Safflower seeds «Solar»

Safflower «Solar» / Carhamus tinctorius L.

Safflower is a heat-loving and very drought-resistant plant of a short day, well adapted to a dry continental climate, belongs to the Aster family, does not occur in the wild. Safflower is especially demanding on heat during the flowering and ripening phases. However, its seedlings can withstand up to 5-6 °C.

The safflower root is taproot, highly branched, penetrates to a depth of 2 m. The stem is erect, branching, bare, up to 90 cm high. The leaves are sessile, lanceolate, lanceolate or elliptical, with small teeth along the edges, often ending in spines. At the top, the leaves decrease in size. The inflorescence is a basket with a diameter of 1.5-3.5 cm. On one plant, there are from 5-6 to 30-50 baskets. The flowers are tubular with a five-parted corolla of yellow or orange color. The fruit is an achene resembling a sunflower achene. Its shell is hard, difficult to split, making up 40-50% of the mass of seeds. Seeds do not shed when ripe.

Safflower was first cultivated as a dye plant and only later was it used as an oil plant. With the development of the industry of aniline dyes, most dye crops, including safflower, lost their economic importance as a raw material for the production of dyes. Safflower has retained, however, its importance as an oil plant.

Safflower is cross-pollinated by insects, especially bees. First of all, the central baskets bloom, and then the side ones. Flowering of baskets lasts about a month, the growing season ranges from 90 to 150 days and depends on the ripening conditions.

Safflower harvesting is started when it is fully ripe, when all plants and baskets turn yellow and the seeds are fully ripe. Safflower, unlike sunflower, does not emit sticky resin, and therefore the seeds after cleaning do not even contain adhering ragweed seeds and other malicious weeds.

Caring for safflower crops consists in loosening row spacing and weeding.

In some countries, safflower is one of the most beloved horticultural crops. This plant is popular with both florists and flower growers, but not only because of its beauty. The production of oils from it is also valued.

Safflower oil is a semi-drying oil, and its taste is not inferior to sunflower oil. The fatty acid composition of safflower oil includes up to 90% linoleic acid, which is indispensable. And since it is not formed in the body, it must come with food. Unsaturated fatty acids affect the healthy metabolism of cholesterol in the human body, so it is necessary to eat food with a high content of these acids, especially for patients with atherosclerosis, children, people who work with ionizing radiation. The best source for this is safflower

In addition, safflower also has other advantages, for example, its seeds are white and well protected by the leaves of the basket wrapper and usually do not have such an attractiveness for wild large birds, in particular gulls, although at the same time the threshed seeds are eaten with hunting by poultry.

Safflower begins to bloom earlier than sunflower and its flowering period is more extended, given that it is a good honey plant, this is another plus to try growing this crop on farms where beekeeping is developed.

Safflower petals contain two main different coloring pigments - yellow and red. The yellow pigment - safflower gel - is considered less valuable and is often removed by washing the petal mass with water. The red substance of safflower - cartamin - is hardly soluble in water. In ether, cartamin does not dissolve at all, but it easily dissolves in alcohol and alkalis (ammonia). In addition to them, a number of other pigments of the same colors are contained.

Also used as an oilseed, the oil is used in the production of margarine.

Safflower flowers are used as ingredients in flower teas.

In medicine, it is used as a laxative, diuretic, choleretic.

In cosmetology, of all safflower products, safflower oil is especially valued. Its composition is extremely saturated with linoleic acid, which is not synthesized in the body. In total, its percentage in oil is about 80%. It gives stability and elasticity to blood vessels, regulates important vital processes of the body, has a moisturizing effect, high penetrating power.

Safflower oil has a softening, firming and nourishing effect on the skin, normalizes cellular functions, improves blood circulation, has an anti-inflammatory effect, high water-retaining and moisture-regulating ability.

In addition, safflower oil serves as an active conductor of other components in the deeper layers of the skin.