Centaurea cyanus contains a wide range of rmacologically active compounds, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and aromatic acids.Especially the flower head finds application in herbal medicine, but leaves and seeds are also used for rmacological purposes, albeit to a lesser extent.
In particular, extracts from the flower heads have anti-inflammatory properties used in the treatment of minor ocular inflammations Antioxidant properties are high due to ascorbic acid and nolic compounds. Furthermore, extracts of the flower head and vegetative parts of the plant were shown to have gastroprotective effects due to their content of quercetin, apigenin and caffeic acid derivates.