Honeysuckle Vine slices

Honeysuckle Vine slices

Honeysuckle Vine (top) Sophora Root (bottom, without hollow center)

【Naming】

Honeysuckle Vine

 【Source】

Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (別錄) – Superior Class

 【Common Usage Level】

D

 【Botanical Origin】

The dried leafy stems and branches of Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Japanese Honeysuckle) in the Caprifoliaceae family.

 【Characteristics】

This product usually involves rolling the leafy stems and branches into a ball. The dried stems are slender cylindrical, with a diameter of 1.5~6㎜. The surface is grayish-brown, and the nodes have obvious opposite leaf scars or branch scars. There are fine soft hairs, especially on the young branches, with fine longitudinal lines. The small branches are densely covered with short soft hairs. The stems often have elliptical, greenish-yellow leaves, mostly broken and incomplete, densely covered with short soft hairs on both sides, and are firm and brittle. This product is divided into Honeysuckle Vine (older vines) and Silver Flower Vine (young vines) depending on the age of the vine when harvested.
The prepared herb is the chopped product. The cut pieces of the stem vary in length, approximately 0.3~1㎝, with a brownish-red exterior and slightly visible longitudinal stripes; the outer surface of older stems is grayish-brown, the cut surface is yellowish-white, and the center has a hollow cavity. The leaves are mostly cut into irregular fragments, dark greenish-brown, with dense short soft hairs on both sides.

 【Identification】

The best quality has uniform branches, hairy young shoots, a jujube-red outer skin, and is tender with leaves.

 【Identification Terminology】

1. Silver Flower Vine: Refers to the tender twigs of the branches. The product is often bundled into small bunches of varying lengths, slightly curved, and often with leaves. The prepared herb is cut into small sections of 2~3㎝.

 【Category】

Vine and Wood Category