10 Graines Carthamus Tinctorius Zanzibar, Chardon Safran

Carthamus Tinctorius Zanzibar, Safran thistle | Graines reproductibles, Graines Non Traitées

The Carthame of dyers or Safran des Teinturiers (Carthamus Tinctorius L.), sometimes called Bastard Safran, is a Plant Herbaceous TINCTORIAL and Oléaginous of the family of Asteraceae, known only in the cultivated state. It is from Central and Eastern Turkey and Iran but which has been introduced since Antiquity in a very large number of countries.

The species is native to arid zone, having seasonal rains. It develops a deep swivel root allowing it to survive in these arid environments.

She provided a yellow-red dye extracted from her flowers, which was used to dye the textiles and color the food. It was already cultivated in ancient Egypt 2 000 years av. AD. Since the 1950s, it has been cultivated forCarthame oil which has been extracted from its seeds.

10 seeds - Photo 3: germination in 4 days in greenhouse 25-30 ° C

Dye, food coloring

The flowers give two coloring one yellow and a red.

Yellow, carthamidine, is soluble in water and is used as a food coloring. Red, Carthamine, can dye clothes2.

Carthamine, yellow, turns red-orange, by oxidation and appearance of a quinone function to give the carthamone, glucoside of the chalconone of a flavonol colorless, the Carthamidine14. The flower produces 25 to 36% of yellow dyes and only 0.3 to 0.6% red dye. Carthamone like carthamine, used formerly as dyes, are no longer due to unfavorable economic conditions, while the plant is always cultivated as oil oil.

In China, Carthame Red (Yanzhi 胭脂) is present in the murals of IV^E - VI^e centuries. This pigment was made from the wrestling flowers of dyers, garance and Kerria Lacca. From the XVI^e century, the Red Cochet begins to be imported into China and gradually replaces Carthame red15.

In XVIII^e century, the carthame flowers served in England to color cheeses, sausages and pudding in such quantities that its purgative properties were felt. He also entered makeup products.

• Medical matters

As soon as the carthame was introduced in China, its red flowers aroused the interest of the apothecaries. At the time of Tang, his flowers were introduced into the Chinese pharmacopoeia 《唐本草》 Tang Bencao. They are mentioned in multiple pharmacopoeia, until the most renowned of all Bencao Gangmu of Li Shizhen16.

Contents subject to the CC-BY-SA 3.0license. Source : Article Carthame des Teinturiers by Wikipedia in French (Authors)