This study was performed to evaluate the effect of Carthami tinctorius(HH) on osteoblast function and gene expression. The osteoblasts separated from the rat calvariae were cultivated to evaluate the cell function, and MG-63 cell was also cultivated for the test of mRNA synthesis. In this experiments, cell proliferation of rat calvarial cells was increased by HH. PKC activity, intracellular free calcium level and collgen synthesis from calvarial cells were increased by HH, but not PKA activity. And the mRNA of $PLA_2$, COX-2, and $PGE_2$ synthase from MG-63 were decreased by HH, but the mRNA of prostacyclin synthase was increased. It is concluded that HH might increase the proliferation of calvarial cell resulted from augumentation of osteoblast activity and its mRNA synthesis.