Honeysuckle comes from the dried flower buds or partially open flowers of the honeysuckle plant in the Caprifoliaceae family. It is called honeysuckle because the flowers change color as they mature, starting off as white and turning golden. There is also a beautiful legend associated with honeysuckle. Let's take a look together.
Legend has it that a long time ago, there was an outbreak of a plague in the area of Luanchuan. Due to the lack of timely treatment, countless people died. A local wealthy man saw this as an opportunity to make a fortune, so he hired several pharmacists and opened a pharmacy, raising the prices of medicine and profiting from it, causing great suffering for the common people.
One day, two twin sisters appeared out of nowhere, looking like celestial beings. The elder sister, Jin Hua, had a shiny golden hairpin in her hair, while the younger sister, Yin Hua, had a shiny silver hairpin. Somehow, overnight, a small bamboo house and a fence appeared on the hillside, with green plants and flowers growing in the courtyard.
The villagers gathered outside the courtyard in astonishment, and the sisters invited everyone inside, saying that they had just moved from another place and practiced medicine for a living. The villagers were overjoyed and rushed to bring their elderly and children to seek treatment. Strangely enough, those who came with stomach pains were relieved after being pricked with silver needles by the sisters, and after drinking the soup made from the fresh flowers in the courtyard, their illnesses miraculously disappeared. The fame of the sisters spread far and wide, and there was a constant stream of patients seeking treatment.
The wealthy man was furious to see his pharmacy becoming deserted, so he led a group of people up the mountain and set fire to the bamboo house. Immediately, thick fog filled the air, obscuring the sky and the earth. When the smoke cleared, the sisters were nowhere to be found, only the flowers and plants in the courtyard were still blooming in all their splendor. Trumpet-shaped flowers in gold and silver colors bloomed on the vines, resembling the hairpins of Jin Hua and Yin Hua.
The wealthy man was so enraged that he ordered the flowers and plants to be uprooted and chopped with a knife. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, throwing the broken branches and vines into the sky and scattering them all over the ground. Then, thunder and lightning struck, and heavy rain poured down, causing the wealthy man and his followers to flee in panic.
Those flowers and plants were the honeysuckle vine. They took root on the ground and grew rapidly, covering the hills and the earth, and blooming with flowers that changed from white to yellow. People said that they were the embodiment of Jin Hua and Yin Hua, so they named them "honeysuckle".
Although this is a myth, the miraculous therapeutic effects of honeysuckle in clearing heat and detoxifying have always been highly regarded by generations of medical professionals. The entire honeysuckle plant is precious. The flowers are used as honeysuckle, while the vine is used as honeysuckle vine. Generally, honeysuckle is considered to have a sweet and cold nature and enters the lung and stomach meridians. Its functions include clearing heat, detoxifying, and dispersing wind-heat. It is mainly used to treat diseases such as fever, dysentery caused by heat toxins, and boils. Honeysuckle vine has a sweet and cold nature and enters the heart and lung meridians. Its functions include clearing heat, detoxifying, and promoting blood circulation. It is mainly used to treat diseases such as fever, dysentery caused by heat toxins, and infectious hepatitis.
