Herb module

Jin Yin Hua

Honeysuckle FlowerLonicera japonica

A cooling flower bud that Traditional Chinese Medicine reaches for when Heat and Wind-Heat settle in at the surface.

Jin Yin Hua is the dried flower bud of a climbing vine, and it is one of the classic cooling herbs of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In Lung Meridian™ it is used to clear Heat, vent Wind-Heat from the exterior, and resolve what the tradition calls toxicity. Picture it as a cool cloth laid over a warm forehead, drawing Heat up and out.

Best functions

Traditionally used to clear Heat and resolve Fire toxin
Used to vent and disperse Wind-Heat from the exterior of the body
Used to clear Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao
Research has looked at its compound chlorogenic acid and its effect on inflammatory pathways

Fascinating facts

The Chinese name Jin Yin Hua means "gold silver flower." The blossoms open white and turn yellow as they age, so a single vine shows both colors at once.
Children in many places pull the flowers and sip the drop of sweet nectar from the base.
Jin Yin Hua has a classic partner, Lian Qiao. The two appear together in the well-known traditional formula Yin Qiao San.
Zoi's notes highlight chlorogenic acid as one of the plant compounds researchers have studied in this flower.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Jin Yin Hua is cold in nature, with a pungent and bitter flavor, and is considered a Heat-clearing herb. It enters the Large Intestine, Lung, and Stomach channels.

Go deeperDownload the fact sheet on the Lung Meridian page

Biomedical deep dive

Jin Yin Hua Honeysuckle Flower

From the Zoi Medicinals fact sheets’ Biomedical Details, with lines from Noa’s herb notes marked “Noa’s notes”.

On the fact sheet

Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower, Lonicera japonica) is cold and enters the LI, LU, and ST channels; clears heat and resolves toxicity, vents and disperses external Wind-Heat, and clears Damp-Heat from the lower jiao. · Lung Meridian sheet

Formula-level notes (about the whole formula, not this herb alone)

Lung Meridian sheet: modern herbal pharmacology is showing that the herbs in Lung Meridian benefit the respiratory system with antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating and antimicrobial functions; most of the herbs have noted anti-inflammatory functions, and many have broad-spectrum activity against viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.
The Lung Meridian sheet’s reference list includes a review of Lonicera japonica, honeysuckle (Shang et al., J Ethnopharmacol 2011): its ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology. This is the sheet’s honeysuckle source.

Key active constituents

The fact sheets don’t name constituents for this herb.

Pharmacology and mechanisms

Chlorogenic acid is anti-inflammatory; it inhibits COX-2 and iNOS, two enzymes that drive inflammation. · Noa’s notes
Antiviral activity against influenza A, including H1N1. Noa’s notes
Broad-spectrum antibacterial action by disrupting bacterial membranes. Noa’s notes

What the research says

No herb-specific study on the fact sheets.

Safety, interactions and cautions

Every Zoi fact sheet: do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding unless directed by your health care practitioner.
Avoid in Cold-deficiency patterns of the Spleen and Stomach, especially with loose stools (Traditional Chinese Medicine terms). Noa’s notes

In these Zoi formulas

Lung Meridian (#7 on the fact sheet)

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.