Honeysuckle Flowers

Classification and Origin

Category: herbal infusions and dried flowers (代用茶, dàiyòng chá) — outside the botanical category of tea from Camellia sinensis

Lonicera japonica Thunb., family Caprifoliaceae

unopened flower buds (花蕾, huālěi)

mountain honeysuckle (山银花, shānyínhuā)

Type: tea substitute, herbal infusion (代用茶, dàiyòng chá); not tea from Camellia sinensis

Facts

Facts: Interesting Facts

• The name “gold-silver” is connected with the fact that white and already yellowed flowers coexist simultaneously on one branch.
• The old name 忍冬 (“enduring winter”) points to the plant’s semi-evergreen nature.
• The poetic name 鸳鸯藤 — “vine of mandarin ducks” — was given for the paired arrangement of the flowers.
• The separation of 金银花 and 山银花 in pharmacopoeial practice sparked a notable market dispute with southern producers of mountain honeysuckle.
• Outside Asia, for example in North America, Lonicera japonica behaves as an aggressive introduced species and is locally considered an invasive weed.

In Conclusion:

Honeysuckle flowers are a model example of “tea that is not tea”: the beverage is brewed according to tea custom, but botanically it has no relation to the Chinese camellia and belongs to the category of tea substitutes (代用茶). Behind the modest dried bud stand a long tradition, a recognisable terroir of Henan, Shandong, and Gansu regions, and a meticulous technology of harvest and drying that determines the colour, aroma, and purity of the infusion.

For the buyer, the main thing is to understand what exactly they are taking: whole, naturally coloured buds of Lonicera japonica with a lively, fresh scent, and not raw material bleached with sulphur or substituted with mountain honeysuckle. With a calm attitude towards health claims and reasonable moderation, honeysuckle remains a pleasant seasonal infusion with its own character — a lig

History and Culture

忍冬 (rěndōng, “enduring winter”)

金银花 became established for the buds in medieval China

双花 (shuānghuā, “paired flower”), 二花

Botany and Raw Material

semi-evergreen twining vine-shrub

paired, tubular-bilabiate, fragrant

from white to golden-yellow

dense unopened bud

Terroir

Fengqiu County (封丘) and Xinmi district — formerly Mi County (密县), famous 密银花 (mìyínhuā)

Pingyi County (平邑) in the Yimeng Mountains (沂蒙) — the largest growing area

Longxi County (陇西) — a relatively new large region

Production

manual, at the 大白期 stage, in dry weather

drying or brief fixation by steam or heat followed by drying

sun-drying (晒干, shàigān), shade-drying (阴干, yīngān), hot-air drying (烘干, hōnggān)

sulphur fumigation (硫熏, liúxūn)

Organoleptic Profile

slender stick-like buds 2 – 3 cm, yellowish-green to yellowish-white, with fine pubescence

fresh, herbaceous-floral, with a light sweetish note

from pale yellow to yellowish-green, transparent

Taste: mild, slightly bitter, with a cooling aftertaste

Chemical Composition

chlorogenic acid (绿原酸, lǜyuánsuān) and its isomers — a key marker

luteoloside, i.e. luteolin-7-O-glucoside (木犀草苷, mùxīcǎogān)

secologanin, loganin, sweroside, and related compounds

Essential Oils: a small volatile fraction that forms the aroma

Health Notes

the infusion is classified as a beverage of “cooling” property (清热, qīngrè), appropriate in hot weather

phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity under laboratory conditions

a food product, not a medicine

Brewing

about 3 – 5 g of dried buds per 300 – 500 ml of water

90 – 95 °C

first infusion 2 – 4 minutes

2 – 3

suitable

Teaware: glass teapot or glass, gaiwan, porcelain

Storage

Shelf Life: practically within a year or two, aroma is brighter in the first year

dry, cool, dark, airtight container

moisture, browning, loss of aroma, insects

Price and Authenticity

around 160 ¥/kg (the figure depends on grade, region, and year)

whole unopened buds of Lonicera japonica, of even yellowish-green colour, with a clean aroma

山银花 passed off as 金银花; a high proportion of opened flowers; sulphur fumigation; artificial colouring; admixture of stems and leaves