- Alizarin has been used as a staining agent for centuries. Originally alizarin vegetable dye was prepared from the madder plant Rubia tinctorum, but now a synthetic preparation is used that is chemically identical. Madder has been regarded as a mild diuretic.
- The Ministry of Health of Russian Federation has approved alizarin as an antiviral preparation for acute and relapsing forms of herpes simplex infection of extragential and genital areas, herpetiform Kaposi's eczema, viral diseases of the oral cavity, herpes zoster and chicken pox in both children and adults.
- Currently, there are no well-established therapeutic uses of alizarin. Precautions should be taken while handling this dye due to the lack of safety data.