Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua) and Forsythia (Lian Qiao) in Chinese Medicine

Jin Yin Hua (honeysuckle flower) and Lian Qiao (forsythia fruit) are two of the most often paired herbs in Chinese medicine. Their best-known partnership is the formula Yin Qiao San, which has its own page. This page is about the two plants: what they are, how the tradition uses them, and how much research exists. It is information only and gives no preparation or dosing steps.

Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua)

Jin Yin Hua is the flower of Lonicera japonica, also called Japanese honeysuckle or Ren Dong. [1] In traditional use it was taken for what the tradition calls "exopathogenic wind-heat", epidemic febrile diseases, sores, carbuncles and some infectious diseases. [1] "Wind-heat" is a traditional pattern description for a fever-type illness, not a diagnosis; see Cold, heat, dampness and other common TCM terms. The review also notes it has been used as a food, in cosmetics and as an ornamental plant. [1]

A look-alike problem. Two different plants are sold under "honeysuckle flower" names. Lonicerae japonicae flos and Lonicerae flos belong to different genera of the same plant family and look alike, and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2005 edition) lists them under different categories. [2] One comparison found about 337 chemical constituents in the first and 242 in the second, and a different mix of iridoids, flavonoids and chlorogenic acid. [2] The authors of that comparison asked whether the two should be listed separately in the pharmacopoeia. A review of geo-authentic honeysuckle flower (the belief that herbs from traditional growing regions are best) concluded that quality and application are the main research themes and that clinical effectiveness still needs to be evaluated. [3]

Forsythia (Lian Qiao)

Lian Qiao is the fruit of Forsythia suspensa, used in China, Japan and Korea. [4] Traditionally it is used for fever, inflammation, gonorrhea, carbuncle and erysipelas. [4] According to classical Chinese herbal texts and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, it mainly displays heat-clearing and detoxifying effects within prescriptions. [4] It is harvested at two stages: green fruit (Qingqiao) and fully ripe yellow fruit (Laoqiao), both used medicinally and chemically different. [4] The review reports no published toxicity of the fruit, though it mentions slight toxicity of one constituent, forsythiaside, in local publications. [4]

What research shows

1. Laboratory activity

   Preclinical

   Reviews list anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant activity of both plants in cells and animals. [1] [4]

2. A multi-herb throat lozenge

   Insufficient evidence for honeysuckle itself

   In one randomized trial in 103 people with chronic pharyngitis, a lozenge of four plants (including honeysuckle flower, licorice and platycodon) beat a starch placebo for throat symptom scores after 15 days. [5]

3. Honeysuckle or forsythia as single herbs for infections

   Proper evidence not found

   Proper evidence not found: my PubMed search for clinical trials of the plants returned only reviews of the plants and multi-herb products.

4. Colds and flu formulas that contain them

   Evidence is for formulas, not the plants

   See TCM for colds and flu and Yin Qiao San, which address formulas rather than single plants.

Both plants are mostly studied in cells and animals, or inside formulas. A lozenge trial with four herbs cannot show what honeysuckle did. See How to read a TCM study.