| Abstract Objective: Safflower is the dried flower of Carthamus tinctorius L, an annual herb of Asteraceae family. As a traditional national medicinal herb with high development and utilisation value, this study aims to provide a scientific basis for the modern study of saffron and theoretical support for its new drug development and quality evaluation. Methods: In this article, the terms ‘saffron’, ‘chemical composition’, ‘pharmacological effect’, ‘biological activity’ ， ‘clinical application’and‘Quality standards’ were used. The keywords of ‘clinical application’ were used in the search of China Knowledge, Wipo, Wanfang and Pubmed databases to summarise the chemical composition, pharmacological effect and clinical application of saffron. Resluts: A total of more than 200 relevant literatures were searched, of which more than 90 were valid. It was found that the chemical constituents in saffron mainly contain flavonoids, alkaloids, quinone chalcones, alkynes, subarginine amines, and some other classes of compounds; such as lignans, organic acids, polysaccharides, and other kinds of chemical constituent substances; they have antioxidant, antifibrotic, protection of endothelial function of the vasculature, anticoagulant and other Pharmacological effects. In the clinic of Mongolian medicine, saffron is mainly used for the prevention and treatment of blood fever, gynaecological diseases, liver diseases, clearing heat and detoxification. Conclusion: To provide theoretical support for the modern research of saffron, and to lay a solid foundation for the development and quality assessment of new drugs, the current research on the chemical composition of saffron has been relatively comprehensive, while its pharmacological research mainly focuses on the treatment of coronary heart disease, angina pectoris and other aspects. In the clinical treatment of Mongolian medicine, saffron is usually used in combination with heat-clearing and detoxification drugs, but there is no clear report on its toxic side effects, which provides a basis for further research and development of saffron. |