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INDIVIDUAL HERBS

NAME: HONG HUA - 红花 - FLOS CARTHAMI - SAFFLOWER

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Flos Carthami
Common English:	Safflower Saffron Carthamus

PROPERTIES

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Acrid (Slightly Bitter) (Sweet)	Warm (Lukewarm)	Heart Liver (Lung)	3-10g 12-15g = a large dose 0.9-1.5g when harmonizing Blood Tincture: 2-4ml

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

Actions

Indications/Syndromes

Invigorates the Blood, dispels Blood Stasis, opens the channels, unblocks menstruation and alleviates pain

Blood Stasis, especially in women for gynecological problems such as abdominal pain, amenorrhea, postpartum dizziness, retained lochia and abdominal masses

Trauma, non suppurative sores, carbuncles and dark, purplish erythema

Incomplete expression of rash of measles

Chest Bi due to Blood Stasis

CONTRAINDICATIONS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Contraindicated during pregnancy.
Contraindicated for those with any bleeding disorder, such as hemorrhagic disease, menorrhagia or peptic ulcer.
Overdose can cause continuous bleeding.
Caution, this herb may cause weight loss.

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Use with caution for patients taking anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin) and enoxaparin (Lovenox) or antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, dipyridamole (Persantine) and clopidogrel (Plavix) as concurrent use may have an additive or synergistic effect.

MAJOR COMBINATIONS

Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong	Lignum Sappan Su Mu (Rx. Angelicae Sinensis) (Dang Gui)	Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao
Chest and abdominal pain due to Qi and Blood Stasis.	Trauma with pain and swelling.	Eye redness, swelling and pain.
Hb. Leonuri Yi Mu Cao	Rz. Sparganii San Leng Rz. Curcumae E Zhu	Rx. Arnebiae/Lithospermi Zi Cao Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui
Blood Stasis with abdominal pain or postpartum lochiostasis.	Abdominal masses and accumulations.	Measles with purple rash. Toxic swellings, carbuncles and boils.
Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi	Lignum Sappan Su Mu	Sm. Persicae Tao Ren
Induces labor.	Promotes the movement of Blood and unblocks menstruation. Traumatic injury with painful, swollen bruises or hematomas. Coronary Heart disease.	Invigorates the Blood for all types of Blood Stagnation such as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, swollen painful sores and chest and abdominal pain.
Sm. Persicae Tao Ren Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao	Fol. Nelumbinis He Ye Pollen Typhae Pu Huang Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Cx. Moutan Mu Dan Pi	Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong
Menstrual pain or amenorrhea.	Postpartum dizziness or abdominal pain from Blood Stagnation.	Stillbirth or difficult labor.
Rz. Alpiniae Officinarum Gao Liang Jiang Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu Faeces Trogopterori Wu Ling Zhi Pollen Typhae Pu Huang Fr. Amomi Sha Ren	Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rz. Corydalis Yan Hu Suo Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang	Rx. Bupleuri Chai Hu Sp. Gleditsiae Zao Jiao Ci Fr. Tribuli Bai Ji Li Fr. Toosendan Chuan Lian Zi Sm. Arecae Bing Lang Rz. Curcumae E Zhu Squama Manitis Chuan Shan Jia Concha Ostreae Mu Li Rz. Curcumae Longae Jiang Huang
Epigastric or abdominal pain.	Abdominal pain.	Hepatomegaly.
Pheretima Di Long Eupolyphaga Tu Bie Chong	Ram. Mori Sang Zhi Pheretima Di Long Squama Manitis Chuan Shan Jia Rz. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi Rx. Astragali Huang Qi	Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Lithospermi/Arnebiae Zi Cao Fol. Isatidis Da Qing Ye
Bi syndrome.	Hemiplegia.	Macular eruption.
Lignum Santali Albi Tan Xiang Fr. Trichosanthis Gua Lou Bul. Allii Macrostemi Xie Bai Ram. Cinnamomi Gui Zhi Faeces Trogopterori Wu Ling Zhi
Chest pain and angina.

NOTES

Large doses dispel Blood Stasis. Small doses harmonize the Blood.
Stigma Crocus Sativa (Tibetan saffron) Fan Hong Hua or Xi Hong Hua is stronger and more expensive than this herb. It is used for severe cases of Blood Stasis with chest pain.
The dried flower of this herb is the raw material for rouge.
This herb is a powerful Blood activator.
It is most often used for gynecological problems.
Other good saffron comes from Spain and Iran.
Some sources say that this herb induces labor.
This herb has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
It moistens Dryness and harmonizes the Blood to sooth Liver constraint. In large doses, it breaks up the Blood and in small doses, it gently moves and nourishes the Blood.
For ceruminitis with unceasing fetid pus, pulverize 0.3g of Hong Hua and 30g of Alumen Ming Fan and fill the ear.
It is also said that decocted in water, this herb nourishes the Blood and decocted in wine, removes Blood Stasis.
Both Hong Hua and Hb. Leonuri Yi Mu Cao invigorate the Blood and enter the Blood Levels of the Heart and Liver channels. Hong Hua is warm and more strongly invigorates the Blood, reduces swellings and, in large doses, strongly breaks up Blood Stasis . Yi Mu Cao is slightly cold and gently cools Blood Heat when Heat is associated with Stagnation. It also facilitates urination.
Both Hong Hua and Lignum Sappan Su Mu are similar in their actions. Hong Hua is slightly warm and harmonious while Su Mu is slightly cool.
Flos Crocus Sativa Fan Hong Hua is sweet, cold, enters the Heart and Liver channels. It has similar functions to Hong Hua, but has a much stronger ability to invigorate and cool the Blood, eliminate Blood Stasis and eliminate Heat toxin. It is commonly used when Heat is Attacking the Ying and Xue levels with maculae and high fever. It is expensive and seldom used. The dosage is 1.5-3g.