Herb library · Herb · Lonicera japonica
Japanese honeysuckle (jinyinhua)
The white-and-gold flowers of a climbing honeysuckle, one of the most used herbs in Chinese medicine for fevers and sore throats. Every trial found that includes it tests a multi-herb formula; it has not been studied alone.
Traditional use
Stuart's 1911 English guide to the Chinese materia medica, following Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu, records that the name jinyinhua, 'gold and silver flower', comes from the flowers opening white and turning yellow so that the plant bears both colors at once, and that the flowers, vine and leaves were used as antifebrile, corrective and astringent remedies against infections and poisons, with a medicinal wine and plaster in the official list. The dried flower buds remain one of the most used herbs in Chinese formulas for colds and fevers.
What studies show
No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.
- Insufficient
Colds, fevers and sore throat: no trial of honeysuckle on its own in people was found. The trials that include it test formulas of several herbs, so they cannot say what honeysuckle does alone.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteThere is little modern safety information for honeysuckle taken on its own.
- NoteSome Chinese herbal products have been contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides or other herbs, according to NCCIH. Buy from makers that test their products.
- PregnancyNo safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding was found; avoid medicinal amounts then.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The first Chinese name refers to the plant not withering during the winter, and the second to the fact that the flowers, which are at first white, afterwards become yellow”
“The flowers, vine, and leaves are employed in medicine. Prolonged use is said to increase vitality and to lengthen life.”
Sources
- Efficacy and safety of Tanreqing injection for cough caused by acute trachea-bronchitis disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (J Ethnopharmacol, 2024) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.