The efficacy and function of honeysuckle

Honeysuckle is a common Chinese medicinal material with great health-care effects. It also has certain effects on some diseases. We need to choose according to our own needs. Many people in life don’t know much about Honeysuckle. Let’s analyze it below.

【English name】 flower of Amur Honeysuckle

[Other names] Honeysuckle, tree honeysuckle, wood honeysuckle, honeysuckle vine, king bone, melaleuca, chicken bone, northern honeysuckle

[Source] Medicinal material source: the stems, leaves and flowers of the honeysuckle plant of the Caprifoliaceae family.

[Original form] Honeysuckle is a deciduous shrub, up to 6m tall. The stem diameter is up to 10cm; the bark is grayish white to grayish brown, with irregular longitudinal cracks; the twigs are hollow and slightly pubescent. Simple leaves are opposite; petiole is 3-5mm long, with glandular hairs and soft hairs; leaves are papery, blade is ovate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 5-8cm long, 2.5-4cm wide, apex is long and acuminate, base is broadly cuneate, margin is entire, and veins on both sides are hairy. The flowers are fragrant and axillary; the peduncle is 1-2mm long and has glandular hairs; the bracts are linear, 3-6mm long; the bracteoles are fused into pairs; the calyx is bell-shaped, the calyx margin is 2-3mm long, and has teeth that split to the middle; the corolla is white at first and then yellow, up to 2cm long, and the corolla tube is about 1/2 the length of the lip; the stamens and style are shorter than the corolla. The berries are dark red, spherical, and 5-6 mm in diameter. Seeds are oval, about 2 mm long, with fine pits. The flowering period is from May to June, and the fruiting period is from July to September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing under forests, on forest edges, on hillsides and on roadsides at an altitude of 1300-2800m.

[Chemical composition] The leaves contain flavonoids: hex-ahydroxyament of lavone, 5,7,4-trihydrox-yflavone, naringenin, mono-O-methylament of lavone, mono-O-methylament of lavone, di-O-methyla-ment of lavone, tri-O-methylamento-flavone [1]

[Pharmacological action] 1. Antibacterial effect Honeysuckle leaves have a significant antibacterial effect against Proteus, with an antibacterial potency of more than 1:256. In addition, they also have a strong antibacterial effect against three types of Mycobacterium, with a potency similar to that of Coptis chinensis [1]. The flower of this plant (northern honeysuckle) also has a strong antibacterial effect. Its inhibitory effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, four types of Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi and Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aureus, type A and type B hemolytic Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Sarcina is similar to that of authentic honeysuckle [2].

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet; Light; Cold

【Functions and indications】Dispel wind; clear away heat; detoxify. It is used to treat colds, coughs, sore throats, red and swollen eyes, lung abscesses, breast abscesses, and eczema.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 9-15g. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash it for application; or boil it in water for washing.

[Discussions by various scholars] "Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica": Flower buds: sweet in taste, cold in nature. It has the function of clearing away heat and detoxifying.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above article analyzes some of the effects of honeysuckle. In our daily life, we can eat honeysuckle in moderation according to our own situation, which will greatly help improve our body functions.