Introduction to the Herb
Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua) is not only a beautiful ornamental plant but also an important medicinal herb. The flowers are initially white and later turn yellow, with both colors blooming simultaneously on the same plant, hence the name Honeysuckle, or “two flowers” or “mandarin duck flower.” The entire plant can be used for medicinal purposes, earning it the nickname “little fairy of the pharmacy,” but the flower buds are particularly valued for their heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, thus being referred to as a “sacred medicine.” In summer, brewing its flower buds into tea provides a cooling effect, making it an excellent remedy for summer heat.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Honeysuckle is sweet, cold, and aromatic in nature. It clears heat without harming the stomach and dispels pathogens due to its aromatic properties. It can disperse wind-heat and effectively clear blood toxins, exhibiting functions such as clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing wind-heat, and cooling the blood to stop dysentery. It is used for various febrile diseases, such as fever, rashes, heat toxins, and sore throat, showing significant effects. Li Shizhen emphasized in the “Compendium of Materia Medica” that Honeysuckle excels in treating “swelling toxins, abscesses, scabies, and various malignant sores.” The “Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica” states it “addresses heat toxins and blood dysentery,” while the “Chongqing Hall Essays” mentions it “resolves epidemics.” The formula Yin Qiao San, which features Honeysuckle as a primary ingredient, is an excellent prescription for treating acute infectious diseases. Honeysuckle is also a crucial herb in surgery. The “Essentials of Surgery” records: “Honeysuckle treats abscesses and boils, regardless of their location… all show remarkable efficacy.” It can also be applied to appendicitis, bacterial dysentery, pneumonia, and other conditions. In modern practice, Honeysuckle is often decocted for internal use and combined with local washing to treat boils, abscesses, erysipelas, and purulent sores, all with good therapeutic effects.
Dietary Beverage Recommendations
Honeysuckle and Loquat Drink
Ingredients: 10 grams of fresh Honeysuckle, 4 fresh loquats.
Preparation: Clean the loquats, cut them open, remove the seeds, and mash them. Add the mashed loquats to the Honeysuckle and steep in boiling water, drinking it as tea frequently.
Effects: It has the effect of dispelling wind and heat, and alleviating itching, suitable for skin itching due to wind-heat and blood-heat.
Honeysuckle and Olive Tea
Ingredients: 10 grams of Honeysuckle, 5 grams of mint, 5 olives.
Preparation: Boil Honeysuckle and olives in 600 milliliters of water, then add mint and simmer for 5 minutes before straining and drinking.
Effects: Suitable for colds accompanied by sore throat, redness, inflammation, and pain. Honeysuckle has antiviral properties; olives relieve pain; mint disperses wind, clears heat, and reduces inflammation. Both Honeysuckle and mint are cooling herbs; those with a cold constitution may experience diarrhea after drinking, in which case they should stop using it.
Honeysuckle Porridge:
Ingredients: 20 grams of Honeysuckle, 100 grams of japonica rice.
Preparation: Take 20 grams of Honeysuckle, boil it in water, and strain the juice. When the 100 grams of japonica rice is half-cooked, add the Honeysuckle juice and continue cooking until it becomes porridge.
Effects: Suitable for middle-aged and elderly patients with wind-heat colds, chronic bronchitis, bacterial dysentery, and intestinal infections.
Product Information
[Standards] 2020 Edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia[Properties and Channels] Sweet, cold. Enters the Lung, Heart, and Stomach meridians.[Functions and Indications] Clears heat and detoxifies, disperses wind-heat. Used for abscesses, sore throat, erysipelas, heat toxin blood dysentery, wind-heat colds, and febrile diseases.[Specifications] 6g/bag[Shelf Life] Three years[Dosage] 6-15g.[Storage] Keep in a cool, dry place, protect from moisture and pests.
[Manufacturer] Hebei Shangchi Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd.
[Address] 868 Dong’an Jiao Highway, Donghe Village, Anguo City, Baoding, Hebei Province
[Sales Phone] 13241025193/13910533459 Manager Chi
[Content Source] China Traditional Chinese Medicine Network