A plant with many properties that is used instead of saffron
The director of the production and processing group of strategic plants of Jihad University of South Khorasan, stating that the most important use of safflower is the production of oil from the seeds of this plant, said: Safflower petals are used to produce dye in food industry.
Mehdi Ebrahimi stated: Safflower or Kajireh with the scientific name of hamCarthamus tinctorius is a very valuable plant of the enamel family that is currently cultivated in many parts of the world.
Currently, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, the United States and Argentina are the most important safflower producers in the world, he said.
The director of the production and processing group of strategic plants of Jihad University of South Khorasan stated: the amount of safflower seed oil is between 23 to 36% according to the cultivar planted and the conditions of the region where the plant grows.
Ebrahimi stated: The most important pigment in the petals of the plant is called cartamine, which determines the amount of pigment.
He said: The use of safflower petals instead of saffron as a food coloring is very common among people. Safflower flowers have stimulant, analgesic and laxative properties that are consumed as a drink or soaked, speeding up blood circulation and helping to improve people with paralysis. Organs are another of its properties.
The director of the production and processing group of strategic plants of Jihad University of South Khorasan stated: Safflower seed is hot, dry and laxative, and the oil obtained from this seed, as an unsaturated vegetable oil, is one of the least harmful vegetable oils.
Ebrahimi continued: Using safflower oil instead of sunflower oil, corn oil or soybean oil in cooking and preparing salads helps to maintain cardiovascular health.
He added: Three excellent properties of safflower oil, which has made it a popular oil in cooking, include the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, mild taste and stability at high temperatures.
The director of the production and processing group of strategic plants of Jihad University of South Khorasan stated: This oil is very similar to sunflower oil in terms of taste and color. This oil has a good stability at low temperatures and does not create the smell of smoke during cooking.
Ebrahimi said: The use of safflower oil helps to lose weight and reduce the accumulation of fat in the body. This oil also has a significant effect in reducing insulin resistance caused by high fat and due to having simple and non-fat fats. Unsaturated plain has many applications in the food industry.
He added: The amount of vitamin E in safflower oil is higher than olive oil and is very effective in improving and preventing atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia and heart disease.
The director of the production and processing group of strategic plants of Jihad University of South Khorasan stated: Also, due to the absence of allergies in people, the use of safflower oil in the production of cosmetics has been very welcomed.
Ebrahimi stated: In traditional and oriental medicine, safflower oil has been used to treat neuropathy, chickenpox wounds, as well as numbness and tingling in the limbs.
There is evidence that the use of safflower oil is also effective in helping to build bone and prevent osteoporosis, he said.
The director of the production and processing group of strategic plants of Jihad University of South Khorasan noted: liver protection, antioxidant properties, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties, helping to strengthen the skin and anti-cancer properties, helping to improve the body’s metabolism The diet of the people of the community.
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