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Botanical illustration of Honeysuckle
MedicinalSourced entry

Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica

Japanese honeysuckle, or jin yin hua, is a widely used herb in traditional Chinese medicine, taken for fevers, sore throats, skin sores and infections. Most research so far is in the lab and in animals.

Safety at a glance

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Honeysuckle?

Plant family
Caprifoliaceae, the honeysuckle family
Parts used
The dried flowers and flower buds, and sometimes the vine and leaves, as teas and in herbal formulas
Where it grows
East Asia; now naturalized in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand
Genus
Lonicera
Species
japonica

Also called

Japanese Honeysuckle, Honey Suckle

Traditional names

Jin Yin Hua, Ren Dong

Traditionally used for

  • Fever (traditional)
  • Sore throat (traditional)
  • Skin sores and boils (traditional)
  • Infections (traditional)

Traditionally described as

  • May help reduce inflammation (in animal studies)
  • Antiviral (in lab tests)

Health topics

Where Honeysuckle appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.

  • Fever

    Used in traditional Chinese medicine for fevers. Not tested for this in trials.

  • Skin Irritation, Rashes and Itching

    Low-quality trials suggest honeysuckle may ease the rash caused by some cancer drugs.

  • Sore Throat

    An ingredient in traditional Chinese formulas for sore throat. Not tested on its own in trials.

Traditions that use it

How it's prepared

Common ways Honeysuckle is prepared or sold. This isn't advice on how to take it; see Safety below.

Safety

Pregnancy

  • In mice, dogs and monkeys, honeysuckle extract interrupted pregnancy, and in pregnant rats it lowered levels of progesterone, a hormone that maintains pregnancy.[1]Study

Toxicity testing

  • In short-term animal tests, honeysuckle flower bud extract was fairly nontoxic, even at very high doses, and didn't damage genes. Long-term safety hasn't been studied.[1]Study

    Technical detail: oral LD50 > 15 g/kg body weight in mice; negative micronucleus and Ames tests.

What does the research say?

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

  • In traditional Chinese medicine, honeysuckle flowers are used to "clear heat". Uses include:

    • Fevers and epidemic fevers
    • Sore throat, headache and cough
    • Skin sores, boils and abscesses
    • Mumps in children

    It's also eaten as a health food, used in cosmetics and grown as ground cover.[1]Study

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • In lab and animal studies, honeysuckle extracts and their compounds may help reduce inflammation and have shown activity against bacteria and several viruses, as well as antioxidant activity and liver protection. In 2003 it was the most popular traditional Chinese medicine used in China against SARS.[1]Study

    Technical detail: more than 140 compounds isolated; chlorogenic acid is the Chinese Pharmacopoeia quality marker. Antiviral activity reported against RSV, HIV, HSV, PRV and NDV.

Research in people

  • Some cancer drugs (EGFR inhibitors) often cause an acne-like rash. A 2026 review of 7 trials with 534 people found honeysuckle treatments, used on the skin or by mouth, reduced the chance of a more severe rash and helped existing rashes, with no serious side effects. Some trials used honeysuckle alone and others mixed formulas, and the evidence was of low quality.[2]Review or trial

    Technical detail: grade ≥2 rash RR 0.43 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.65); treatment response RR 1.35 (1.13 to 1.62).

In short

In animal studies, extracts interrupted pregnancy; long-term safety hasn't been studied.

Sources

  1. [1] Lonicera japonica Thunb.: ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine · DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.08.016Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Safety and efficacy of honeysuckle therapy for epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor-related rash: a systematic review and meta-analysis · DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1875649Review or clinical trial

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.