Honeysuckle flower
Lonicera japonica · 金银花
Herbs & Roots. Chinese Medicine.
Also called Jin yin hua, Japanese honeysuckle, Gold and silver flower, Lonicera flower
Pinyin: Jīn yín huā
Spanish: Madreselva
The flower buds of a climbing vine, used in Chinese medicine for fevers, sore throats and skin sores.
Did you know? Honeysuckle flowers open white and turn yellow as they age, so one vine carries both colors, which is why the Chinese name jin yin hua means 'gold and silver flower'.
What it may help, and how strong the proof is
- Sore throat & cough. Used in tradition for sore throat with colds. Small Chinese studies of combined formulas exist, but single-herb trials are lacking.Traditional proof
- Infections. Lab studies show activity against some bacteria and viruses. Human trials are lacking.Traditional proof
- Inflammation. Lab and animal studies show anti-inflammatory activity. Human data are lacking.Traditional proof
Parts of the body
Traditional use
Traditional Chinese Medicine has used honeysuckle flower for fever, sore throat and skin boils for centuries. It is a main herb in cold and flu formulas such as Yin Qiao San (Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder).
How it is classified
- Herbal actions
- Antimicrobial, Antiviral, Anti-inflammatory. Energy: cooling.
- Chinese medicine
- 金银花 Clear heat. Nature: cold. Flavour: sweet. Enters the Lung, Heart and Stomach channels.
How people take it
A tea uses a few grams of dried buds. Traditional decoctions use 6 to 15 grams. Most studies test combined formulas, so single-herb doses are not well set.
Tea, decoction, capsule and tincture.
Where to get it
A vine native to East Asia, grown in China, Japan and Korea, and widely naturalized in North America. Flower buds are picked before they open, then dried. Sold as dried buds, tea, capsules and tinctures.
Be careful
Generally safe in food-like amounts. Rare allergic reactions occur, with rash or itching, and people who react to honeysuckle plants should avoid it. Pregnancy use is not well studied.
Avoid if: pregnancy; honeysuckle allergy.
Mixing with other things
- Works well together
Yin Qiao San (Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder) pairs them for early wind-heat colds and sore throat.
- Works well together
Also in Yin Qiao San, where mint helps release the outer layer of the body.
- Works well together
Also in Yin Qiao San, where platycodon eases cough and sore throat.
- Works well together
Often combined with honeysuckle for sore throat and fever in Chinese practice. No trial has tested these pairings.
- Works well together
Often combined with honeysuckle in heat-clearing formulas for lung and throat infections.
Found in these formulas
Honeysuckle & Forsythia (TCM)
The honest take
Honeysuckle flower is a gentle, widely used herb in Chinese cold and throat formulas. Most of its modern evidence is from lab studies and small trials of combined formulas. Good trials of honeysuckle alone are lacking, so claims that it prevents colds are not proven.