Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

By: Joel "Wind Fox" Boyle, Certified Herbalist 

    Next time you take a walk around your yard and see a vine overgrowing the fence, check it out and find out what it is before you just go ahead and rip it up.  You never know, you could just have a valuable healer living right under your nose.  Jin Yin Hua - no it's not the name of the latest Kung Fu movie, it's the mandarin name of what we call "Japenese Honeysuckle".  This potent medicine, although often overlooked in this country as an invasive "weed", is used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  In fact, it is one of the main ingredients in Yin Chiao Chiehtupien a common immune boosting formula which was recently "borrowed" to make, a product more of you will probably be familiar with, "Airborne".  This herb is just one of the many examples of how the environmentally conscious herbalist can utilize an invasive "weed" as an effective healer - thereby both keeping its' spreading growth in check and creating a wonderful resource in the process.

    Japanese Honeysuckle can be described as a vigorous semi-evergreen or evergreen twining vine that can grow up to thirty feet long.  The leaves are oval and entire; the flowers are very fragrant - opening white and turning yellow as the fade (hence it's nickname in China of "Gold and Silver Flower").  It blooms from April to July (longer in the South), and is hardy from zones five to nine.  Its' growth can be fairly rampant, and it has been known to easily overtake areas - therefore it is important to keep it in check if you have any "little treasures" nearby.

    Honeysuckle has proven itself (through empirical evidence) effective in the treatment of infections, inflammations, fevers, strep and staph infections, viruses, and other conditions normally requiring the use of an antibiotic.  It also have proven value against salmonella typhi, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and most conditions needing a broad spectrum antimicrobial (for which it is often combined with Forsythia suspensa fruit of seed).  The use of it in China is similar to our use of Echinacea here in America.  Japanese Honeysuckle has also been found useful for sore throat, conjunctivitis ("pink eye"), and inflammations of the intestines, urinary tract and reproductive organs.  Recent studies in China have shown promising effectiveness in treating certain types of cancer, especially breast cancer.

    The energetics of Honeysuckle are sweet, bitter, and cold with the meridians affected being the Lung and the Stomach.  The flowers are primary used in medicine, and they are alterative, antibiotic, diuretic, refrigerant, and diaphoretic.  Luteolin, inositol, and tannins are the central constituents to the medicinal potency of the flowers.  This healer is often utilized as a tea or a tincture.

    It is also worth noting that the Japanese Honeysuckle flowers contain at least a dozen antiviral compounds.  Also bear in mind that the berries are toxic and should therefore be avoided at all costs.  When the flowers are used to treat diarrhea, the Chinese prepare the flower buds by stir-frying them.  In addition, I should mention that in Traditional Chinese Medicine they are thought to clear "fire poisons" and toxins which cause conditions such as boils and dysentery.  This fact was actually first mentioned in the Tang Ben Cao, written in 659 A.D., where it is talked about as being one the most important Chinese herbs for clearing heat and poisons from the body.

    While it is easy to get caught up talking about the medicinal effectiveness of the flowers, we should also not forget that the stems themselves are also quite useful.  Referred to as Ren Dong Teng in mandarin, the tender young stems are usually picked in autumn or winter.  The stems have many of the anti-inflammatory properties of the flowers, but in high dosage (16 to 20 grams) are specifically used to treat arthritic and rheumatic ailments (for which they are usually combined with Mulberry twigs/Sang Zhi and Chaenomeles/Mu Gua).  They also are commonly used in acupuncture to clear heat from the meridians and to stimulate the circulation of Qi (energy).

    Well, I hope you've learned something from this about a plant most people just remember picking flowers from in the summertime for that little drop of honeydew.  This old friend will grow (quite literally) anywhere and everywhere, so don't be surprised if you see some taking over your back yard (but please always remember to have an expert identify any plant beyond the shadow of a doubt before use) - a resource I certainly pray we all start utilizing like we should.  So maybe this will color your view the next time you see an invasive "weed", after all it may just be the "medicine" you or someone you love needs one day.  Peace and Good Health.  Mahalo. 

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