Jin Yin Hua - 金银花 - Flos Lonicerae - Honeysuckle Flower
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Flos Lonicerae |
| Common English: | Honeysuckle Flower Lonicera Woodbine |
Category
Herbs that Clean Heat and Purge Fire: Herbs that Clear Heat and Resolve Toxicity; Target Warm and Heat DiseaseProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Sweet (Astringent) | Cold | Large Intestine Lung Stomach (Heart) | 6-20g (smaller doses for Wind-Heat, larger doses for Heat toxin, sores and abscess) May use up to 60g in severe cases Tincture: 2-5 ml |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears Heat and resolves Fire toxicity | Hot, painful sores and skin eruptions in various stages of development, especially breast, throat and eyes, infections, herpes simplex Abscesses, Boils, Carbuncles, Chuang Yung, Intestinal abscesses, Pimples |
Vents and disperses External Wind-Heat | Early-Stage Wind-Heat Warm-Heat pathogen with fever, chills, slight aversion to Wind, sore throat and headache External Summerheat |
Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao | Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with dysentery or Lin Syndrome |
| Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (charred) | Blood Heat dysentery |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Fr. Forsythiae | Fr. Forsythiae | Fr. Forsythiae |
Various Heat disorders. (Exterior, Interior Qi, Blood) | External Wind-Heat. | Summer Heat fever without sweating. |
| Fr. Forsythiae | Fr. Forsythiae | Fr. Forsythiae |
Unremitting high fever. | Purpuric rash caused by Heat toxin in epidemic disease. | Vents Heat to the Qi Level from the Ying Level. |
| Fr. Forsythiae | Fr. Forsythiae | Rx. Glycyrrhizae |
Pain and swelling of the throat. | Wei Stage and Qi Stage Heat. Pneumonia with Heat signs. | Toxic swellings and sores. |
Rx. Glycyrrhizae | Hb. Taraxaci | Rx. Scutellariae |
Sloughing ulcers from Heat toxicity. | Sores, lesions carbuncles, ulceration of the skin and furuncles. | Suppurating boils that have not ulcerated, or have ulcerated but are not discharging pus. |
Rx. Scutellariae | Flos Chrysanthemi | Rx. Pulsatillae |
Bloody diarrhea and dysentery. | Summerheat. | Bloody dysenteric disorder. |
Rx. Pulsatillae | Rx. Sanguisorbae | Gypsum |
Toxic Heat diarrhea. | Bleeding Intestinal abscess or bleeding dysenteric disorder due to Damp-Warm febrile disease. | Qi Stage Heat. |
Cx. Moutan | Hb. Taraxaci | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Ying Stage and Xue Stage Heat. | Boils, carbuncles and furuncles. | Reduces obstruction and toxicity for swollen, painful sores and necrosis of surrounding tissue. |
Gypsum Fibrosum | Rx. Rehmanniae | Fr. Forsythiae |
Bronchitis with Heat signs. | Ying level Heat with insomnia, irritability, skin blotches, dry mouth with a dark-purplish tongue. | Throat soreness and swelling. |
Rx. Scutellariae | Rx. Scrophulariae | Sugar |
Intestinal abscess. | Suppurative inflammation of the legs. | Diarrhea with mucus but no Blood. |
Brown Sugar | Rx. Scutellariae | |
Diarrhea with Blood. | Diarrhea or dysentery with mucus due to Damp-Heat and toxins. |
Notes
- Avoid storing it in iron.
- In summer it is prepared as a sweet tea and drunk to guard against the effects of Heat.
- It is particularly suitable when fever, inflammation and purulence (Fire toxin) predominate.
- Indications include severe summer fever in children, fulminant and violent diseases of unknown origin, pyogenic infection, rheumatism, carbuncle, cellulitis, tinea, malignant boils, syphilitic skin lesions and poisoning.
- Research shows that this herb inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
- It is useful for diseases caused by pathogenic Wind, including abdominal fullness with diarrhea and swelling.
- To treat carbuncles and cellulitis, take a decoction made from 250g Jin Yin Hua and 60g Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui.
- In the past, European herbalists squeezed out the juice to treat snakebites.
- Though this is not usually stressed, the herb also tonifies Deficiency, enriches the Blood and relieves thirst.
- In addition, it resolves toxicity and expels pus.
- It is applicable at every stage of a Warm pathogen, from superficial to deep (Wei Stage to Xue Stage).
- Where toxin has not yet formed, it can disperse it; where toxin has already formed, it can perforate it.
- In traditional use, this herb also tonifies Deficiency, enriches the Blood and relieves thirst.
- It inhibits ascites carcinoma.
- Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua and Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao are both cooling and relieve toxicity, and each guides Heat to the surface while cooling the Interior. Lian Qiao cools Heart Fire, disperses stagnant Qi at the Blood level, treats Lin syndrome and acts against shigella and staphylococcus, whereas Jin Yin Hua disperses surface Heat, is sweet and cold and therefore less harmful to the Stomach, and acts against salmonella and streptococcus.
- Charred Honeysuckle Flower Jin Yin Hua Tan enters the Blood Level, where it cools Heat, resolves toxicity, cools the Blood and relieves dysenteric disorders; it treats Heat toxin that has accumulated in the Intestines, damaged the Blood collaterals and produced dysenteric disorders with hemafecia. It is also used for irregular uterine bleeding.
- Honeysuckle Flower Dew Jin Yin Hua Lu cools Summerheat yet stays gentle on the Stomach. It is excellent for Heat rash and toxic sores in children.
- Honeysuckle Leaves Jin Yin Hua Ye are weaker and are used when flowers are scarce.
- Honeysuckle Fruit Jin Yin Hua Zi cools, resolves toxicity and relieves dysenteric disorders. It is used for toxic sores and for residual Heat in the later stages of measles. (Some consider the fruit toxic).
- Breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease have shown a good response to this herb.
- The vine, Ren Dong Teng, acts more mildly than Jin Yin Hua.
- Ren Dong Teng also soothes the sinews.