- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
Many Different Ways You Can Use Honeysuckle
Beautiful, sweet honeysuckle. Remember how excited you would get when you were a child and you found honeysuckle in bloom? Do you remember pulling off the flowers one by one so you could get just one drop of that sweet honey that was hiding inside? This beautiful climbing vine is much more than just a sweet and pretty face. It might even be a cure for the common cold. Honeysuckle is one of the 50 main plants used in Chinese medicine. The flowers are often used to treat fevers, the common cold, acute respiratory infection, skin inflammations, and rheumatism. Sometimes honeysuckle is used together with Chrysanthemum flowers for lowering high blood pressure, or honeysuckle is combined with forsythia fruit to make a quite effective remedy for the common cold.
Honeysuckle is not meant for long term use, however, so while the flowers are fine, the fruits, stems and leaves can be toxic if taken in great amounts or for long periods.
Photo credit: bigstock
Honeysuckle has been used since at least 653AD, when Nicolas Culpeper wrote about all the different ways that people used honeysuckle. It has been used traditionally for reducing fever as well as for removing toxins from the body.
Take a look at all the ways honeysuckle can help you heal your body naturally.
- Honeysuckle is great for killing or fighting germs. It’s a natural antibiotic, so it can be used to kill infections caused by strep or staph bacteria. While honeysuckle can be sued for acute illnesses, it’s not meant to be used for chronic conditions as it can become toxic when used for long periods of time. Read more about natural antobiotics that kill superbugs.
- Honeysuckle is good at reducing skin rashes and to help stop poison oak or poison ivy. For skin conditions, honeysuckle should be used as a poultice. Honeysuckle is great for cuts to keep them from becoming infected. An external honeysuckle infusion should be applied for abrasions or cuts.
- Honeysuckle is also well known for removing toxins from the body. Usually a tea is made from the leaves and flowers for this purpose.
- Honeysuckle is great for coughs and asthma. It’s a natural expectorant so it helps clear the lungs and reduce congestion.
- Honeysuckle can be used for sore throats and reducing ulcers.
- Honeysuckle tea has long been used as an eye wash to clear up those bloodshot eyes or eyes that are irritated from pollutants.
- Honeysuckle can be used to stop nausea and vomiting.
- Honeysuckle tea is often said to help stop headaches. See more migraines treatment methods.
These are just a few of the health issues that honeysuckle can help you with. Some people make honeysuckle jelly. What a sweet way to use honeysuckle every day!
Always remember that honeysuckle is to be used for short term use only. Symptoms of possible honeysuckle overdose are extreme fatigue, dilated pupils, sleepiness, and sensitivity to sunlight. See your doctor right away if you think you might have overdosed on honeysuckle.
Sources:
- Duke, James The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook .(December 15, 2000)
- Mountain Rose Herbs Honeysuckle Profile
- Richard Mabey. The New Age Herbalist (1988)
- W. T. Fernie ,M.D. 1897. “Herbal Simples Approved For Modern Uses Of Cure”
- Grieve, Maud Mrs. “A Modern Herbal” (1931)
- Medicinal Properties of Honeysuckle Van Galen, Rees. Lonicera japonica, honeysuckle Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism. Vol 7 No 4 1995American Botanical Council
