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(Wild) SAFFRON or
SAFFLOWER CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS It evacuates lough viscid phlegm, both upwards and downwards. An annual plant growing two or three feet (60 to 90 cm) high with a whitish stem branching at the top. It has prickly leaves and saffron-coloured flowers. Where to find it: Fields and gardens. It is cultivated in India. Flowering time: Midsummer. Astrology.. It is saturnine. Medicinal uses: It is a pretty strong cathartic and also clears the lungs and helps the phthisis. It is likewise serviceable against the jaundice. Modern uses: The flowers are laxative and induce sweating. They are used as an infusion - 1/2 oz (14 g) to 1 Pt (568 ml) of boiling water - for children's complaints, particularly measles, scarlet fever and eruptive skin diseases. The infusion also stimulates the menstrual flow. The seed is laxative. Safflower oil, obtained from the seeds, is used for culinary purposes. It is also obtainable in capsules. Like Sunflower oil, it is rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. |