Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae)

Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae)

What Is Jin Yin Hua

Jin Yin Hua also known as Flos Lonicerae or Honeysuckle is the flower bud and early flower of Lonicera japonica, L. hypoglauca, L. confuse, or L. dasystyla, which is a semi-evergreen and perennial woody climbing shrub belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family. It is a relatively practical and common Chinese herbal medicine, which first appeared in <Mingyi Bie Lu> around 420-589 AD.

There are about 180 species of Honeysuckle, which are distributed in the temperate and subtropical regions of the northern hemisphere. Among them, about 98 kinds of honeysuckle are distributed in China. Most of the genus are ornamental plants, and only a few of plants have medicinal value.

Lonicera japonica is cold and drought tolerant. It likes a light, warm and humid environment. They can grow well in thick sandy loam soil. They often grow in shrubs, sparse forests, rock piles, or mountain roads below 1,500 meters above sea level. They can be found in China, North Korea, Japan, and North America.

L. hypoglauca is resistant to cold, drought, and waterlogging, and it likes a warm and humid environment. They can grow well in deep and loose humus soil. They often grow in shrubs or sparse forests at an altitude of 200-1,500 meters. They are distributed in Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou in China and Japan.

L. confuse often grow on the slopes or shrubs of hills, and wilderness roads or riversides of plains below 800 meters above sea level. They are distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan in China, northern Vietnam, and Nepal.

L. dasystyla mainly grow in shrubs near the waterside 300 meters above sea level. They can grow well in deep and loose humus soil. They are distributed in Guangdong and Guangxi in China and northern Vietnam.

Lonicera

In the early summer of each year, before honeysuckle blooms, people gather the flower bud and early flower of Lonicera japonica, L. hypoglauca, L. confuse, or L. dasystyla, remove their impurities, dry them in the shade, use them directly, or stir-fry them, and make them into Chinese herbal medicines.

Jin Yin Hua contains chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester, tetrapedicacid B, benzoic acid, ethyl laurate, ethyl caffeate, kaempferol, lonfuranacid A, lonfuranacid B, luteolin, isorhamnetin, linalool, palmitic acid, ursolic acid, guanosine, 5-methyluracil, trans-cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, lonjaponspiroside A, lonjaponspiroside B, demethylsecologanol-7-O-arabinoside, secosesquside, japonicaside E, stigmasterol, daucosterol, syringin, alkaloids, glycosides, amino acids, triterpene saponins, and volatile oils.

Generally, yellow-white Jin Yin Hua with a fragrant smell is preferred.

According to <Compendium of Materia Medica>, the medicinal nature of Jin Yin Hua is relatively cold, with a sweet taste. It has a certain therapeutic effect on the pathological changes of the lung, heart, and stomach meridians.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Jin Yin Hua is often used to clear heat and remove toxins, dispel wind and heat, treat upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, acute pharyngitis, chronic pharyngitis, bacillary dysentery, acute enteritis, chronic prostatitis, vaginitis, acute pyelonephritis, peptic ulcers, recurrent aphtha, periodontitis, urticaria, psoriasis, hyperlipidemia, and leptospirosis.

There are about 200 kinds of Chinese medicine prescriptions containing it, such as Shuang Huang Lian, Yin Qiao San, Lian Qiao Bai Du Pian.

Benefits

  • Anti-inflammation, inhibiting xylene-induced swelling of the mouse ear, and carrageenan-induced swelling of the mouse foot.
  • Anti-oxidation, scavenging DPPH free radicals, hydroxyl free radicals, and superoxide anion free radicals.
  • Inhibiting influenza A virus, herpes simplex virus, Coxsackie virus, orphan virus, and enterovirus 71.
  • Reducing the content of serum total cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Reducing blood sugar in sucrose hyperglycemic rats and alloxan diabetic rats.
  • Increasing the conversion rate of lymphocytes and the phagocytosis rate of macrophages, and improving immunity.
  • Inhibiting platelet aggregation, preventing atherosclerosis and thrombosis.
  • Reducing liver damage induced by dimethylnitrosamine or CCL4 and protecting the liver.
  • Promoting bile secretion, enhancing gallbladder smooth muscle contraction, treating abdominal distension, indigestion, cholecystitis, and poor gallbladder contraction.
  • Clearing heat, relieving local redness and pain, treating sores and carbuncle in the early stage, and deep-rooted boils.
  • Clearing the lungs and draining pus, treating lung abscesses and acute appendicitis.
  • Dispelling wind and heat, relieving fever, headache, sore throat, and thirst caused by wind-heat or warm diseases.
  • Clearing heart heat and stomach heat, alleviating irritability, insomnia, bright red tongue, delirium caused by heat entering nutrient-blood.
  • Relieving fever, thirst, and headache with no sweating caused by febrile diseases in summer.
  • Removing heat toxins and cooling blood, treating dysentery and bloody purulent stool caused by heat toxins.
  • Treating sore throat, infantile boils, prickly heat, and relieving polydipsia caused by summer heat.
  • Inducing the apoptosis of U937 human tissue lymphoma cells, A549 lung cancer cells, and HL-60 cells.
  • Inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Streptococcus hemolyticus, Typhoid bacillus, pneumococcus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Shigella dysentery, meningococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus mutants.
  • Studies have found that the chlorogenic acid it contains can cause central nervous system excitement in mice.

Combinations

Side Effects

  • At present, there is no literature report that Jin Yin Hua has toxic effects, and there is no data showing that taking it at the prescribed dose can cause serious adverse reactions.
  • Long-term or overdose of it may cause adverse reactions such as stomach upset and loss of appetite.
  • A small proportion of people touching it may cause allergic reactions.

Precautions and Warnings

  • The dosage of Jin Yin Hua should be controlled between 6-15g.
  • It can be made into decoctions, powder, pills, distillate medicinal water, or tea.
  • The unprocessed Jin Yin Hua is recommended for clearing the internal heat, and the carbonized Jin Yin Hua is recommended for cooling blood and stopping dysentery.
  • People who are allergic to Jin Yin Hua should not take it.
  • Patients with thin pus caused by qi deficiency should not take it.
  • People with deficiency-cold in the spleen and stomach should not take it.