Alternative Health Blog

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 40 postmenopausal women between 49 and 64 years of age, supplementation with safflower seed granule tea (20 g/d) containing a 13% ethanol extract of defatted safflower seeds for a period of 6 months was found to be associated with increases in serum levels of alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid, a significant decrease in TBARS levels, and reductions in serum osteocalcin levels. Furthermore, while subjects in the placebo group were found to have a significant reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) over the course of 6 months, those in the safflower group did not experience any reduction in BMD. The authors conclude that, "...polyphenols (72 mg/day), including serotonin derivatives, in the Saf-tea had both antioxidant and potential bone protecting effects in postmenopausal women without liver toxicity."