According to Burham, a drachm of the dried flowers taken internally, cures jaundice (Hort- Jamaica, I. 72).
In Bengal (Dumraon) the oil is considered by the ryots as a valuable remedy for itch. A cure is said to be effected after 3 to 6 applications. The young green plant is said to be very efficacious in colds. It is believed to keep the system warm. The charred oil is used for healing sores and for rheumatism. As a veterinary medicine the oil occasionally finds use in healing sores on cattle.
The oil of the seed is used as medicine in the United Provinces. The meal of the cooked seed is called harira and is considered a curative and specific for colic pain.
In the Central Provinces the oil extracted by the dry hot method is employed as a salve for sores on cattle.
In Sind, the seed is employed as a cooling medicine (thadhol) ; it is sometimes boiled and made into gruel. The oil is considered a mild purgative. (Agricultural Ledger 1904 — No. 11).
The seeds and fruits contain about 30 per cent, oil, but owing to the thick husk, only 17 or 18 per cent, of the oil is obtainable by pressing. The kernels constitute about 40 per cent, of the seeds and can only be removed by special machinery. The composition of the seed and the undecorticated and decorticated cake have been shown by Dr. Leather.
| Seed. | Undecorticated cake. | Drcorticated cake. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture | 07.49 | 08.79 | 08.49 |
| Oil | 31.84 | 09.84 | 09.80 |
| Albuminoids | 13.31 | 16.06 | 32.75 |
| Carbohydrates | 18.66 | 27.23 | 21.19 |
| Fibre | 26.31 | 33.83 | 20.17 |
| Ash | 02.39 | 04.25 | 07.60 |
The oil obtained by expression in the cold is pale yellow in colour, and is used for culinary purposes. It has good drying powers and although it cannot replace linseed oil it should certainly form a substitute for it in many instances and find extended use in the manufacture of soft soap.
A dark coloured empyreuraatic oil is prepared from the seeds by a simple process of destructive distillation. This is used for the preservation of leather buckets and ropes exposed to the action of water.
Crossley and Le Sueur in 1898 examined several samples of safflower oil obtained from various districts, and their constants are thus summarised: Specific gravity, 0.9251 to 0.9280; saponification value, 187.2 to 193.3; iodine
