Source Honeysuckle Flower is the dried flower bud or opening flower of Lonicera japonica Thunb., Lonicera hypoglauca Miq., Lonicera confusa DC or Lonicera dasystyla Rehd. (Fam. Caprifoliaceae).
Producing Areas Henan and Shandong, etc.
Properties Sweet, Cold
Channels Liver, Lung, Stomach
Action
•Clears heat and reduces toxins
For fever and any type of hot boils, sores, or swellings, especially in the breasts, eyes, and throat.
•Expels pathogenic wind-heat
For common cold with fever, sore throat and headache, also used in treating summer heat.
•Expels damp-heat in the lower jiao
For diarrhoea, dysentery, intestinal abscesses, or painful urination.
Usage and Dosage
The crude, 9 – 30g, is for the early stages of epidemic febrile diseases.
The stir-baked, 10 – 20g, is for heat of seasonal diseases in qifen and yingfen.
The carbonised, 10 – 15g, is for bloody dysentery or purulent hematochezia.
9 – 30g is used in decoction for oral use.
Suitable amount of the pounded is used externally.
Notes Use with caution in the case with asthenic cold of the spleen and stomach or pyocutaneous diseases of yin type.
Professional Advice
The flower of Hongxian Rendong (Lonicera hypoglauca Miq): Externally yellowish white to yellowish brown, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
The flower of Shanyinhua (Lonicera confusa DC.): The calyx tube and corolla are densely covered with greyish white hair.
The flower of Maohuazhu Rendong (Lonicera dasystyla Rehd): Externally pale purplish yellow, glabrous. The lower part of the style is densely covered with long pubescences.
Storage
Keep in a dry place.
Protect from mould and moths.
Description of Quality Herb
The good one is yellowish-green, soft, with many buds and a delicate fragrance.