Emerging Trends in Phytochemistry, and Therapeutic Potential of Carthamus tinctorius Linn.: A Comprehensive Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46610/IJPPC.2025.v01i01.003Keywords:
Carthamus tinctorius, Medicinal uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacognosy, SafflowerAbstract
Carthamus tinctorius Linn. is an erect, bushy, perennial herbaceous multipurpose crop that is associated with the family of Compositae or Asteraceae and is commonly recognized as safflower and found in various counties of torrid Asia. Various parts of this plant, including seeds, flowers, leaves, and even whole plants, were used as ayurvedic, unani, and folk medications in Bangladesh, India, China, and the Middle East, and it has been cultivated in Australia, Spain, Italy, France, and the USA, mainly for the seeds of safflower because of its oil, which is used as comestible oil or for other industrial purposes. It was also cultivated for medicinal, culinary, and dyeing purposes. It is rich in a large spectrum of chemical constituents, including flavonoids like carthamin, luteolin, quercetin, etc., unsaturated fatty acids, N-feruloyl serotonin, safflor yellow pigments, polyunsaturated fatty acids, alkaloids like safflospermidine A, N-feruloylserotonin, guanosine, etc., volatile oils, organic acids such as oleic acids, palmitic acids, caffeic acids, etc., and other compounds in its seeds, leaves, and flowers. All of these chemical constituents have specific pharmacological functions, including antioxidant, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antithrombotic properties. This review article represents a current and detailed-oriented analysis of the literature on pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, and therapeutic applications of Carthamus tinctorius Linn.
References
Rahman MH, Roy B, Chowdhury GM, Hasan A, Saimun MS. Medicinal plant sources and traditional healthcare practices of forest-dependent communities in and around Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary in southeastern Bangladesh. Environmental Sustainability. 2022; 5(2):207-41. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42398-022-00230-z
Mia, M, A, B. “Digital Herbarium of Crop Plants”. 2016 https://dhcrop.bsmrau.net/safflower/?doing_wp_cron=1746719491.7871050834655761718750
Tanwar B, Goyal A, editors. Oilseeds: health attributes and food applications. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2021. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0
Asgarpanah J, Kazemivash N. Phytochemistry, pharmacology and medicinal properties of Carthamus tinctorius L. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 2013; 19:153-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-013-1354-5
Liu Y, Wang M, Cao Y, Zeng M, Zhang Q, Ren Y, et al. Chemical Constituents from the Flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. and Their Lung Protective Activity. Molecules. 2022; 27(11):3573–3. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27113573
Jaradat N, Hawash M, Ghanim M, Alqub M, Rabayaa M, Dwikat M, Issa L, Hussein F, Asadi L, Yassin L, Rabee H. Phytochemical composition and antidiabetic, anti-obesity, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of Carthamus tinctorius seed oil. Scientific Reports. 2024; 14(1):31399. Available: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-83008-z
Wu X, Cai X, Ai J, Zhang C, Liu N, Gao W. Extraction, Structures, Bioactivities and Structure-Function Analysis of the Polysaccharides from Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2021; 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.767947
Abbasi-Maleki, S., Mousavi, Z. Hydroethanolic extract of Carthamus tinctorius induces antidepressant-like effects: modulation by dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in tail suspension test in mice. Iran. J. Basic Med. Sci. 2017; 1063–1073. https://doi.org/10.22038/IJBMS.2017.9277
Hussain, R, A, A. Chemical composition and biological activities of flavonoids extract from safflower flower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Egy. Sci. J. Pestic. 2017; 8-13. http://www.esjpesticides.org.eg/JornalWebsite/Publications/2017/3/4/2.pdf
Turgumbayeva, A, A. Ustenova, G, O. Yeskalieva, B, K. et al. Volatile oil composition of Carthamus tinctorius L. flowers grown in Kazakhstan. AAEM. 2018; 87–89. https://doi.org/10.5604/12321966.1235170
