by Bozena Hartley

Created on: April 30, 2010

Honeysuckle (Lonicera) is a perennial shrub or vine native to eastern Asia. Due to its adaptability and invasive nature it has been naturalized in Europe and North America. It also successfully adapted in South America. Honeysuckle is commonly used in landscaping and is praised for its fragrant flowers, as well as medicinal properties. It tolerates various soil and climate conditions and in some regions it is classified as a weed.

There are at least 180 different species of honeysuckle, most of which grow wildly and serve as an important source of food for animals, such as deer, rabbits, or hummingbirds. Some of the species are deciduous while others, evergreen. The most common species of honeysuckle include: Japanese Honeysuckle, also called White or Chinese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), European Honeysuckle or Woodbine (Lonicera periclymenum), and Coral or Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). The one that is frequently used in alternative medicine is Japanese Honeysuckle.

Japanese Honeysuckle is a vine with small leaves and white, extremely fragrant flowers. The whole plant is edible and medicinal. Leaves are rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium and can be steamed and consumed as a vegetable. Stems can be harvested in the fall, dried and stored for later use.

Flowers and flower buds contain calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, luteolin (a flavonoid that may be beneficial as an antioxidant), lonicerin and loganin (compounds that show anti-inflammatory activity comparable to aspirin), linoleic acid (unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid), myristic acid (common saturated fatty acid also found in palm oil, coconut oil and butter fat), inositol (chemical compound found in many foods, such as cereal with high bran content, nuts, beans, and fruit, especially cantaloupes and oranges), etc. They can be eaten fresh, cooked, or used in teas, syrups or extracts. They can also be used as dried herb. For drying, flowers retain most of their nutrients when collected early in the morning.

Honeysuckle has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Throughout all of the Asian countries the plant is known for its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-toxin, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, diuretic, and purifying properties. It is also effective in reducing headache, sore throat, fever and even blood pressure.

An infusion made of stems and flowers is often used in alternative medicine to treat acute rheumatoid arthritis, mumps, hepatitis, or upper respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia. Taken internally, flowers and flower buds are quite effective in calming skin infections, tumors, dysentery, and colds. They can also be used externally to reduce skin inflammation and eliminate sores and rashes caused by bacteria or virus.

Some studies show that honeysuckle flower extract has strong tuberculostatic properties: it can inhibit the growth of the tubercle bacillus, bacteria causing tuberculosis. It also has the ability to lower blood cholesterol level.

Honeysuckle is a very versatile and effective herb. It can be used to treat many different health problems. It can also strengthen the human immune system by detoxifying it and, as a result, prevent some of those problems. The plant is heavily utilized in Chinese medicine and it is one of the staples of alternative medicine in the US.

 

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