The orange-yellow flowers of safflower are used to produce the yellow and red dyes used in facial makeup such as rouge. Popular cooking oil is manufactured from the seeds. Zones 6 – 10, likes full sun. Dry, poor to average well drained soil. Annual, height 3 – 5 feet, upright, stems branch at the top, spiny oval leaves along a stiff smooth whitish stem, which branches out towards the top. Flowers in summer, orange to yellow, compound thistle-like flowers. Followed by small, shiny white fruit. Handpick snails and slugs from seedlings. Usefully free from other pests and diseases. Collect flowers for drying in the morning, before they are fully open. Wrap a rubber band around a bunch of 6 to 8 stems and hang upside down in a shaded, airy spot. The dried flowers retain their color well; all them to potpourri and to dried herb and flower bouquets or use them to make dyes for silk, wool, food and cosmetics. The seed of the safflower plant is high in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid, which can help to lower cholesterol in the blood and prevent heart disease. Infuse the flowers by steeping in boiled water for a tea that will soothe skin problems and act as a laxative and diuretic. Use the dried flowers as you would use saffron for coloring foods such as sauces, soups, marinades, pasta, curries and rice. Use about five times the amount of saffron you would use. It cannot be substitute for the taste of saffron; it’s bland by comparison. You may have some success increasing the flavor by crushing the flowers onto a cutting board with the back of a spoon or rolling pin. Don’t drink safflower tea during pregnancy. Safflower plants have been cultivated as far back as the time of the pharaohs in Egypt when they were used for their oil. Originally safflower grew wild in Europe, Asia and Egypt.