Li, L. Wang, Q. Yang, Y. et al. Chemical Components and Antidiabetic Activity of Essential Oils Obtained by Hydrodistillation and Three Solvent Extraction Methods from Carthamus tinctorius L. Acta Chromatogr. 2012; 1-653. https://doi.org/10.1556/AChrom.24.2012.4.11
Zhang, L, L. Tian, K. Tang, Z, H. et al. Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Carthamus tinctorius L. Am. J. Chin. Med. 2016; 197–226. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X16500130
Karimkhani, M. Shaddel, R. Khodaparast, M. et al. Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) extract from four different cultivars. Qual. Assur. Saf. Crops Foods. 2016; 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3920/QAS2015.0676
Dobrin A, Popa G. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of Carthamus tinctorius extracts against nosocomial microorganisms. Scientific Papers. Series B. Horticulture. 2022; 66(1). Available: https://horticulturejournal.usamv.ro/pdf/2022/issue_1/Art115.pdf
Haleem AM, Hameed AH, Al-Majeed RA, Hussein NN, Hikmat RA, Queen BK. Anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytogenetic effects of ethanol leaves extract of Carthamus tinctorius. InIOP Conference Series: Earth. Environ. Sci. 2023; 1262(5):052035. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1262/5/052035
Zhao, F. Jiang, H. Zhang, T. et al. Mechanism Repositioning Based on Integrative Pharmacology: Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Safflower in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023; 5313. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065313
Wang, Y. Chen, P. Tang, C. et al. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of extract and two isolated flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2014; 944–950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.12.003
Wu, S. Zheng, C. Chen, S. et al. Anti-Thrombotic Effect of Carthamus tinctorius Linn Extracts in Rats. Trop. J. Pharm. Res. 2014; 1637-1642. https://doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v13i10.10
Zhang, H, L. Nagatsu, A. Watanabe, T. Antioxidative compounds isolated from safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) oil cake. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 1997; 1910–1914. https://doi.org/10.1248/cpb.45.1910
Qazi N, Khan RA, Rizwani GH. Evaluation of antianxiety and antidepressant properties of Carthamus tinctorius L. (Safflower) petal extract. Pak. J. Pharm. Sci. 2015; 28(3):991-5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26004733/
Nagatsu, A. Zhang, H. Mizukami, H. et al. Tyrosinase Inhibitory and Anti-Tumor Promoting Activities of Compounds Isolated from Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) and Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Oil Cakes. Nat. Prod. Lett. 2000; 153-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/10575630008041225
Kamel, Z. Labdelli, A. Adda, A. et al. Phenol Content and Antioxidant and Antiaging Activity of Safflower Seed Oil (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Cosmetics. 2019; 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics6030055
Yu, G. Luo, Z. Zhou, Y. Uncovering the pharmacological mechanism of Carthamus tinctorius L. on cardiovascular disease by a systems pharmacology approach. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019; 109094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109094
Wang, M, N. Cao, Y, G. Wei, Y, X. et al. Saffloflavone, a new flavonoid from the flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. and its cardioprotective activity. Nat. Prod. 2022; 3317–3323. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2020.1855167
Hiramatsu M, Takahashi T, Komatsu M, Kido T, Kasahara Y. Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Activities of Mogami-benibana (Safflower, Carthamus tinctorius Linne). Neurochemical Research. 2008 Dec 11; 34(4):795–805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-008-9884-5
Mahadevappa, P. Ramesh, C. Krishna, V. Kumar, Y. et al. Hepatoprotective and in vitro antioxidant effect of Carthamus tinctorious L, var Annigeri-2-, an oil-yielding crop, against CCl4 -induced liver injury in rats. Pharmacogn. Mag. 2011; 289-297. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1296.90406
Gomashe SS, Ingle KP, Sarap YA, Chand D, Rajkumar S. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.): An underutilized crop with potential medicinal values. Annals of Phytomedicine. 2021; 10 (1):242-248. http://dx.doi.org/10.21276/ap.2021.10.1.26
