Move blood
Hong Hua
红花
Safflower
Carthamus tinctorius
A strong blood mover. Small amounts in formulas, not a casual tea.
Not for self-dosing. This page is not a formula, not a strength, and not a substitute for a licensed herbalist or physician.
Category
Warm · Acrid
Meridians entered
Traditional uses
Used for blood stasis: fixed pain, and cycle pain with clots in the traditional picture. Saffron is a different plant. Do not swap them.
Common pairings
- Tao Ren 桃仁
Seed and flower, the blood-stasis pair of Tao Hong Si Wu and many relatives.
- Chuan Xiong 川芎
Both move. Together they are distinctly not for pregnancy self-care.
Cautions
Not for self-dosing. Contraindicated in pregnancy in ordinary teaching. Not with heavy bleeding or blood thinners on your own.