Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica · Jin yin hua · Lonicerae japonicae flos

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Targeted cancer therapy rash¹ Post-throat surgery pain² Colds with fever³ Sore throat³	Pregnancy⁴ Breastfeeding⁴

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is the flower bud used in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antipyretic herb. Preclinical work describes it suppressing inflammatory signaling⁵. It is used for skin rash from cancer therapy that blocks the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), for pain after throat surgery, and for colds with fever and sore throat.

Human research is limited to about two small trials, in EGFR inhibitor rash and in pain after throat surgery. A 2026 meta-analysis of randomized trials found honeysuckle reduced moderate-to-severe rash from EGFR inhibitors and improved treatment response, with low to very low certainty of evidence¹. A 2025 systematic review of preclinical literature described suppression of lung inflammation and antiviral effects against influenza in acute lung injury; no trial has tested this⁵. Over 300 products list honeysuckle, mostly as liquid extracts, with capsules, powders, and tablets also sold; see Form comparison.

Health Canada labels ask patients taking prescription medications to consult a health care practitioner before use⁴.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

22 sources, 19 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources