Doumen Honeysuckle

Doumen Honeysuckle

　　　　Product Name: Doumen Honeysuckle

　　Place of Origin: Wenzhou

　　Product Features: Clears heat and improves vision, prevents and treats boils and prickly heat

　　Product Introduction: Honeysuckle, also known as silver flower, double flower, second flower, or twin precious flower, is a plant of the Lonicera genus in the Caprifoliaceae family. It grows on hillsides, valleys, forest edges, and ditch banks. It is found in most parts of China, with that from Henan referred to as “southern honeysuckle” and that from Shandong called “eastern honeysuckle”.

　　Honeysuckle is a semi-evergreen climbing shrub that can grow up to 9 meters tall. Its stems are thin, hollow, and highly branched, with brown bark. The leaves are ovate, measuring 3–8 cm in length and 1–3 cm in width. The plant flowers in early summer, with blossoms growing in pairs at the leaf axils. When first blooming, the flowers are as white as jade, but turn golden yellow after one or two days. The mix of new yellow blooms and older white ones gives rise to its name, “honeysuckle” (literally “gold and silver flower”). As the poet Duan Chengji praised, “Hidden blossoms bloom beside the stream, clustered like scattered gold and pearls.” In winter, the old leaves wither, but new buds emerge from the leaf axils and remain green throughout the cold season, hence its elegant alternate name “winter-enduring vine.” Drinking honeysuckle tea regularly helps clear heat, improve vision, and prevent boils and prickly heat, earning it the reputation of “the little immortal of the pharmacy.” It is a key ingredient in traditional Chinese compound medicines such as “Yinqiao Jiedu Pills (tablets)” and “Lianhua Qingwen,” and is also used to make “honeysuckle dew,” an ideal summer beverage that refreshes and promotes fluid production. Honeysuckle is drought-resistant and cold-hardy, easy to plant and manage. It prefers to climb along ditch banks and thus does not compete with agricultural land. It is highly adaptable and reproduces easily through cuttings, layering, and seeds. With proper care and moist soil, it grows quickly and can yield returns within two years, typically producing about 100 kilograms of dried flowers per mu. When planted in courtyards, it not only beautifies the space but also provides medicinal benefits, offering multiple advantages. For harvesting, select unopened flower buds. After picking, spread the buds on a bamboo mat to dry in the sun on the same day for best results. Avoid turning the buds by hand or sprinkling water during drying, as this may turn them black and affect quality. On rainy days, air-dry or lightly bake the harvested buds.

　　Product History: Honeysuckle is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. It has a cool nature and sweet taste, and can clear heat and toxins, stimulate appetite, relieve chest congestion, promote fluid production, and quench thirst. It is used to treat febrile diseases, sore throat, dysentery, abscesses, and other conditions, and has significant therapeutic effects against colds and measles. Yongjia County is a major production area for honeysuckle in the province, ranking second in total output. Wild honeysuckle is widely distributed, while cultivated varieties come mainly from three towns—Doumen, Hesheng, and Fenglin—each yielding over 10,000 kilograms of dried honeysuckle annually. Among these, Doumen Township accounts for more than 50% of the total, and is known as the “hometown of honeysuckle.”