The poor man's saffron now!
160. Safflower

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a highly branched, herbaceous annuals resembling thistles with many long sharp spines on the leaves. Plants are 30 to 150 cm tall with globular flower heads and brilliant yellow, orange or red flowers.
Each branch has from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower can thrive in dry climates, but the plant is very susceptible to frost injury from stem elongation to maturity.
Safflower oil is flavorless and colorless and is similar to sunflower oil in nutrition values.It is used mainly in cooking, cosmetics, in salad dressing and for the production of margarine.
Safflower flowers are called as bastard saffron since they are used as a cheaper substitute for saffron. Safflower seed is used as an alternative to sunflower seeds in bird feeders.
A pharmaceutical company is currently using transgenic safflower plants to produce human insulin as the global demand for the hormone grows. Safflower-derived human insulin is currently in trials on human test subjects.
160. Safflower | Tastes, flavours and benefits
160. Safflower

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a highly branched, herbaceous annuals resembling thistles with many long sharp spines on the leaves. Plants are 30 to 150 cm tall with globular flower heads and brilliant yellow, orange or red flowers.
Each branch has from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower can thrive in dry climates, but the plant is very susceptible to frost injury from stem elongation to maturity.
Safflower oil is flavorless and colorless and is similar to sunflower oil in nutrition values.It is used mainly in cooking, cosmetics, in salad dressing and for the production of margarine.
Safflower flowers are called as bastard saffron since they are used as a cheaper substitute for saffron. Safflower seed is used as an alternative to sunflower seeds in bird feeders.
A pharmaceutical company is currently using transgenic safflower plants to produce human insulin as the global demand for the hormone grows. Safflower-derived human insulin is currently in trials on human test subjects.
160. Safflower | Tastes, flavours and benefits