This product is the stem and leaf of the honeysuckle flower (Lonicera japonica Thunb.), a dicotyledonous medicinal plant of the honeysuckle flower family. It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Guangxi, Hunan, and other regions. Additionally, it is also produced in Anhui, Gansu, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Shanxi, Yunnan, Liaoning, Hebei, and other areas.

bubble_chart Morphological Characteristics

The dried stem is slender and cylindrical, with a diameter of 1.5 to 6 millimeters. The surface is dark red or grayish-brown, covered with fine soft hairs, especially on young branches. The bark is easily peeled off, often tearing into fibrous strands. The stem often bears oval, greenish-yellow leaves, mostly fragmented and incomplete. The texture is hard and brittle, with a grayish-white or yellowish-white cross-section and a hollow central pith. The odor is faint, and the taste is mild. The best quality stems are those with a jujube-red outer skin, tender texture, and attached leaves.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet, cold.

1. Bielu: "sweet, warm, nontoxic."
2. Yaoxing Lun: "acrid."
3. Bencao Shiyi: "Slightly cold."
4. Bencao Zaixin: "Sweet and bitter, slightly cold."

1. "Act on heart and lung channels."
2. Bencao Zaixin: "Act on heart and lung channels."

bubble_chart Efficacy

Clearing heat, removing toxins, and promoting circulation.

bubble_chart Indications

Warm disease fever, heat toxin dysentery, infectious hepatitis, abscesses and sores, bone and muscle pain. Combined with Lonicera, it clears heat and removes toxins, dredges meridians and activates collaterals; combined with Forsythia, it disperses wind and clears heat, ventilates the lung and relieves panting; combined with Mulberry Leaf, it disperses wind and clears heat, ventilates the lung and relieves panting; combined with Peony Root, it clears heat and promotes blood circulation.

1. Bencao Gangmu: The stems, leaves, and flowers of honeysuckle have similar effects. In the past, it was considered a crucial remedy for treating wind, relieving bloating, and curing dysentery, but later generations no longer knew its use. Later generations regarded it as a key medicine for reducing swelling, dispersing toxins, and treating sores, which the ancients did not mention. This shows that the principles of ancient and modern times are ever-changing and cannot be uniformly discussed. According to Chen Zi-ming's Waike Jingyao, honeysuckle flower wine treats Yongju back gangrene. It should be taken at the onset, and its effects are remarkably effective, surpassing those of red internal dispersants. The formulas recorded by Hong Mai and Shen Kuo are very detailed.
2. "True Transmission of Medicine": Whenever I use Lonicera, people are often surprised, asking what good it is if not for sores and ulcers. The vine of Lonicera is a medicine that promotes the flow of Jingmai. By promoting Jingmai and regulating qi and blood, what ailment would it not be suitable for? Must it only be used for sores and ulcers?
3. Bencaozheng Yi: Honeysuckle flower, Bielu describes it as sweet and warm, but in reality, its main effects are best seen in clearing heat and removing toxins, and it should not be considered warm. Therefore, Chen Cang-qi calls it Slight Cold (23rd solar term) and clearly states it is not warm; Zhen Quan describes its taste as pungent, as only pungency can disperse, which is why it is used to relieve heat toxins, and this is a reasonable assertion. Nowadays, people mostly use its flowers, but in fact, the flowers are light and their strength is very weak, not as potent as the stems and vines which have a strong aroma and taste. The ancients only referred to honeysuckle flower, not specifying the flowers, implying that the flowers were not used medicinally, which can be inferred from the context. Looking at the formulas attached to Gangmu, most still use the vines and leaves, which is clear evidence. Bielu mentions treating cold and heat body swelling, which also refers to cold and heat sores and ulcers, consistent with Chen Zi-ming's Waike Jingyao's honeysuckle flower wine and honeysuckle flower pills, and it is not a general remedy for all swellings. Zhen Quan's claim that it treats abdominal distension and fullness may be a misunderstanding; although its pungent taste can disperse, its nature is cold and cool, and it is certainly not a general remedy for bloating. Zhen Quan also claims it can stop qi and dysentery, which refers to heat toxins accumulating in the intestines causing food retention and diarrhea, and it can clear this, similar to Chen Cang-qi's claim that it treats heat toxin bloody dysentery. Chen Cang-qi also mentions treating water dysentery, which refers to watery diarrhea due to heat dysentery, but it is not suitable for diarrhea due to spleen and kidney deficiency. Li Shizhen claims it treats various swellings and toxins, Yongju scabies and ringworm, and Chinese wax myrtle bark sores, dispersing heat and removing toxins. Nowadays, people mostly use its flowers, but Shouyi has stated that the vines and leaves are more potent, and not only are decoctions necessary, but external use in washing is also very effective. It is available everywhere and inexhaustible, truly a good medicine that is simple, convenient, and cheap.
4. Mingyi Bielu: Treats cold and heat body swelling.
5. Tao Hong-jing: Boil the juice to make wine, tonify deficiency and treat wind.
6. Yaoxing Lun: Treats abdominal distension and fullness, can stop qi and dysentery.
7. Bencao Shiyi: Treats heat toxin bloody dysentery and water dysentery.
8. "Lü Chan Yan Materia Medica": Treats bone and muscle pain.
9. Diannan Bencao: Broadens the middle and lowers qi, disperses phlegm, dispels wind and heat, clears throat heat and pain.
10. Bencao Gangmu: Treats all wind-dampness qi and various swellings and toxins, Yongju scabies and ringworm, Chinese wax myrtle bark sores, disperses heat and removes toxins.
11. Bencao Zaixin: Treats heart deficiency and excessive fire, tonifies qi and broadens the middle, cough, and sores and ulcers.
12. "Nanjing Folk Herbal Medicine": Stems, leaves, and flowers are effective for eye inflammation.
13. "Guizhou Folk Medicine Collection": Leaves: External application treats knife wounds.
14. Guangzhou Military "Common Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual": Treats dampness-heat leg pain.

