Using honeysuckle flowers to rescue my itchy skin
Here I am sipping my honeysuckle tea as I am typing this entry. No, I didn’t boil those honeysuckle flowers but instead took the easy way out with a pre-packed honeysuckle tea. I’ve been drinking this to help relieve a recent bout of itchiness on my body. It’s a pleasant drink because of the honey and sugar added but it does yield a very slight bitter aftertaste.
Anti-bacterial properties
You may remember I wrote about Japanese honeysuckle being used as a preservative in some natural skin care products but these are from China and are used primarily for their medicinal properties. Honeysuckle flowers are known as lonicera or Jin Yin Hua (金银花) in Chinese. I know they don’t look like flowers – they’re harvested just before the bud opens and then dried. According to the folks at the medical hall, honeysuckle is an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory herb to clear internal heat and relieve toxicity. I was recommended the tea to try and I got the dried flowers too because I remember Joyce of Atelier Beauty wrote a post about her mom using the flowers to bathe her dog. I ah…ahem…was planning to use them to bathe myself though.
Used for many conditions
Anyway, upon further research, I found out that honeysuckle flowers have broad spectrum antibiotic properties and appear to be used for treating fever, sore throats, coughs and even asthma but it seems they are most useful for treating ulcers, rashes and skin infections caused by toxins in the body. Because of its ability to inhibit bacterial growth, this herb is often used in China to treat acne. Interestingly, I also learnt that honeysuckle flowers are used for weight loss.
Drinking the tea once a day
I have a “hot body constitution” according to TCM and so this drink works for me. I suffer from body itch caused by some internal issues and they come and go randomly. It used to be very bad but have since improved when I started taking a health supplement. However, it came back to attack me again recently and that’s how I ended up at the medical hall and then this. I was told that on top of drinking the honeysuckle flower tea, I can bathe myself with a topical compress of honeysuckle flowers. However, I didn’t even have to come to that as the tea has helped to relieve my itchy skin condition.
Use with care
Honeysuckle flowers are readily available in the medical halls. I believe some online stores that sell DIY ingredients supply them too but I’m not too certain in what form. The pre-packed tea do not cost much – S$1.40 for 10 packs. The dried flowers cost a bit more. The bunch in the picture you see cost me around S$2. I might try to use it as a body wash another time but if anyone is considering this herb after reading this, please exercise caution when trying out such herbs especially if you have a history of medical problems.
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Hello, I have been following your blog since it was advertised in URBAN. Honeysucker can reduce itchess as I used to boil and bathe for me and son when we suffered from chicken pox.
hi, may i know what is the brand of the tea you drink? also, for acne relief, is it better to get the drink or the flower?
Oh my, I am interested in this already after yr recommendations..and especially for weight loss..ting!ting! My body tend to be more ‘heaty’ with poor digestion. Coincidentally, went to see a Chinese physician yday to ‘tweak’ back my internal health with natural concoctions. Caring for your internal wellbeing is as much as important as externally.
Hi,
That’s cool. I shall get some too next time I visit a chinese medical hall. I too have a hot body composition. (⌣Ì˛⌣̀”)
My mum is currently drinking honeysuckle tea she boiled herself for high cholesterol. So she was told it would help with her condition. no idea if this really works though..
Thanks Karin for reading my blog. ?
Oh I didn’t know it can be used for chicken pox…it’s too late though cos my son had chicken pox years ago. I was told that oats can help him too but it was a bit messy to bathe him in that. Honekysuckle would have been easier!
It’s the brand you see in the picture. I got it from Hock Hwa – they only have one brand. For pimple relief, I understand that you can drink the tea…I think you might want to try both ways – drink and wash your face with the boiled cocoction.
Ok I am not so sure for weight loss as I read about it but it seems it depends on the cause of your weight loss. So best you do some research or check with the pple selling these stuff.
It helps with high cholesterol too? Seems that this herb is quite useful for various conditions.
thanks! will get the tea to try out
Hi~ I’m a new reader of urs. Very interested in trying honeysuckle flowers after reading this post. I have fairly serious eczema which comes on n off every now n then, been to several skin centre but nth seem to work in long term. Hoping this will help.
Saw ur post about the cons of skin whitening creams, do you know of other ways to fade scars? rose hip oil?
And how to tell if one have hot or cold body constitution?
Thanks ?
It probably depends on the cause of your eczema…perhaps you can seek the advice of the pple at the medical halls. They usually know such conditions and would be able to provide better suggestions. Also you can ask them about the body constitution – usually requires a physician to check though. Mine was made known after checking my pulses and the color of my tongue.
For whitening, rose hip oil is quite good. Can give it a try. But it can be too rich for some skin type…suggest you apply on damp skin.
Thanks Sesame! It’s really helpful!
You’re welcome! ?
hi seasame,
i am suffering from an outbreak of rashes recently as well.. i was told calendula a.k.a marigold tea can be drank to reduce the itch.. so you have any idea where sells the tea?
Not so sure…have seen chamomile but not seen calendula tea.
i’ve been searching for this brand tea online for the longest. do you have a link to any websites that sells this kind?! please please help!
Not that I’m aware of…where are you based?
That’s great i will try this tea soon
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