Honeysuckle Flower Profile
Also known as
Lonicera spp, jin yin hua, Lonicera, Hall's Honeysuckle, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Jen Tung.
Introduction
The fragrant yellow flowers of the honeysuckle vine are used in herbal medicine around the world for cleansing, consuming, and digesting and the flowers of Lonicera japonica, or Japanese honeysuckle, have the added property of stimulating circulation to remove inflammation. Chinese folklore says that it is useful for snakebites. Other folklore surrounding honeysuckle seems to center around love. It is said to be a living symbol of love, the flowers looking like two lovers intertwined. The fragrance is said to induce dreams of passion and love. One of the most enduring folk tales is that if one brings a honeysuckle in bloom into their home, a wedding will follow within a year. Used in Asia medicinally for thousands of years, honeysuckle is an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, diuretic, and used to reduce blood pressure. The buds and flowers are made into puddings and syrups, and the stems and flowers, used together, are made into an infusion for help with upper respiratory tract infections.
Constituents
Inositol, luteolin, tannins.
Parts Used
The dried flowers, harvested just before the bud opens. Some products used to treat boils and abscesses include honeysuckle bark.
Typical Preparations
Teas and tinctures. Traditionally combined with mint for rashes or outbreaks on the skin following nervous tension, and with scutellaria to treat boils.
Summary
In Traditional Chinese medicine, honeysuckle flowers are among the important herbs for clearing heat and relieving toxicity. This herb relieves "fire toxicity" manifesting itself as hot, painful sores or swellings of the eyes, throat, or breast. It expels "wind-heat" manifesting itself as sore throat or headache after explore to cold. And it treats "damp heat" manifesting itself as bladder infection. Modern laboratory research has confirmed that the flowers have an inhibitory effect on the bacteria that cause salmonella, staph, strep, pseudomonas, and tuberculosis infections. Honeysuckle flowers act as natural antihistamine, although they are more useful for treating rashes and inflammation than for treating coughing and sneezing. Some Japanese health food products include honeysuckle for treating bloating, nausea, and vomiting caused by hepatitis C.
Precautions
Avoid when there is chronic diarrhea caused by cancer treatment, HIV, hepatitis C, or other chronic disease.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
