Herb
PREGNANCY RECOMMENDATION: Compatible (as a Food)
BREASTFEEDING RECOMMENDATION: Compatible (as a Food)
PREGNANCY SUMMARY
No reports describing the use of safflower in pregnancy have been located. However, safflower oil is widely used in cooking. It is doubtful that such use would have any adverse effect on a pregnancy. Abortifacient and emmenagogue effects have been suggested (1,2), but there apparently is no clinical evidence to support these effects when safflower oil is used as a food. Other uses or high doses of safflower should be avoided in pregnancy.
FETAL RISK SUMMARY
The seeds of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), a plant widely cultivated throughout Europe and the United States, are primarily used as a source of edible oil. The oil contains a high concentration of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the essential linoleic acid. In addition, the seeds contain tracheloside (a lignan glycoside) and serotonin derivatives. The oil is used in cooking and has been given for its laxative action. In addition, capsules containing safflower oil have sometimes served as controls in clinical trials. A tea prepared from safflower has been used to treat fever by inducing sweating. The flowers have been used as yellow and red dyes since ancient times, as well as a flavoring agent in foods (1,2).
An aqueous extract of the flowers was studied in pregnant mice (3). At doses of ≥1.6 mg/kg/day, embryo death was observed, whereas a lower dose (1.2 mg/kg/day) was teratogenic. An in vitro assay found a concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect (3).
BREASTFEEDING SUMMARY
No reports describing the use of safflower during human lactation have been located. However, safflower oil is widely used in cooking. Although mature human milk contains n-3 fatty acids (4), the probable small amounts of n-6 fatty acids excreted into milk when safflower oil is used as a food should not adversely affect a nursing infant. Other uses or high doses of safflower should be avoided during breastfeeding.
References
1.Safflower. In: The Review of Natural Products. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Health, March 2009.
2.Safflower. In: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Stockton, CA: Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2008:1290–1.
3.Nobakht M, Fattahi M, Hoormand M, Milanian I, Rahbar N, Mahmoudian M. A study on the teratogenic and cytotoxic effects of safflower extract. J Ethnopharmacol 2000;73:453–9.
4.Biochemistry of human milk. In: Lawrence RA, Lawrence RM. Breastfeeding—A Guide for the Medical Profession. 5th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 1999:115.