Heuzé V, Tran G, Chapoutot P, Renaudeau D, Bastianelli D, Lebas F. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seeds and oil meal. 2015. https://agritrop.cirad.fr/582514/1/ID582514.pdf
Sturm, J. G. (1796), "Carthamus tinctorius Sturm21.jpg.", [Online], Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carthamus_tinctorius_Sturm21.jpg#Summary [Accessed on 10th May, 2025]
Darmawan, M. A.; Curie, C. A.; Ramadhan, M. Y. A.; Harahap, A. F. P.; Gozan, M. Preparation and Characterisation of Indigenous Tengkawang (Shorea stenoptera) Butter for Food and Cosmetics Material. J. Hunan Univ. Nat. Sci. 2021; 48 (7):157-165. https://jonuns.com/index.php/journal/article/view/656
Ji, Y. Guo, S. Wang, B. et al. Extraction and determination of flavonoids in Carthamus tinctorius. Open. Chem. J. 2018; 1129-1133. https://doi.org/10.1515/chem-2018-0119
Ngo, T, M. Vu, T, O. & Cao, T, Q. Polyacetylenes and Flavonoids Isolated from Flowers of Carthamus tinctorius. Chem. Nat. Compd. 2021, 635–640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10600-021-03439-2
Fan, L. Zhao, H. Xu, M. et al. Qualitative evaluation and quantitative determination of 10 major active components in Carthamus tinctorius L. by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector. J. Chromatogr. 2008; 2063-2070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2008.03.046
Ziarati, P. Asgarpanah, J. & Kianifar, M. The essential oil composition of Carthamus tinctorius L. flowers growing in Iran. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 2012; 12921-12924. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB12.1570
Hagr TE, Adam IA, Mohammed EH, Mahdi. GC/MS Analysis and Antioxidant Activity of Fixed Oil from Sudanese Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L) Seeds. Int. J. Adv. Biol. Biomed. Res. 2021 Jun 1; 9(2):138–46. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijabbr.2021.241547
Roy, A. Biswas, D. Sharma, D. et al. Phytochemical and Antibacterial Assessment of Leaves of Carthamus tinctorius L. in Chhattisgarh. Eur. Chem. Bull. 2023. https://doi.org/10.48047/ecb/2023.12.si8.079
Wang, Y. Hydroxysafflor yellow A attenuates inflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2013; 553–561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.04.027
Norris L, Collene AL, Asp ML, Hsu J, Liu L, Richardson J, et al. Comparison of dietary conjugated linoleic acid with safflower oil on body composition in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009 Sep 1; 90(3):468–76. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2008.27371
Tong X, Yang J, Zhao Y, Wan H, He Y, Zhang L, et al. Greener extraction process and enhanced in vivo bioavailability of bioactive components from Carthamus tinctorius L. by natural deep eutectic solvents. Food Chemistry. 2021 Jun; 348:129090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129090
Ye J, Lu S, Wang M, Ge W, Liu H, Qi Y, Fu J, Zhang Q, Zhang B, Sun G, Sun X. Hydroxysafflor yellow A protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome and activating autophagy. Front. Pharmacol. 2020; 11:1170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.01170
Liu, J. Protective effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Brain. Res. 2010; 115–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2010.09.066
Chang, H, C. Huang, C, N. Yeh, D, M. et al. Toxicological study on the abortifacient effect of Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) in rats. FCT. 2002; 1875–1881. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-6915(02)00189-2
Kemp, A, S. & Regan, A, M. Anaphylaxis due to safflower oil. Clin Exp Allergy. 2008; 512–513. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2222.2007.02886.x
Monfared AL, Salati AP. Effects of Carthamus tinctorius L. on the ovarian histomorphology and the female reproductive hormones in mice. Avicenna. J. Phytomed. 2013;3(2):171. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4075700/
Wang Y, A J, Zhou J, Chang L, Zhang Q, Peng F. Hydroxysafflor yellow A: a natural pigment with potential anticancer therapeutic effect. Front. Pharmacol. 2025; 15:1495393. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1495393
Namjoo A, Nasri H, Talebi-Juneghani A, Baradaran A, Rafieian-Kopaei M. Safety profile of Carthamus tinctorius L. in lactation: brain, renal and hepatotoxicity. Pak. J. Med. Sci. 2013; 29(1):378-83. Available: https://core.ac.uk/reader/143841560
