HoneySuchle Flowers P.E.

Pharmacology function:1.Affection by exopathogenic wind -heat or epidemic febrile diseases at the early stage, manifested as fever and slight aversion to wind and cold. It is often used with forsythia fruit and peppermint, as in Powder of Lonicera and Forsythia (Yin Qiao San). 2. Invasion of the qi system by pathogenic heat marked by high fever, dire thirst and full pulse. It is often used with gypsum and anemarrhena rhizome. 3. Sores, car- buncles, furuncles and swelling. It is a very important herb for external diseases, usually used in combination with dandelion and viola herb, as in Antiphlogistic Decoc- tion of Five Herbs. (Wuwei Xiaodu Yin). 4. Honeysuckle is edible and medicinal. High in Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium, the leaves can be parboiled and eaten as a vegetable. The edible buds and flowers, made into a syrup or puddings. 5. The entire plant has been used as an alternative medicine for thousands of years in Asia. The active constituents include calcium, elaidic-acid, hcn, inositol, linoleic-acid, lonicerin, luteolin, magnesium, myristic-acid, potassium, tannin, and zink. 6. Honeysuckle is particularly good for upper respiratory tract infections. The stems and flowers are used together in infusion or decoction. 7. The stems are used internally in the treatment of acute rheumatoid arthritis, mumps and hepatitis. 8. Honeysuckle is alterative, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, diuretic, febrifuge, and is also used to reduce blood pressure. 9. Polyphenolic compounds isolated from Lonicera japonica inhibit human platelet activation and provide protection from cellular injury, and thus help maintain human vascular homeostasis. 10. Experimentally, the flower extracts have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and are antibacterial, antiviral and tuberculostatic.