The efficacy and function of horse honeysuckle

Honeysuckle is a medicinal material that can treat many diseases. If consumed scientifically and healthily, it can bring great benefits to our physical health and disease treatment. Now let’s take a closer look at the effects and edible methods of Ma Yinhua.

[Source] Medicinal material source: The root of the plant Malvaceae of the family Rhododendron chinense.

【Original form】 Evergreen shrub, 1-4cm high. Much branched, young branches sparsely with short-stalked glandular hairs and pubescence. Simple leaves are alternate; petioles are 5-8mm long and pubescent; leaf blades are thinly leathery, ovate to broadly ovate, 3-5cm long, 1.8-2.5cm wide, with acute or obtuse apex and short pointed tip, nearly cuneate base, dark green and shiny on the surface, pale green on the back, with short hairs only on the midrib on both sides. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils at the top of the branches, with slender pedicels, 1-1.5cm long; the calyx is large, membranous, 5-lobed, the lobes are ovate or broadly ovate, about 5mm long, and the outside of the calyx tube has white powder or glandular hairs; the corolla is white-purple or lavender, with pink spots, 5 deeply lobed, the lobes are glabrous on the outside, and the inside of the tube is pubescent; there are 5 stamens, 1.5-2cm long, and the base of the filaments is pubescent; the ovary is oval, with short glandular hairs, and the style is 2-2.2cm long, slightly longer than the stamens, and extending out of the corolla. The capsule is broadly ovate, 8 mm long, and surrounded by an enlarged calyx at the base. The flowering period is March-April, and the fruiting period is August-September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: grows in sparse woods or on the edge of dense forests.

【Chemical composition】 The leaves contain quercetin, myricetin, gossypol and dihydroquercetin.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; neutral; toxic

【Functions and indications】 Clears away dampness and heat; relieves sore toxins. Mainly used for damp-heat in the lower part of the body; carbuncle; furuncle

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 1.5-3g. For external use: take appropriate amount and wash with decoction.

[Discussions by various scholars] "Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica": The roots are poisonous. It has the functions of clearing heat and removing dampness. Used in humid tropical areas. Add appropriate amount of camphor tree to the root, decoct in water and use for external washing to treat carbuncle.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Above we introduced what Ma Yinhua is, and we also learned about the effects and functions of the traditional Chinese medicine Ma Yinhua. We know that the effects of Ma Yinhua are very powerful, and everyone can eat some Ma Yinhua for health preservation.