J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Dec; 68(1-3): 235-41.

Anti-inflammatory and immunological effects of Centaurea cyanus flower-heads.

Garbacki N, Gloaguen V, Damas J, Bodart P, Tits M, Angenot L.

Centaurea cyanus flower-heads are used in European phytotherapy for the treatment of minor ocular inflammations. Different pharmacological experiments (inhibition of carrageenan, zymosan and croton oil-induced oedemas, inhibition of plasma haemolytic activity, induction of anaphylatoxin activity) showed that polysaccharides extracted from C. cyanus flower-heads had anti-inflammatory properties and interfered with complement. Moreover, these polysaccharides were found to be mainly composed of galacturonic acid, arabinose, glucose, rhamnose and galactose.