Know2eat

Safflower seeds

Carthamus tinctorius

What safflower seeds has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About safflower seeds

The kernels of the safflower, an ancient crop grown first for its red and yellow dye and now almost entirely for oil and birdseed. Human consumption of the kernel itself is marginal. The USDA reference entry is for dried kernels.

Also known as Kusum seeds, Kardai, Safflower kernels

Heart HealthWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited and concerns the oil rather than the seed. Replacing saturated fat with linoleic-rich oils, safflower among them, lowers LDL cholesterol in controlled feeding trials, but the whole kernel has not been tested and is barely eaten.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

There is no dependable evidence that safflower affects body composition. The claim traces to conjugated linoleic acid supplements, a manufactured product that is not present in safflower seed or oil in meaningful amounts.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Safflower seeds

Ask about Safflower seeds

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories517 kcal26%
Protein16.2 g32%
Total fat38.5 g49%
Carbohydrate34.3 g12%
Water5.62 g—
Fats
Saturated fat3.68 g18%
Monounsaturated fat4.85 g—
Polyunsaturated fat28.2 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)28.1 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A3 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)1.16 mg97%
Riboflavin (B2)0.415 mg32%
Niacin (B3)2.28 mg14%
Pantothenic acid (B5)4.03 mg81%
Vitamin B61.17 mg69%
Folate160 µg40%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium78 mg6%
Iron4.9 mg27%
Magnesium353 mg84%
Phosphorus644 mg52%
Potassium687 mg15%
Sodium3 mg0%
Zinc5.05 mg46%
Copper1.75 mg194%
Manganese2.01 mg88%
Other measured compounds
Ash5.47 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Seeds, safflower seed kernels, dried (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170558).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Safflower allergy and Asteraceae cross-reactivity

    Safflower is in the daisy family alongside ragweed, chamomile and sunflower. Occupational and food allergy to safflower is documented, and cross-reactivity within that family is well described.

  • Interaction

    Anticoagulants and pregnancy

    Safflower petal preparations are used in traditional Chinese medicine as a blood-moving herb and have been reported to increase bleeding risk with anticoagulants, and to be avoided in pregnancy. That concerns concentrated flower preparations rather than the seed, but the two are often conflated in supplement marketing.

  • Worth knowing

    Cultivar determines the fat

    Traditional high-linoleic safflower and modern high-oleic safflower differ so completely in fatty-acid composition that research on one says little about the other. Labels rarely specify which.