Botanical Index No. 566

Japanese Honeysuckle

lonicera japonica

Medicinal Actions

Antibacterial, Antidote, Antiinflammatory, Antimutagenic, Antipyretic, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Antituberculic, Antitumor, Antiulcer, Antiviral, Astringent, Detoxicant, Diuretic, Fungicide, Hyperglycemic, Hypocholesterolemic, Hypoglycemic, Immunostimulant, Insecticide, Phagocytotic, Stomachic

Primary Conditions Treated

Appendicitis Arthrosis Bacteria Boil Cancer breast cervix Canker Cavity Cervicosis Cold Conjunctivosis Cramp Dermatosis Diabetes Diarrhea Dysentery Dysuria Eczema Enterosis Fever Flu Fungus Furuncle Headache Hemorrhoid Hepatosis Herpes High Cholesterol HIV Hyperglycemia Hyperlipidemia Immunodepression Infection Inflammation Itch Laryngosis Leptospirosis Longevity Lymphadenosis Mastosis Measles Mycosis Neuralgia Osteosis Parotosis Pneumonia Rheumatism Salmonella Scabies Sore Sore Throat Staphylococcus Stomatosis Streptococcus Swelling Tonsilosis Tuberculosis Tumor Ulcer Virus Water Retention

General Dosage

Dosage in China: 9–15 g dried flowers in decoction, pills, powder, or poultice of the powder; 10 g flower/cup water. I use a handful of stripped leaves and stripped winter buds of Forsythia, with some straggling antiviral blackberry and raspberry leaves in winter. When leaves are unavailable, rare in January in Maryland, I just use the twigs, knowing that they too are loaded with antiviral tannin. I boil them for some 5–10 minutes, then strain and add lemon juice or powdered lemonade and sweetener. In summer I dangerously add one cyanidiferous wild cherry leaf, and less dangerously lemonbalm, both also loaded with antiviral phytochemicals.

Safety & Contraindications

Class 1. Though flowers are reported as foods in Asia, I think of it as more medicine than food, but good antibiotic medicine. Though active against Mycobacterium, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and such viruses as HIV and influenza, the flowers are almost innocuous. Subcutaneous LD50 in mice is 53,000 mg/kg, some 40–400 times less toxic than the oral LD50 of caffeine in mice. See FNF.

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