1. Effect on the cardiovascular system: (1) The effect on the heart and coronary flow: Safflower can mildly stimulate the heart, reduce coronary resistance, increase coronary flow and myocardial nutritional blood flow [1]. (2) Effect on experimental myocardial ischemia: Safflower in varying degrees against animal models of experimental myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction or arrhythmia [2]. (3) Effect on blood vessels, blood pressure and microcirculation: Safflower can dilate blood vessels, this effect was related to the function of blood vessels status and drug dose. Its mechanism may be directly or in part confront α-adrenergic receptor to make blood vessels expand, and the weaker effect of direct vascular contraction [3].

2. Anticoagulant: Safflower can inhibit platelet aggregation and enhanced fibrinolysis, and also inhibit adenosine diphosphate or collagen induced platelet aggregation in rabbit [4].

3. Effect on lipids: Safflower has lipid-lowering effect. Oral administration of safflower oil can reduce hypercholesterolemia rabbit serum total cholesterol, total fat, triglycerides and non-esterified cellular fatty acid levels and reduce serum cholesterol, but increased intrahepatic lipid and cholesterol [5].

4. Hypoxia tolerance: All the Safflower injection, ethanol extract, safflower glucoside, safflower yellow pigment can significantly improve the mice's hypoxia tolerance [6-8]. Saffron has protective effect of ischemia lack of oxygen encephalopathy. Intraperitoneal injection of safflower leaching solution can prevent the degeneration of neurons in the brain after decompression hypoxic ischemic in neonatal rat [9].

5. Effect on smooth muscle: Safflower decoction had stimulant effect on the isolated uterus of mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs. Decoction has excitatory effects of intravenous injection of anesthetized mice, cats and dogs, officials in the seat. The administration can increase in vitro or the eutopic tension or rhythm. The effect of safflower on the pregnant uterus was more obvious than not pregnant ones [10].

6. Immune activity and anti-inflammatory: Safflower yellow pigment can reduce serum lysozyme levels, and phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages and white blood cells, reduce the plaque-forming cells, spleen-specific rosette-forming cells and antibody, suppress delayed-type hypersensitivity and super-fitness dose immunization-induced T cell activation [11].

7. Effect on the nervous system: The saffron yellow pigment is known as a strong analgesic response, and the sharp pain and dull. And enhance the central inhibition of barbiturates and chloral hydrate, its role and the amount of a parallel relationship [12]. Safflower can reduce the metabolic disorders of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain tissue, make decreased neurotransmitter back to normal or near normal [13].

1. Prevention of indwelling needle in superficial vein infusion phlebitis induced by Sitaning: with self-made Luhuihonghua medicinal liniment wet compress can reduce the superficial vein indwelling needle infusion combined with the incidence of phlebitis and prolong the using time of indwelling needle^[1].

2. Chronic heart failure: diagnose chronic heart failure cases 80 cases were randomly divided into the treatment group 40 cases and control 40 cases, the treatment group was basis of the same treatment of  the control group, with Honghua injection 40 ml add 5% GS (NS) 250 ml intravenous drip, 1 times per day, 14 days as one course of treatment, Common treatment for  two courses. Results: the treatment group (23 cases were effective, 12 cases were markedly improved, 5 cases were invalid, the total effective rate was 87.5%), comparing with control group (P < 0.05), the treatment group was better than control ^[2].

3. Flat wart: Honghua 9 g per day, boiling water impact make tea drink, continuous 10 days as one course of treatment, if four courses was invalid that was stpped . 36 cases were treated. 2 cases wer cured in one course,  18 cases were cured in 2 courses,12 cases were cured in 3 courses, 1 cases were cured in 4 courses, 3 cases was invalid, the cure rate was 91.6%^[4].

4. Osteoarthritis: Honghua 200 g, 60 degrees liquor 1000 ml, filtering after soak 1 weeks. With gauze dipped in liquid deposited at the site of pain, covered the hot towel or the hot water bag, 2 times per day, 30 min  per time. 10 days as one course of treatment. Results:In 60 patients, 58 cases were powerfully, 2 cases were no obvious effect^[5].

