Crude drug sample data base
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Crude drug name | Market name | Kusum phool |
|---|---|---|
| Formal name | Kusumbha | |
Other names Tips！ | Kusukphal, Kusum (B), Kusum, Karrah (H), Kusubbi, Kusumba, Kusume (K), Kusumbha, Kusumbalu (Te), Kusumba (Ta), Kusum (N) | |
| English name | Safflower, Bastard Saffron, False Saffron | |
| Original plant name | Carthamus tinctorius Linn., Safflower, Bastard Saffron, False Saffron | |
| Family name | Compositae | |
| Used part | Classification | Plant origin | Sub classification | flower |
| Collection information | Kingdom of Nepal, Kathmandu , Kilagal tole M.G.M. Shakya | |
| Collection date | 1991/04/13 | |
| Collector | Tsuneo Namba, et al. | |
| TMPW No. | 14765 | |
The capital city, provincial capital city or the representative
location of its administrative area is indicated.
location of its administrative area is indicated.
Production area information
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27.7172453
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Collection information
Kingdom of Nepal,Kathmandu
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Scientific information data base
| Crude drug name | Ayurvedic name or Sanskrit name, English name | Kusumbha, Safflower, Bastard Saffron, False Saffron | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | Pavaka, Pitamalakta, Vastraranjana, Kausumbha, Vahnisikha, Kilata, Latva, Suddha, Padmottara, Varatika, Varata | |||
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| Original plant name | Carthamus tinctorius Linn. | |||
| Family name | Compositae | |||
| Used part | Leaves, Flowers and Seeds | |||
| Distribution area | It is cultivated throughout India. As an oil seed crop, safflower is cultivated in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. | |||
| Remarks | Common. | |||
| Common uses | Flowers have bitter taste, bad odour, tonic, hypotonic, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, stimulant, sedative and emmenagouge properties. They are used in the treatment of strangury, leprosy, inflammations, boils, ringworm, scabies, leucoderma, piles, and bronchitis. It improves complexion. Flowers affect heart and liver and prevent formation of white corpuscles in the blood. In large doses Carthamus is said to be laxative, and administered in warm infusion, diaphoretic. It causes biliousness. It is used as substitute for saffron in measles, scarlatina and other exanthematous diseases to promote the eruptions. In Phillipines the flowers are given as a cure for jaundice. Dried flower petals are used in China and Japan as crude drug "kouka" for diseases in women. Powdered seeds made into a poultice are used to allay inflammations of the womb after childbirth. Seeds are sweet, bitter, acrid, oleagenous, cooling, diuretic, purgative, carminative, tonic and aphrodisiac and are used in leprosy, leucoderma, scabies, catarrh, pectoralgia, pharyngodynia, arthritis and constipation. Seed oil is used in liniment in arthritis, rheumatism and as a dressing for foul ulcers. It is also used in hypertension and heart ailments. It is considered a mild purgative. They are sometimes boiled and made into gruel. They are also used as a hair growth stimulant and prevent hair loss. Oil has been used as a constituent of a cosmetic preparation for protecting the skin from sun tan and shaving etc. Oil is reported to cause pruritus and eye diseases. Leaves are bitter, sweet, laxative, appetizer and diuretic and are useful in leucorrohea and ophthalmopathy. | |||
| Therapeutic uses | Vibandha (constipation), Palitya (graying of hair), Agnimandya (reduced digestive fire), Netraroga (eye diseases). | |||
| Pharmacological effect | The seedlings contain 1, 8, 11, 14-heptadecatetraene and show activity against gram-negative bacteria. A pharmaceutical preparation containing safflower oil as a solvent for estradiol and progesterone has been patented in USA as an effective drug for treating menopausal symptoms. Safflower oil when feed orally significantly reduce photodermatitis in albino rats induced by alcoholic extract of Lantana camara green leaves. Polyacetylenes were found to have significant nematicidal activity against Aphelenchoides besseyi. Ivory-white flowers contain kaempferol-3-rhamnoglucoside and an unidentified glycoside of kaempferol. Methanolic extract of dried flower petals significantly stimulates beating amplitude of cultured myocardial cell sheets of mouse embryo hearts. The active compounds being scutellarein, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, 3, 4-dihydroxycinnamic acid, 6-hydroxykaempferol-3-glucoside and quercetin 3, 7-diglucoside. Their extract was found to supress acetic acid induced writhing, prolong hexobarbital-induced hypnosis period, delay death caused by pentyleneterazole and inhibit carrageenan induced hind paw oedema in mice. The flower extract also exhibited analgesic effect, spontaneous motor activity, inhibitory effect and antiinflammatory activity at exudating stage of inflammation in rats. | |||
| Medical system | Ayurveda (Traditional Indian medicine) | |||
| Traditional concept | Rasa (Taste) | Kasaya (Astringent), Madhura (Sweet) | ||
| Virya (Potency) | Sita (Cold) | |||
| Guna (Quality) | Guru (Heavy), Ruksa (Dry) | |||
| Vipaka (Post digestive taste) | Katu (Pungent) | |||
| Karma (General action) | Kusumbha taila is ascribed with following Karma: Vidahi (causes burning sensation), Sarva dosa prakopanam (causes aggravation of all the dosas), Caksusyamahitam (bad for eyes), Vrsyam (aphrodisiac), Raktaprada (vitiates rakta), Pittakaphaprada (vitiates pitta and kapha). Kusumbha leaves are said to be: Rucyam (improves taste), Netryam (good for eyes), Agnidiptikara (improves digestion). | |||
| Dosakarma (Action on dosa) | Decreases Pitta Kapha | |||
| Traditional usage | 1. In calculus and dysuria, seeds of Ervaru (Cucumis utilissimus), Trapusa (Cucumis sativus) and Kusumbha (safflower) mixed with saffron and Vasa (Adhatoda vasica) should be taken with grape juice. 2. Oil of Kusumbha, Sarsapa (mustard) and Atasi (Linum usitatissimum) are useful in "Prameha" (polyuria). 3. After removing hairs, the place should be anointed with Kusumbha oil which eradicates them. 4. Flowers of Kusumbha are helpful in colouring of hair and as laxative. | |||
| Formulation | Kusumbha Taila | |||
| Comments | Kusumbha flowers are said to have sweet taste and tridosaghna (pacification of all dosas) and bhedaka (purgative) properties. It is included under Aharayogivarga by Caraka. Its synonym, vastraranjana means it is used to dye the clothes in olden days. | |||
| References | Reference book Tips！ | [2] Indian Medicinal Plants - A Compendium of 500 species, Varier, P.S., Orient Longman Ltd. Chennai (Madras) Vol. 1 (Repr.1996), pp 390-393. Indian Medicinal Plants (Second Edition), Vols. 1-5, 1993. Kirtikar, K.R. and Basu. B.D., Periodical Experts Book Agency, Delhi Vol. 2, pp 1430-1431. Dravyagunavijnana, Vols. 1-5, reprint 1998. Sharma, P.V., Chowkhambha Bharati Academy, Varanasi Vol. 3, pp 169, 273, 305. Classical uses of Medicinal Plants, 1996. Sharma, P.V., Chaukhambha Visvabharati, Varanasi p 111. | ||
| Remarks | It is used as adulterant of saffron. They can be easily distinguished from real saffron by hot water treatment. In hot water flowers of kusumbha will swell and regain its original shape and its corolla can be easily distinguished from the stylar tops of Crocus sativus. For the production of the dye, it is generally cultivated as a pure crop. As a green vegetable, it is grown all the year round like any common leafy vegetable. Aqueous latexes containing a copolymer of ethyl acrylate, with safflower oil are used to prepare a binder paper. Safflower oil is also used in lubricating oils, gasolines and diesel fuels. A mixture of high molecular alcohols, used in drying oils, is prepared from the safflower oil. Brown and white grades of factice, prepared from the safflower oil, have been found to compare well with some of the best grades of the imported factice, which is a compounding ingredient for rubber. Young safflower leaves contain a fair amount of iron and carotene and compare favourably with most of the common leafy vegetables. The powder of the dried leaves is used for curdling milk. The varieties of safflower in cultivation fall into two main groups, viz. spiny and spineless. The spiny varieties are preferred for seed crops while the spineless forms are considered good for dye and for fodder. | |||
| Last renewal date | 2023/12/25 | |||
