Honeysuckle, the name itself evokes its unique beauty. What does it actually look like? Let's lift the veil of mystery and explore it together.
Honeysuckle, also known as Lonicera japonica, is a perennial semi-evergreen shrub with climbing and creeping stems. Its name comes from the magical transformation of its flowers. When they first bloom, the flowers are as white as snow, like a shy maiden; as time passes, the flowers gradually turn golden yellow, like a mature noblewoman. This change from white to yellow makes one marvel at the wonder of nature.
The flowers of honeysuckle are very unique, shaped like a funnel or a bell, and are white or yellow in color. The flowers generally grow at the tips of branches or in the leaf axils, with inflorescences being corymbose or terminal. The flowering period is generally from June to August, and it is relatively long, with each flower blooming for 3-4 days.
The leaves of honeysuckle are also very unique. They are opposite, with ovate or elliptical leaf blades and fine teeth on the edges. The leaves are dark green, shiny on the upper surface, and hairy on the underside. The leaves are generally 3-8 cm in size, with a petiole about 1 cm long.
The fruit of honeysuckle is berry-like, round or oval, with a diameter of about 6-8 mm. The surface of the fruit is smooth, and its color is dark purple or black. The fruit contains many seeds, which are flat and yellow or brown in color.
The young branches of honeysuckle are reddish-brown, densely covered with yellowish-brown, spreading, stiff, straight, rough hairs, glandular hairs, and short soft hairs, often glabrous below. The leaves are papery, ovate to oblong-ovate, sometimes ovate-lanceolate, rarely ovoid or obovate, rarely with 1 to several obtuse notches, 3-5 cm long, apex acute or acuminate, rarely obtuse, rounded, or slightly concave, base rounded or nearly cordate, with rough ciliate margins, upper surface dark green, lower surface light green, leaves on the upper part of small branches usually densely covered with short rough hairs on both surfaces, leaves on the lower part often smooth and glabrous with a somewhat bluish-gray underside; petiole 4-8 mm long, densely covered with short soft hairs.
The peduncles of honeysuckle are usually solitary in the upper leaf axils of small branches, equal to or slightly shorter than the petioles, while the lower ones can be 2-4 cm long, densely covered with short soft hairs mixed with glandular hairs; the bracts are large, leaf-like, ovate to elliptical, up to 2-3 cm long, with short soft hairs on both surfaces or sometimes nearly glabrous; the bracteoles are rounded or truncate at the apex, about 1 mm long, 1/2-4/5 of the calyx tube, with short rough hairs and glandular hairs; the calyx tube is about 2 mm long, glabrous, the calyx teeth are ovate-triangular or long-triangular, acute at the apex with long hairs, densely hairy on the outside and margins; the corolla is white, sometimes with a reddish tinge on the sun-exposed base of the tube, later turning yellow, (2-)3-4.5(-6) cm long, labiate, the tube slightly longer than the lips, rarely nearly equal, externally covered with more or less backward-facing, spreading or semi-spreading rough hairs and long glandular hairs, the upper lip lobe blunt at the apex, the lower lip band-shaped and recurved; both the stamens and the style are exserted from the corolla.
The flower buds of honeysuckle are club-shaped, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom. The outside is yellowish-white or light green, densely covered with short soft hairs. The calyx is small, yellow-green, 5-lobed at the apex, with hairy margins. The open flowers are tubular, bilabiate at the apex, with 5 stamens attached to the tube wall, yellow, and 1 pistil with a glabrous ovary. It has a delicate fragrance, a mild, slightly bitter taste. The best quality comes from unopened flower buds that are yellowish-white or greenish-white, without any impurities from branches or leaves.
The fruit of honeysuckle is round, 6-7 mm in diameter, turning blue-black and glossy when ripe; the seeds are oval or elliptical, brown, about 3 mm long, with a raised ridge in the middle and shallow transverse grooves on both sides. The flowering period is April to June (it also often flowers in autumn), and the fruit ripens from October to November.
Honeysuckle is widely distributed in China, mainly in the Yangtze River basin, Yellow River basin, Pearl River basin, and other regions. It often grows in relatively humid areas, such as along the banks of streams and rivers, in moist mountain shrublands, and in open forests.
Honeysuckle is not only beautiful in appearance but also has rich medicinal value. It is sweet and cold in nature, and acts on the lung, heart, and stomach meridians. It has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, releasing the exterior to dispel cold, soothing the throat and reducing fire, and reducing swelling and dissipating nodules. It is very effective in treating colds, fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, gum swelling, infantile prickly heat, and other diseases. At the same time, honeysuckle also has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on diseases such as hepatitis and mastitis, as it can reduce swelling and dissipate nodules, and promote the resolution of inflammation.
Modern medical research has shown that honeysuckle contains pharmacologically active components such as chlorogenic acid and luteolin glycosides, which have strong inhibitory effects on various pathogenic bacteria such as hemolytic streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus, and pathogenic viruses causing upper respiratory tract infections. In addition, honeysuckle also has immune-enhancing, anti-early-pregnancy, and protective effects...