5. Traumatic headaches: Honghua injection was intravenous drip, 1 per day, 14 days as course of treatment . Results: the curative effect of treatment group was better than control group (P < 0.01), and different degree of headache curative effect on significant difference (P < 0.01), mild headache has good curative effect on moderate and severe, regardless of the mild, moderate or severe, for 14 days of  treatment, the treatment group and the control group were significant differences^[6].

6. Vertebral basal artery blood: the Honghua injection used for vertebral basal artery blood supply, results: the total effective rate was 91.67%^[7].

7. Bedsore: treatment group (23 cases) patients take appropriate decubitus exposure to the affected part, with sterile gauze dip take Honghua tincture (safflower, borneol right amount, in 75% alcohol in the water at least 3 days, filtration, concentration standby) covers the Bedsore ulcer and surrounding skin surface, and then roast lamp irradiation for 15 min, 3 times per day. Roast lamp irradiation with the hand was tiny feeling advisable, at any time dip take Honghua tincture if there was dry, keep moist wounds. Control group (20 cases) patients exposed to the affected part, disinfection bedsore surrounding skin, gentamicin wet apply, baking lamp irradiation for 15 min, local gauze to cover. Two groups all was one time per day, 7 days as  one course of treatment. Results: Honghua tincture group cure time was 8.7±0.5 days, control group cure time was 13.3±0.7 days, the two groups were significant differences (P < 0.05). Honghua tincture group of  the total effective rate was 100%, the control group total effective rate was 80%^[8] .

8. Acute cerebral infarction: 200 cases of acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into two groups, 100 cases as control group for routine treatment to cerebral infarction, including anti-platelet aggregation, anticoagulation, expand blood volume, fall hematic fat, reduce blood sugar, suit and support treatment. on the basis that treatment,The treatment group was add Honghua injection  20 ml and 5% glucose injection 250 ml (concurrent diabetic person with 0.9% brine) for intravenous drip, 14days as one course of treatment, for 2 courses. Results: the total effective rate was 78% in treatment group and 66% in control group, The 2 groups was statistically significant differences in efficacy compared(P<0.05)^[9].

1. Otitis media with incessant smelly pus

2. Arthritis with swelling and pain

3. Halfbody reddish swelling on unfixed locations

4. Cervical cancer

5. Cough and asthma due to vicarious menstruation

6. Dysphagia

7. Obstruction in throat with a moment of suffocation

8. Early abscess with severe pain and swelling

9. Trauma and compression injury

10. Obstruction of meridians in female caused by blood stagnation

11. Dysmenorrhea

12. Postpartum faintness with discomfort 

13. Profuse extravasated blood attacking the heart after miscarriage leads to unconsciousness

Chemical composition:

[1] Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. Dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine (the first volume ). Second edition. Shanghai science and Technology Press, 2006:1376.

Pharmacological effect:

[1] high Qiming. Journal of integrated traditional and Western medicine, 1984.4 ( 12): 758

[2] Tianjin Institute of pharmaceutical industry. Shaanxi medical journal, 1980, ( 1): 2

[3].Li Shiying.Chinese medical journal, 1979,59 ( 9): 550

[4] capital medicine group based on pharmacological research room. Cardiac vascular diseases, 1974,2 ( 4): 259

[5].Zhao Zhigong.Hebei Province medicine proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1981, ( 5): 27

[6] Wuhan City coronary heart disease group. Wuhan new medicine, 1974, ( 2): 26

[7] Tianjin Institute of pharmaceutical industry pharmaceutical group, Chinese medicine group. Tianjin pharmaceutical industry, 1979, ( 2): 1..

[8] Huang Zhengliang. Chinese herbal medicine, 1985,16 ( 10): 459

[9] Shanxi Provincial Institute of traditional Chinese medicine for coronary heart disease. New laboratory medicine (neurological disease supplement ), 1979,3 ( 3): 179

[10]Sun Shixi . Chinese medical journal, 1955,41 ( 5): 443

[11] Lu Zhengwu. The Journal of practical medicine, 1993,6 ( 5): 261

[12]Huang Zhengliang . Chinese herbal medicine, 1984,15 ( 8): 348

[13]Kuang P G.Am J Chin Med, 1983, ( 11): 217

Clinical trials: