✵The article records the herb Honeysuckle Flower—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical sources as defined in classical herbal works, including the primary species (1) Lonicera japonica Thunb., and three additional approved sources: (2) Lonicera hypoglauca Miq., (3) Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC., and (4) Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these four species, as well as the macroscopic characteristics of the herb Honeysuckle Flower, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Flos Lonicerae (Honeysuckle Flower)
Pinyin Name: Jīn Yín Huā
English Name: Honeysuckle Flower
Latin Name:Flos Lonicerae Properties and Flavor: Cold, sweet
Brief Introduction:Flos Lonicerae is the dried flower bud of Lonicera japonica Thunb., Lonicera hypoglauca Miq., Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC., or Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng. It is used to clear heat, resolve toxins, and disperse wind-heat. It is indicated for: (1) boils, sores, and abscesses; (2) wind-heat exterior syndromes and early-stage warm diseases; and (3) toxic-heat dysentery. It is commonly known as Flos Lonicerae, Honeysuckle Flower, or Jīn Yín Huā.
Botanical Source:Flos Lonicerae (Honeysuckle Flower) is the dried flower bud of Lonicera japonica Thunb.—the species designated as the principal source in classical herbal texts. Three additional botanically distinct and pharmacopoeially accepted sources are: Lonicera hypoglauca Miq., Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC., and Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng. All belong to the genus Lonicera L., family Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family), order Dipsacales. The four species are described below:
(1) Lonicera japonica Thunb.
Botanical Description:Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a perennial, semi-evergreen, twining woody vine of the Caprifoliaceae family and genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Rěn Dōng. Mature vines reach up to 9 meters in length. Stems are hollow and highly branched; young branches are densely pubescent and covered with glandular hairs. Leaves are opposite; petioles measure 4–10 cm and are densely pubescent; leaf blades are chartaceous (papery), oval, oblong-ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–8 cm long and 1–5.5 cm wide; apex is mucronate, acuminate, or obtuse; base is rounded or subcordate; margins are entire; both surfaces and margins are pubescent.
Flowers grow in pairs and are axillary; the pedicel is densely covered with pubescence and glandular hairs. The peduncle is solitary and usually arises from leaf axils on the upper part of branchlets, equal in length to the petiole or slightly shorter; peduncles arising from the lower part are 2–4 cm long and densely covered with pubescence and glandular hairs. There are two flower bracts, foliate (leaf-like), broad-ovate or elliptic, about 3.5 mm long, pilose or glabrescent; bracteoles are about 1 mm long and covered with short hairs and glandular hairs. The calyx is short and small; the calyx tube is about 2 mm long, glabrous, 5-toothed, with ovate-triangular or lanceolate lobes, acute at the apex; the outer surface and margins are densely hairy. The corolla is labiate, 3–5 cm long; the upper lip is 4-lobed, the corolla tube is slender and elongated, externally covered with short hairs and glandular hairs; the four lobes of the upper lip are obtuse at the apex; the lower lip is strap-shaped and reflexed. Flowers are white at anthesis and turn golden yellow within 2–3 days. There are five stamens, inserted on the inner surface of the corolla near the mouth of the tube and exserted beyond the corolla. There is one pistil; the ovary is inferior, the style is slender and exserted.
Berries are globose, 6–7 mm in diameter, purplish-black at maturity, and glossy. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from June to November.
Ecological Environment: This plant grows in open forests on hillsides or mountain slopes, thickets, villages, roadsides, etc., and is also cultivated.
Growth Characteristics: Lonicera japonica prefers a mild and humid climate with ample sunlight. It is tolerant of cold, drought, and waterlogging. Optimal growth temperatures range from 20–30 °C (68–86 °F). Soil requirements are not strict; it tolerates saline and alkaline conditions. However, for cultivation, fields with deep soil layers and loose, humus-rich soil are preferred.
Characteristics of the Herb: The flower bud is hammer-shaped, thickened at the upper part and tapering toward the base, slightly curved, 1.3–5.5 cm long; the upper part is 2–3 mm in diameter, and the lower part is about 1.5 mm in diameter. The surface is primrose yellow (pale yellow) or yellowish brown; color darkens upon prolonged storage. It is densely covered with coarse hairs or long glandular hairs. The calyx is thin and small, green, with a nearly round calyx tube about 1 mm long and glabrous; the apex is 5-lobed, with ovate-triangular calyx teeth that are pilose. The corolla is tubular, the upper part slightly split into a bilabiate form; occasionally, open flowers are visible. There are five stamens attached to the hypanthium wall, yellow in color; one pistil with a slender, elongated style; the ovary is glabrous. The herb has a faint aroma and tastes sweet and slightly bitter.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Antibacterial effect: In vitro experiments show that the herb inhibits various bacteria, including Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bordetella pertussis, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Diplococcus pneumoniae, and Neisseria meningitidis. (2) Other effects: Lowers blood cholesterol levels.
Medicinal Efficacy: Clears heat and detoxifies; dispels wind-heat. Indicated for carbuncles, furuncles, abscesses, pharyngitis (inflammation of the fauces and pharynx), pyogenic infections, erysipelas, scrofula, hemorrhoids, dysenteric bloody stools, wind-heat-type fever, febrile diseases, and various infectious diseases.
Administration of Flos Lonicerae (Jīn Yín Huā):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Flos Lonicerae (Jīn Yín Huā)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 6–15 grams; (2) Internally: water decoction, 3–5 qián (≈9–15 grams), or prepared as pills or powder. External use: apply an appropriate amount of powdered herb as a poultice. (3) Internally: water decoction, 10–20 grams, or prepared as pills or powder. External use: apply an appropriate amount, mashed and applied topically.
(2) Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC.
Botanical Description:Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC., also known as Lonicera multiflora Champ. (Lonicera multiflora Champ. ex Benth.), Lonicera telfordii Hook. et Arn., and Nintooa confusa Sweet, is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle family) and the genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Hua Nan Ren Dong or "Ren Dong of South China", Da Jin Yin Hua ("Big Honeysuckle Flower"), Shan Jin Yin Hua ("Mountain Honeysuckle Flower"), Tu Yin Hua ("Native Honeysuckle Flower"), and Zuo Zhuan Teng ("Left-Twining Vine"). It is a semi-evergreen vine; young twigs, petioles, peduncles, flower bracts, bracteoles, and hypanthium (calyx tube) are all densely covered with grayish-yellow, curly pubescence and sparsely distributed minute glandular hairs. Branchlets are pale reddish brown or nearly brown. Leaves are chartaceous (papery), oval to ovate-rectangular or broadly elliptic, 3–6 cm long (occasionally up to 7 cm); the apex is acute or slightly obtuse, terminating in a short mucro; the base is rounded, truncate, or cordate; both surfaces bear short, coarse hairs when young, and the upper surface becomes glabrous with age. Petioles are 5–10 mm long.
Flowers are fragrant. Paired flowers are axillary on branchlets or borne laterally on short lateral branches, often aggregated into short racemes of 2–4 nodes, subtended by conspicuous involucral bracts. Peduncles are 2–8 mm long. Flower bracts are lanceolate, 1–2 mm long. Bracteoles are ovate or obovate, ~1 mm long, with obtuse apices and marginal setae (trichomes). The calyx tube is 1.5–2 mm long and covered with short, coarse hairs. Calyx teeth are lanceolate or ovate-triangular, ~1 mm long, densely pubescent externally. The corolla is white, turning yellowish with age, 3.2–5 cm long, bilabiate; the corolla tube is straight or occasionally slightly curved; the outer surface bears more or less appressed anatropous (reversed) rough hairs and long or short glandular hairs; the inner surface is pilose; the lower lip (labellum) is slightly shorter than the calyx tube. Stamens and styles are both exserted beyond the corolla, slightly longer than the labellum; filaments are glabrous.
