Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua)

Botanical Name: Western – Lonicera periclymenum, L. sempervirens, L. caerulea. Eastern – L. japonica.

Honeysuckle treats asthma and will keep witches from entering your house if you grow it at the entrance to your home. The Chinese also used it to treat snake bites. It is excellent for treating headaches, skin sores, and acute infectious diseases.

Watch a short video, from Ann Christensen, Founder and Creator of White Rabbit Institute of Healing™ – Honeysuckle’s Amazing Antibacterial Properties…

Below is an overview of honeysuckle, combining the best of Western Science, Oriental Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Shamanism, Folklore, and a wide range of healing modalities. Gain a balanced and thorough understanding of the healing properties of honeysuckle.

Parts Most Frequently Used: Stem, Flower, Seed, Leaf, Berry

Flavors/Temps: Sweet, Cold

Caution: The flowers, stems, leaves, and nectar are considered safe. Do not use honeysuckle for chronic diarrhea caused by cancer treatment. The berries of Lonicera periclymenum and L. japonica are safe to eat. Do not eat the berries of the red honeysuckle (L. sempervirens) they are toxic. Overly large doses of honeysuckle can cause adverse effects such as dehydration and a feeling of sickness.

Key Constituents: Chlorogenic acids, Luteolin, Quercetin, Inositol, Tannins, Flavonoids, Essential Oils

History/Folklore: The Chinese use honeysuckle to treat a wide range of acute infectious diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems. They also use it for treating snakebites. In Western traditions honeysuckle is associated with love, because of the twining fragrant flowers wrapping around each other. The fragrance is said to induce dreams of passion and love. It is said that if a honeysuckle blossom is brought into the home there will be a wedding within the year.

Be careful not to confuse honeysuckle with other plants known as woodbine, such as American ivy (genus Hedera), gelsemium (Gelsemium sempervirens), and Clematis virginiana (genus Clematis). All honeysuckle plants are in the genus Lonicera.

Culpepper says, “I know [no] better cure for asthma than this and it takes away the evil of the spleen.” The flowers and leaves are gathered in the summer just before the flowers open. In Ancient Rome, Pliny recommended honeysuckle with wine for spleen disorders.

Honeysuckle is considered one of the 50 Fundamental Herbs in Chinese herbology. It is listed in the Tang Ben Cao, written in 659 CE, and remains one of the most important herbs in Chinese herbology for Clearing Wind Heat and poisons from the body. An intravenous preparation that includes honeysuckle has been used to safely treat children for up to 7 days.

The berries of honeysuckle (L. periclymenum), Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica), and sweet berry honeysuckle (L. caerulea), are safe to eat. Not all varieties have edible berries. The North American red or coral honeysuckle (L. sempervirens), the dwarf honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera), and Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) are examples of honeysuckle plants with highly toxic berries. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the berries of L. japonica are known for their immune system supporting properties.

The Chinese also dried the flowers and smoked them to help fight respiratory infections, regulate immunity, and stimulate the central nervous system. Treating asthma, coughs, and congested lungs with this approach.

The Aztecs used their varietal to cure dysentery, scabies and reduce menstrual flow.

Honeysuckle stems are the part most commonly used for treating ailments, though the flowers and leaves are also sometimes used for some remedies as well. It is the stem that contains the main active ingredient, chlorogenic acid, that gives the plant its powerful antibacterial properties. Honeysuckle also contains abundant levels of isochlorogenic acid and luteolin that further support this plant’s healing properties.

It was believed in Scotland that if honeysuckle grew around the entrance of a house, witches would be prevented from entering. Bringing the flower into the home was said to bring prosperity and money. It has also been a symbol of fidelity and affection. In Victorian England, young girls were forbidden to bring honeysuckle into their homes for fear it would cause sexually suggestive dreams.

In the language of flowers, honeysuckle was taken to mean love and affection because of the plant’s tendency to cling to trees and lattices. This was felt to reflect the ardor of a weak and confiding woman.

Japanese honeysuckle was brought over to the United States as a decorative plant It was used to prevent erosion, and provide wildlife forage and cover. It is now found in many parts of the U.S., although it cannot survive extremely low temperatures and needs precipitation.

Coral or red honeysuckle (L. sempervirens) is native to the North America. Like the Chinese, Native Americans would dry and smoke the flowers to treat asthma. They would also chew the leaves and apply them to bee stings. The leaves were also used to make a tea for treating coughs and sore throats.