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bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use: decoct in water, 0.3 to 1 liang; take in pills, powder, or soak in wine. For external use: boil in water for fumigation and washing, make into a paste for application, or grind into powder for topical application.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Deficiency-cold of spleen and stomach, contraindicated in cases of persistent diarrhea.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

1. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects: The luteolin contained in this product can inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus and Bacillus subtilis at a concentration of 1:350,000. It also has inhibitory effects on bacteria such as catarrh, Candida albicans, cold-damage disease, dysentery, and Proteus. A 50% decoction of the aerial parts of honeysuckle flower, using the plate trench method, inhibits cold-damage disease bacillus, Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; a 50% fresh juice of the stems and leaves inhibits cold-damage disease bacillus, Shigella flexneri, and Staphylococcus aureus, but is weaker than the dried aerial parts. It also has a strong anti-infective effect in vivo. It has a strong inhibitory effect on the H.Su-is virus. At a dose of 20mg/kg×7d, it can significantly inhibit the inflammatory process caused by wool ball implantation in rats.
2. Effects on the cardiovascular system: Luteolin at a concentration of 5×10 can reduce the diastolic amplitude of isolated frog hearts, with a grade I reduction in systolic amplitude, slowing of the heart rate, and a decrease in output. At a concentration of 2×10, it can increase the systolic and diastolic amplitudes of isolated guinea pig hearts, accelerate the heart rate, but has no direct effect on coronary stirred pulse and blood volume. In the cardiopulmonary apparatus of dogs, 5-10mg of luteolin can increase the stirred pulse pressure and reduce venous pressure, 10mg can reduce blood flow in the hind limbs of rats (33%), and 5～15mg can increase blood pressure in cats and dogs by 12～30%. These effects cannot be blocked by α-adrenergic blockers. Subcutaneous injection of 0.5g/kg in rats enhances capillary function. It has a cholesterol-lowering effect in rabbits with experimental stirred pulse atherosclerosis.
3. Antispasmodic effect: Luteolin has an antispasmodic effect on the isolated small intestine of rabbits, and on the tracheal smooth muscle and ileum of guinea pigs.
4. Other effects: Using the phenol red method in mice and the capillary method in rats, luteolin has a good dispelling phlegm effect. Luteolin inhibits the growth of NK/Ly ascites cancer cells in vitro.

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bubble_chart Modern Application

1. Treatment of infectious hepatitis: Take 2 taels of Honeysuckle Stem, add 1000 ml of water, decoct until 400 ml, and take in the morning and evening. 15 days is a course of treatment, with an interval of 1 to 3 days between courses. 22 cases were treated, among which symptoms basically disappeared and liver function returned to normal in 12 cases; symptoms and signs partially disappeared or significantly improved, and liver function significantly improved in 6 cases; symptoms and signs showed no significant change in 4 cases.
2. Treatment of bacterial dysentery and enteritis: Chop 100 grams of Honeysuckle Stem, place it in a clay pot, add 200 ml of water, let it sit for 12 hours, then decoct over mild fire for 3 hours, add an appropriate amount of distilled water to make 100 ml, and filter. Take 1.6 to 2.4 ml per kilogram of body weight daily, adjusting according to the severity of the condition. Generally, start with 20 ml every 4 hours; after symptoms improve, change to 20 ml four times a day, until diarrhea stops for 2 days. 60 cases of bacterial dysentery and 90 cases of enteritis were treated, except for 4 cases who stopped taking the medicine after 1 to 2 days, the remaining 146 cases achieved good results. The average time for symptoms to disappear was: abdominal pain 3 days, fever subsided 2 days, tenesmus 2.5 days, diarrhea stopped 2 days, and stool formed 4.4 days. No adverse reactions were observed. Another method used 1.5 taels of Honeysuckle Stem, decocted and taken twice daily, while 5 qian of Honeysuckle Stem was decocted for retention enema once daily. 7 days is a course of treatment. 167 cases of acute bacterial dysentery were treated, with 131 cases (78.44%) cured after one course, and 36 cases ineffective. After medication, fever subsided on average in 2 days, stool frequency, consistency, and microscopic examination returned to normal on average in 5.6, 4.5, and 4.9 days respectively, bacterial culture turned negative mostly around 3 days, and intestinal lesions examined by colonoscopy had a negative conversion rate within 10 days: non-ulcer type 84.6%, ulcer type 80%. 80 cases of chronic bacterial dysentery were treated, with a cure rate of 73.9% after one course. Fever cases subsided on average in 1.5 days, stool frequency, consistency, and microscopic examination returned to normal on average in 5.5 and 4.6 days, bacterial culture turned negative on average in 3.7 days; colonoscopy: 24 cases of non-ulcer type all returned to normal, 38 cases of ulcer type healed within 10 days accounted for 84.2%.
3. Decocting 4 taels of Honeysuckle Stem, or combining with other drugs based on pattern identification, also has a certain effect in treating appendicitis.