<p><b>Common name</b>: Safflower</p> <p><b>Latin</b><i>: Carthamus tinctorius</i></p> <p><b>Chinese</b>: Hong hua</p> <p><b>Some uses: </b>Postpartum pain, skin sores<b></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Common name: Safflower

Latin: Carthamus tinctorius

Chinese: Hong hua

Some uses: Postpartum pain, skin sores

 

 

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

See the diverse ingredients in traditional Chinese apothecaries

Healers draw from a wide assortment of natural substances to treat their patients.

Step into a traditional apothecary in China today and you’ll encounter rows of jars and bins filled with a colorful and aromatic array of substances—from common roots, herbs, and flowers such as ginseng, mint, and jasmine to more exotic items, including wasp nests, abalone shells, earthworms, scales of endangered pangolins, and even human placentas.

For more than two millennia, traditional Chinese healers have been culling these and thousands of other ingredients from the natural world for use in medicines. But focusing on the unusual forms they may come in is misleading. “All these ingredients are really just combinations of chemicals,” says Yale scientist Yung-Chi Cheng, who leads a team that has developed a promising herbal cancer treatment based on an ancient

DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.

Create your free account to continue reading

No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
SUBSCRIBE

Read This Next

SeaWorld violated the Animal Welfare Act. Why is it still open?
'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought
World’s first ultrasounds of wild manta rays reveal a troubling truth

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet