Kusumbha Taila (Safflower Oil): Benefits, Evidence, Dosage & Safety

TL;DR

Kusumbha taila is the seed oil of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), about 78% linoleic acid. Two small randomized trials in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes found modest reductions in trunk fat, fasting glucose, and HbA1c at 8 g/day, but a rat study found the oil raised LDL cholesterol: evidence is mixed. (52 words. Sources: Norris et al. 2009; Asp et al. 2011; Santana et al. 2017.)

What it is

Kusumbha taila is the fixed oil pressed from the seeds of Carthamus tinctorius L., safflower: a thistle-like annual of the Asteraceae family cultivated across India as an oilseed crop. In Sanskrit the plant is Kusumbha (also called "bastard saffron," since its orange petals are sold as a saffron substitute). The oil is roughly 78% linoleic acid (c9c12-linoleate), the essential omega-6 fatty acid: a composition reported in the trial literature. (Norris et al., 2009, PubMed; TIJER safflower review, 2025)

A CCRAS-style monograph for the Kusumbha fruit (seed) describes its properties as sweet, astringent, bitter, and pungent in taste, unctuous and heavy in quality, heating in potency, and pungent after digestion, with diuretic (mutrala), diaphoretic (svedajanana), and purgative (virecana) actions: describing the seed, not the expressed oil. (CCRAS monographs, via document archive)

Traditional use

Traditional sources treat kusumbha cautiously rather than as a celebrated oil. A 2025 peer-reviewed review summarizes the folk uses: the seeds are used for their laxative properties and as a source of edible oil, the oil "is believed to have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health," and the flowers are used as an emmenagogue to promote menstruation. (TIJER safflower review, 2025)

In Ayurvedic materia medica, kusumbha is listed in Bhavaprakasha Nighantu and Dhanvantari Nighantu classifications, and "Kusumbha taila" appears among the classical taila (oil) formulations: but the oil's classical reputation is mixed, with some texts counting it among the less wholesome (apathya) oils rather than prized ones like sesame. This traditional caution sits in tension with the modern trial data below; neither cancels the other. (Traditional use is described here as tradition, not as proof of effect.)

What modern research says

Body composition and fasting glucose (RCT)

Norris, Whitman, and Belury (2009) ran a 36-week randomized, double-masked, crossover trial in 55 obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, comparing 8 g/day of safflower oil (SAF) with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) across two 16-week diet periods; 35 women completed it. Safflower oil had no effect on BMI or total adipose mass, but it reduced trunk adipose mass (P = 0.0422) and increased lean mass (P = 0.0432), significantly lowered fasting glucose (P = 0.0343), and increased adiponectin (P = 0.0051), a hormone involved in fat metabolism. The authors concluded the oils "may be beneficial for weight loss, glycemic control, or both." This is a real RCT: but a small one, in one specific population, with safflower oil as a dietary supplement rather than an Ayurvedic preparation. (PubMed 19535429)

HbA1c, inflammation, and blood lipids over time (RCT, same trial)

A follow-up analysis of the same trial (Asp et al., 2011, Clinical Nutrition) applied time-to-effect testing: 8 g/day of safflower oil decreased HbA1c by 0.64 ± 0.18% (p = 0.0007) and C-reactive protein by 13.6 ± 8.2 mg/L (p = 0.0472), improved insulin sensitivity measured by QUICKI (p = 0.0146), and increased HDL cholesterol by 0.12 ± 0.05 mmol/L (p = 0.0228): with effects first detectable at 12–16 weeks. The authors concluded that small changes in dietary fat quality may augment diabetes treatments. Again, this is one small trial's secondary analysis, not a basis for treatment claims. (ScienceDirect)

A cautionary lipid finding (animal study)

Not all the data points the same way. Santana and colleagues (2017, Int. J. Cardiovascular Sciences) tested safflower oil in Wistar rats with diet-induced metabolic syndrome: the safflower-oil-supplemented group showed increased total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL cholesterol (p < 0.001) compared with soybean oil, leading the authors to conclude the oil "can cause possible deleterious effects on the lipid profile" under those experimental conditions. This is an animal model, not human evidence: but it means the human lipid story is unresolved and anyone with high cholesterol should be cautious. (IJCS / SciELO)

The bottom line on evidence

Two small randomized trials in one narrow population (postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes) show modest metabolic signals at 8 g/day over 16 weeks. One animal study raises a lipid caution; and no trials of kusumbha taila as an Ayurvedic preparation exist. The evidence is genuinely mixed: promising signals, not proof.

Dosage

No Ayurvedic pharmacopoeial dose for kusumbha taila was found, so no traditional dose is given here. The only quantified dose comes from the clinical trials: 8 g of safflower oil per day (taken as capsules across meals and bedtime) for 16 weeks in the Norris/Asp trials: a research protocol in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, not an Ayurvedic recommendation and not a general-use dose. (PubMed 19535429)

Safety & contraindications

FAQs

What is kusumbha taila?

Kusumbha taila is the oil pressed from safflower seeds (Carthamus tinctorius). It is about 78% linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, and is widely used as a cooking oil. In Ayurveda, kusumbha appears in classical oil formulations, though traditional texts are cautious about it compared with oils like sesame. (Norris et al., 2009; TIJER safflower review, 2025)

Does safflower oil lower cholesterol?

The evidence is mixed and incomplete. In a rat model of metabolic syndrome, safflower oil supplementation actually increased total and LDL cholesterol versus soybean oil. The human trials measured HDL (which rose modestly) but were not designed as cholesterol-lowering trials. There is no solid basis for calling it cholesterol-lowering. (IJCS / SciELO; ScienceDirect)

Is safflower oil good for diabetes?

Two small randomized trials found that 8 g/day of safflower oil for 16 weeks reduced trunk fat, fasting glucose, and HbA1c (by 0.64%) in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. These are encouraging but narrow findings from one trial program: not proof that safflower oil treats diabetes, and not tested in other populations. (PubMed 19535429; ScienceDirect)

How much safflower oil was used in the studies?

8 grams per day (about 1⅔ teaspoons), taken as capsules spread across meals and bedtime, for 16 weeks. That was the research protocol in the Norris/Asp crossover trials in diabetic women: it is a study dose, not a recommended dose for general use and not an Ayurvedic dosage. (PubMed 19535429)

Is kusumbha the same as saffron?

No. Kusumbha is safflower (Carthamus tinctorius); its orange petals are sometimes sold as "bastard saffron," but true saffron (kumkuma) comes from Crocus sativus stigmas. They are different plants with different properties, uses, and prices: do not substitute one for the other. (TIJER safflower review, 2025)

Is kusumbha taila safe in pregnancy?

No safety data for the oil in pregnancy was found, and the safflower flowers are traditionally used as an emmenagogue to promote menstruation. Until oil-specific data exists, medicinal-dose use in pregnancy should be avoided unless a qualified clinician advises otherwise. (TIJER safflower review, 2025)

Sources

Tier 1 — peer-reviewed journals, pharmacopoeial compilations

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner before using any Ayurvedic preparation, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, managing cholesterol or diabetes, or taking prescription medicines.