid (18:2), which
margarine and salad oil. Oilseeds are some of the major sources of
compose 90% of the total fatty acids. The remaining 10% includes
vegetable oils used primarily for nutritional, industrial and
saturated fatty acids like palmitic (16:0) and stearic acid (18:0).
pharmaceutical applications, as determined by their fatty acid
Standard safflower oil contains about 6-8% palmitic acid, 2-3%
composition and these composition varied as per plant speciesand
stearicacid, 16-20% oleic acid, and 71-75% linoleic acid (Liu et al.,
the environmental effects (Anjani and Yadav, 2017). It has been
2016). The potential uses of different parts of safflower are depicted
observed that Indian safflower cultivars (ISF1, ISF2, and ISF3) have
in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Safflower plant parts and their potential uses.

3. Constraints in safflower production 5. Conclusion

The major constraints such as, low per-hectare yields associated Safflower has significant uses and having pharmacological, industrial
with low harvest index, and low seed-oil contents, presence of spines, and culinary properties. Despite this, the crop has remained minor.
research should be focused on the development of spineless high Therefore, a need to create awareness about the usefulness of this
yielding varieties with high oil content. Also, lack of assured market economically important underutilized and neglected crop is of
and price support; absence of demand for safflower seed and oil in paramount importance. The scientists should focused this crop and
non-traditional areas, lack of awareness about region-specific agro- develop multidisciplinary research projects to address issues related
production technologies which do not led the full exploitation of to pest and disease, morphological ideotypes, agronomical traits,
yield potential of safflower. Also, the susceptibility of crops to developmental pattern, etc., through genetic manipulation, product-
pests, major fungal and bacterial diseases and abiotic stresses (mostly related research to elucidate the importance of effectiveness of
drought and salinity concerns) contributed to less safflower safflower cropfor a pharmacological uses.
production. The processing facilities should be there at the production Acknowledgements
centers within reasonable distances (Dajue and Mundel, 1996).
The authors are thankful to the Department of Biotechnology, New
4. Future directions Delhi, India, for funding project on Safflower crop improvement.
Flower yield and pigment content of the flowers are the other traits Conflicts of interest
that have gained economic importance recently, due to an increasing
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest relevant
demand for safflower flowers as a source of natural food color in
to this article.
European and other Western countries and their use in medicines for
curing several chronic diseases. No attention has been paid to References
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