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Lonicera japonica- Chinese herbs and natural remedies for your health

Lonicera japonica is a shrub vine of the family Caprifoliaceae native to China, Korea and Japan. The variety chinensis’ whose flower buds and the side of the corolla are purple, is sold in garden centers under the name honeysuckle China.

Lonicera japonica is a species grown as an ornamental in many parts of the world. It is also an important medicinal plant of traditional Chinese medicine that is grown in this capacity in East Asia.

The species japonica word “Japan” is that the first descriptor botanist Thunberg was during a trip he made to Japan in 1775-1776. In the early seventeenth century, Japan had taken a number of measures restricting trade with foreigners. Only the port of Nagasaki remained open to Dutch and Chinese. But Carl Thunberg although a Swedish could go because he enlisted as a doctor on board a Dutch ship. At the end of the eighteenth century, China was leading a more strict policy of closure to foreigners and it was not until the nineteenth century that the first botanists missionaries could travel the country.

In its native region, honeysuckle denominates Jinyinhua 金银花 (or 忍冬 Rendong) in Chinese, or suikazura 吸 い 葛 ス イ カ ズ ラ in Japanese.

Lonicera japonica is a very vigorous vine, able to climb up to 10 meters high, clinging to trees. It may well stifle the masking sheets and blocking photosynthesis. It is an evergreen plant in the southern part of its distribution and semi-evergreen in the north. The stems become hollow with age. Stiff hairs, brown yellow adorn the branches, petioles and stems.

Leaves short-stalked, simple, oval, opposite, measuring 3-8 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The base is rounded to subcordate, the ciliated margin and apex acuminate. Young leaves are hairy.

The white flowers are fragrant turning yellow. Its name in Chinese Jinyinhua morphologically “flower gold-silver” evokes these colors. They are grouped by two. The bracts are similar to the leaves, ovate to elliptic, 1-3 cm long. The calyx tube is tapered and pubescent. The lipped corolla made of 3 to 5 cm. Five exserted stamens surround the style. Flowering occurs from May to September.

The fruit is a globular berry, dark blue when ripe, shiny, 5 to 8 mm in diameter containing numerous brown seeds.

To avoid confusing Lonicera japonica with another honeysuckle, note that the corolla tube is elongated, and the leaves are persistent and not welded to the base.

Lonicera japonica Medicinal use

Medicinal plant

Flos Lonicerae obtained from flowers and flower buds of Lonicera japonica ThunbN. is an herb commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. The flowers and buds are harvested in summer and dried in the shade. Flos Lonicerae can be used alone in the form of alcoholic maceration with licorice (rendongjiu 忍冬 酒 “honeysuckle wine”) or ointment (rendonggao 忍冬 膏) or be combined with several other plants.

Honeysuckle is widely cultivated as a medicinal plant in several parts of China (in the districts of Longhui in Hunan, Fengqiu of Henan, Pingyi and Fei Shandong).

The use of honeysuckle is mentioned in the traditional pharmacopoeia Diannan Bencao “滇南 本草” Materia Medica of southern Yunnan, published by Lan Mao in 1370. It is a series of short aphoristic forms to be times in the following centuries “Taste bitter, cold nature. Wicks heat, reduces abscess … . For example, later the Benjing feng yuan “本 经 逢 原” 1695, says: “Honeysuckle removes toxins, hunting pus drains and strengthens the Centre ‘N 6.15 (the Centre is formed of the spleen and stomach).

Lonicera japonica listed since 1995 in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China. It is a component of over 500 traditional medicinal prescriptions. Pharmacological studies have shown that it had a broad spectrum of activity (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antipyretic etc.).

In terms of traditional Chinese pharmacopoeia contemporaine13 (2008), Flos Lonicerae is characterized by:

– Functions: removes heat and toxins; eliminates heat-wind and summer heat

– Indications: wind-cooled heat; fever, thirst, ENT infections; enteritis, dysentery, skin abscess

During the SARS outbreak that occurred in China in 2003, Chinese specialists have developed a formula based prevention Flos LoniceraeN 8 which received the approval of the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Nutraceuticals: drink, tea

L. japonica is used to make a refreshing drink consumed in China and Korea during heavy summer heat. Next Chinese doctors, this drink which “removes heat” should only be consumed during hot and not by everyone, because of cons-indications.