Fruits are black, ellipsoid or subglobose, 6–10 mm long. Flowering occurs from April to May, with a second flowering period sometimes occurring from September to October; fruits ripen in October.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows on hillsides, mountain slopes, thickets (including holt or mixed woodland), plains, lowland forests (weald), roadsides, and riverbanks.
Characteristics of the Herb: The flower bud is 1.3–5 cm long and 0.5–2 mm in diameter, reddish brown or taupe brown, and covered with appressed anatropous short rough hairs. Calyx teeth and the calyx tube are densely covered with ash-gray (grayish-white) or primrose-yellow (pale yellow) hairs; the ovary is pilose.
(3) Lonicera hypoglauca Miq.
Botanical Description:Lonicera hypoglauca Miq. is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle family) and the genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Gu Xian Ren Dong, Xian Ye Ren Dong, Hong Xian Ren Dong, and Dun Xian Ren Dong. It is a deciduous vine; young branchlets, petioles, midribs on both leaf surfaces, and peduncles are densely covered with fawn-colored (flavotestaceous) pubescence and occasionally bear rough hairs. Leaves are chartaceous (papery), oval to ovate-oblong, 6–9 cm long (up to 11.5 cm); the base is orbicular or cordate; the lower part of the leaf may be pinkish green; leaves are sessile or bear a very short stalk; yellow to orange-red, mushroom-shaped glands are present on the midrib. Petioles are 0.5–1.2 cm long.
Flowers occur in pairs and are solitary, or multiple flowers arise on lateral short branches, or aggregate into racemes at the tips of branchlets. The peduncle is shorter than the petiole—or occasionally longer. Bracts are linear-lanceolate, nearly equal in length to the calyx tube, with rough hairs and marginal setae (trichomes) on the outer surface. Bracteoles are ovoid or obovate, rarely lanceolate-ovate, ~⅓ the length of the calyx tube, with marginal setae (trichomes). The calyx tube is glabrous or pilose; calyx teeth are triangular-lanceolate, ~½–⅔ the length of the calyx tube, with marginal setae (trichomes). The corolla is white, sometimes flushed with pale pink, turning yellow with age, 3.5–4 cm long, bilabiate; the corolla tube is slightly longer than the lower lip; the outer surface is sparsely covered with appressed anatropous minute hairs, often bearing short-stalked or sessile glands. Stamens and the style are slightly exserted; both are glabrous.
Mature fruit is black, subglobose, sometimes pruinose (bearing a whitish bloom), ~7–8 mm in diameter. Flowering occurs from April to May—or occasionally extending into June; fruiting occurs from October to November.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in thickets or open forests at elevations of 200–700 m (locally up to 1,500 m) above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: Flower buds are 1–5 cm long and 0.8–2 mm in diameter, yellowish-brown or brown. The calyx tube is glabrous; the calyx teeth are pilose; the corolla is glabrous externally, or the corolla tube bears a few appressed anatropous (reversed) minute hairs—glandular hairs are absent.
(4) Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng.
Botanical Description:Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle family) and the genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Huang He Mao Ren Dong ("Yellow-Brown-Hairy Ren Dong") or "Yellow-Brown-Haired Honeysuckle". It is a climbing vine; young branchlets, petioles, the abaxial surface of leaves, peduncles, flower bracts, bracteoles, and calyx teeth are all densely covered with spreading or flexuous brown panniculate (felt-like) hairs. Young twigs and both leaf surfaces bear scattered orange-red, short glandular hairs. Winter buds bear four pairs of scales. Leaves are chartaceous (papery), ovate-elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, 3–8 cm long (up to 11 cm); the apex is acuminate; the base is rounded, shallowly cordate, or subtruncate; the adaxial surface is sparsely strigose, with denser hairs along the midrib. Petioles are 5–7 mm long.
