Pingyi Honeysuckle

Pingyi Honeysuckle

Pingyi Honeysuckle is a protected geographical indication product.

Pingyi Honeysuckle is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Honeysuckle, also known as golden flower, silver flower, double flower, three-treasure flower, or honeysuckle flower, is a plant of the Caprifoliaceae family. It is a traditional and authentic medicinal herb from the Yimeng Mountain area and is called Pingyi Honeysuckle because it is mainly produced in Pingyi County. Honeysuckle has high economic value and a wide range of uses. Its stems, leaves, and flowers are all used in medicine, offering functions such as detoxification and heat relief. Modern research has proven that its flowers, leaves, and stems have strong inhibitory effects on typhoid bacillus, dysentery bacillus, staphylococcus, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, pneumococcus, and whooping cough bacillus. One-third of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions nationwide use honeysuckle.

　　Pingyi has a 200-year history of cultivating honeysuckle. Through long-term breeding, there are now high-yield, high-quality, and disease-resistant varieties such as large fuzzy flower and chicken claw flower. Pingyi honeysuckle buds are plump, with pure color and a fragrant aroma, containing components such as flavonoids, inositol, and saponins. Some components, such as saponins, are not found in honeysuckle from other regions, making Pingyi honeysuckle especially popular in the Traditional Chinese Medicine community. According to chemical analysis by the Shandong Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pingyi honeysuckle contains 1.8% volatile oil, compared to only 0.2%-0.4% elsewhere; its chlorogenic acid content is 5.87%, 50 times that of the Sichuan Tianquan variety, ranking first in the country. In recent years, the uses of honeysuckle have expanded beyond medicine to include various foods and beverages such as honeysuckle tea, honeysuckle dew, and honeysuckle wine, which are highly favored by consumers. Currently, Pingyi honeysuckle and its products enjoy a high reputation in both domestic and international markets. In addition to being sold to southern provinces, they are also exported to Southeast Asian countries, with an annual export volume of over 200 tons. (Linyi)

　　There are no written records about which dynasty the wild honeysuckle in Pingyi County originated from. According to the county annals: “The flowers were yellow and white, occasionally seen in the past, but only picked to substitute for tea. By the early years of the Jiaqing reign, merchants trading them elsewhere could reap substantial profits. Within a few years, they were planted almost everywhere along mountain ridges and water’s edges.” Today, honeysuckle can be found in all 26 towns and 1,060 villages across the county. Even in the snowy depths of winter, one can see lush green vines thriving everywhere. When spring arrives, the honeysuckle buds with their silver stamens begin to swell, filling the air with fragrance.

　　Pingyi honeysuckle not only features plump buds, pure color, and a fragrant aroma, but also has a high content of active ingredients. The flowers contain flavonoids, inositol, saponins, chlorogenic acid, momordin, and luteolin, while the stems contain flavonoids, inositol, saponins, pure cellulose, and chlorogenic acid. It offers functions such as clearing heat and toxins, reducing inflammation and wind, improving vision and spirit, lowering blood pressure, aiding weight loss and fitness, promoting digestion, and increasing appetite. Its main component, chlorogenic acid, has excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects in clinical settings. Pingyi honeysuckle has a chlorogenic acid content of 5.87%, the highest in the country.

　　Pingyi County currently has 45 million mature honeysuckle plants, with an annual yield of 3.5 million jin (approximately 1,750 tons), ranking first in the country, and is known as the “Hometown of Honeysuckle.”

　　Pingyi honeysuckle tea has a fragrant aroma, refreshes the mind and lungs when consumed, helps prevent heatstroke and cool down, improves vision and intelligence, and regular consumption may contribute to longevity. Pingyi County has developed honeysuckle beverages, honeysuckle essence, and a series of honeysuckle products, and processes honeysuckle into tea, floral dew, toothpaste, medicinal cigarettes, etc., which are sold both domestically and overseas.

　　The price is generally 45 yuan per 500 grams, available at various stores, medicinal herb wholesale markets, and stalls in Linyi City.

　　The protected geographical indication product area for Pingyi honeysuckle is based on the scope proposed in the "Proposal on Delimiting the Geographical Indication Product Area of Pingyi Honeysuckle" (Ping Zheng Bao [2005] No. 44) by Pingyi County, Shandong Province, covering the current administrative region of Pingyi County.