Paired flowers are arranged in axillary or terminal short racemes; peduncles are up to 1 cm long. Each peduncle is ~2 mm long and subtended by one pair of small stipules. Bracts are subulate, 5–7 mm long. Bracteoles are obovate to linear-lanceolate, ~½ the length of the calyx tube—or slightly longer. The calyx tube is obovate-elliptic, ~2 mm long, and glabrous; the calyx teeth are linear-lanceolate, 2–3 mm long. The corolla is white at anthesis and turns yellow with age, 3–3.5 cm long, bilabiate; the corolla tube is slightly shorter than the lower lip; the outer surface is sparsely covered with tawny, appressed anatropous hairs and expanded short glandular hairs; the lobes of the upper lip are oblong, ~8 mm long; the lower lip is ~1.8 cm long. Stamens and the style are both exserted beyond the corolla and glabrous; the style is clavate, ~1 mm in diameter. Flowering occurs from June to July.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in thickets or rocky woodland on hillsides at elevations of 850–1,300 m above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: The flower bud is ~3.5 cm long, brown or flavovirens (yellowish-green); the calyx tube is brown or celadon (sage green); the calyx teeth are pilose; and the corolla is covered with tawny, appressed anatropous short rough hairs.
Caulis Lonicerae (Honeysuckle Stem)
Brief Introduction:Caulis Lonicerae is the dried stem and branches of Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae). Its pharmacological actions resemble those of Flos Lonicerae (honeysuckle flower), but it is more frequently used to clear heat from the meridians and collaterals—particularly in the treatment of acute rheumatic arthritis.
✵Caulis Lonicerae (Honeysuckle Stem) is the dried stem and branches of Lonicera japonica Thunb., a species of the genus Lonicera L., family Caprifoliaceae, order Dipsacales.
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References:
1.Introduction of Jin Yin Hua: Honeysuckle Flower.
✵The article records the herb Honeysuckle Flower—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical sources as defined in classical herbal works, including the primary species (1) Lonicera japonica Thunb., and three additional approved sources: (2) Lonicera hypoglauca Miq., (3) Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC., and (4) Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these four species, as well as the macroscopic characteristics of the herb Honeysuckle Flower, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Jīn Yín Huā
Botanical Description: Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a perennial, semi-evergreen, twining woody vine of the Caprifoliaceae family and genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Rěn Dōng. Mature vines reach up to 9 meters in length. Stems are hollow and highly branched; young branches are densely pubescent and covered with glandular hairs. Leaves are opposite; petioles measure 4–10 cm and are densely pubescent; leaf blades are chartaceous (papery), oval, oblong-ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–8 cm long and 1–5.5 cm wide; apex is mucronate, acuminate, or obtuse; base is rounded or subcordate; margins are entire; both surfaces and margins are pubescent.
Flowers grow in pairs and are axillary; the pedicel is densely covered with pubescence and glandular hairs. The peduncle is solitary and usually arises from leaf axils on the upper part of branchlets, equal in length to the petiole or slightly shorter; peduncles arising from the lower part are 2–4 cm long and densely covered with pubescence and glandular hairs. There are two flower bracts, foliate (leaf-like), broad-ovate or elliptic, about 3.5 mm long, pilose or glabrescent; bracteoles are about 1 mm long and covered with short hairs and glandular hairs. The calyx is short and small; the calyx tube is about 2 mm long, glabrous, 5-toothed, with ovate-triangular or lanceolate lobes, acute at the apex; the outer surface and margins are densely hairy. The corolla is labiate, 3–5 cm long; the upper lip is 4-lobed, the corolla tube is slender and elongated, externally covered with short hairs and glandular hairs; the four lobes of the upper lip are obtuse at the apex; the lower lip is strap-shaped and reflexed. Flowers are white at anthesis and turn golden yellow within 2–3 days. There are five stamens, inserted on the inner surface of the corolla near the mouth of the tube and exserted beyond the corolla. There is one pistil; the ovary is inferior, the style is slender and exserted.
Berries are globose, 6–7 mm in diameter, purplish-black at maturity, and glossy. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from June to November.
Characteristics of the Herb: The flower bud is hammer-shaped, thickened at the upper part and tapering toward the base, slightly curved, 1.3–5.5 cm long; the upper part is 2–3 mm in diameter, and the lower part is about 1.5 mm in diameter. The surface is primrose yellow (pale yellow) or yellowish brown; color darkens upon prolonged storage. It is densely covered with coarse hairs or long glandular hairs. The calyx is thin and small, green, with a nearly round calyx tube about 1 mm long and glabrous; the apex is 5-lobed, with ovate-triangular calyx teeth that are pilose. The corolla is tubular, the upper part slightly split into a bilabiate form; occasionally, open flowers are visible. There are five stamens attached to the hypanthium wall, yellow in color; one pistil with a slender, elongated style; the ovary is glabrous. The herb has a faint aroma and tastes sweet and slightly bitter.
Botanical Description: Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC., also known as Lonicera multiflora Champ. (Lonicera multiflora Champ. ex Benth.), Lonicera telfordii Hook. et Arn., and Nintooa confusa Sweet, is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle family) and the genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Hua Nan Ren Dong or "Ren Dong of South China", Da Jin Yin Hua ("Big Honeysuckle Flower"), Shan Jin Yin Hua ("Mountain Honeysuckle Flower"), Tu Yin Hua ("Native Honeysuckle Flower"), and Zuo Zhuan Teng ("Left-Twining Vine"). It is a semi-evergreen vine; young twigs, petioles, peduncles, flower bracts, bracteoles, and hypanthium (calyx tube) are all densely covered with grayish-yellow, curly pubescence and sparsely distributed minute glandular hairs. Branchlets are pale reddish brown or nearly brown. Leaves are chartaceous (papery), oval to ovate-rectangular or broadly elliptic, 3–6 cm long (occasionally up to 7 cm); the apex is acute or slightly obtuse, terminating in a short mucro; the base is rounded, truncate, or cordate; both surfaces bear short, coarse hairs when young, and the upper surface becomes glabrous with age. Petioles are 5–10 mm long.
Botanical Description: Lonicera hypoglauca Miq. is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle family) and the genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Gu Xian Ren Dong, Xian Ye Ren Dong, Hong Xian Ren Dong, and Dun Xian Ren Dong. It is a deciduous vine; young branchlets, petioles, midribs on both leaf surfaces, and peduncles are densely covered with fawn-colored (flavotestaceous) pubescence and occasionally bear rough hairs. Leaves are chartaceous (papery), oval to ovate-oblong, 6–9 cm long (up to 11.5 cm); the base is orbicular or cordate; the lower part of the leaf may be pinkish green; leaves are sessile or bear a very short stalk; yellow to orange-red, mushroom-shaped glands are present on the midrib. Petioles are 0.5–1.2 cm long.
Botanical Description: Lonicera fulvotomentosa Hsu et S. C. Cheng is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family (honeysuckle family) and the genus Lonicera. It is commonly known as Huang He Mao Ren Dong ("Yellow-Brown-Hairy Ren Dong") or "Yellow-Brown-Haired Honeysuckle". It is a climbing vine; young branchlets, petioles, the abaxial surface of leaves, peduncles, flower bracts, bracteoles, and calyx teeth are all densely covered with spreading or flexuous brown panniculate (felt-like) hairs. Young twigs and both leaf surfaces bear scattered orange-red, short glandular hairs. Winter buds bear four pairs of scales. Leaves are chartaceous (papery), ovate-elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, 3–8 cm long (up to 11 cm); the apex is acuminate; the base is rounded, shallowly cordate, or subtruncate; the adaxial surface is sparsely strigose, with denser hairs along the midrib. Petioles are 5–7 mm long.
Brief Introduction: Caulis Lonicerae is the dried stem and branches of Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae). Its pharmacological actions resemble those of Flos Lonicerae (honeysuckle flower), but it is more frequently used to clear heat from the meridians and collaterals—particularly in the treatment of acute rheumatic arthritis.
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