jīnyínhuā

Honeysuckle flowers are the dried unopened flower buds of the climbing shrub Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), one of the most recognisable botanical raw materials brewed in China according to “tea” custom. It must be clarified at once: this is not tea in the botanical sense — there is no leaf of the Chinese camellia (Camellia sinensis) in the product, and in the Chinese commodity system such a beverage belongs to tea substitutes (代用茶, dàiyòng chá), that is, to herbal infusions. The name 金银花 literally means “gold-silver flower” and reflects the corolla’s property of changing colour from white (silver) to yellow (gold) as it blooms. The main commercial areas are Fengqiu County and Xinmi (formerly Mi County) in Henan Province, Pingyi in Shandong, and Longxi in Gansu. In everyday culture, the infusion is valued as a light, slightly bitter beverage of a “cooling” character, particularly sought after in the warm season and as a component of cooling herbal blends (凉茶, liángchá).

1. Classification and Origin:

• Type: tea substitute, herbal infusion (代用茶, dàiyòng chá); not tea from Camellia sinensis
• Botanical species: Lonicera japonica Thunb., family Caprifoliaceae
• Raw material: unopened flower buds (花蕾, huālěi)
• Category: herbal infusions and dried flowers (代用茶, dàiyòng chá) — outside the botanical category of tea from Camellia sinensis
• Related but distinct raw material: mountain honeysuckle (山银花, shānyínhuā)

It must be stated unequivocally: this product does not and cannot contain leaf of the tea plant Camellia sinensis. What is customarily called “honeysuckle tea” in English is, in the Chinese classification, a herbal beverage-tea substitute (代用茶). The word “tea” here describes the method of consumption — pouring hot water over dry raw material and steeping — rather than botanical kinship with true tea. This is an independent and venerable genre of beverages with its own tradition, not a surrogate.

It is worth distinguishing separately between 金银花 and 山银花 (shānyínhuā). The former is the buds specifically of Lonicera japonica. The latter is raw material from several other species of the genus Lonicera, primarily Lonicera macranthoides and Lonicera confusa, as well as a number of closely related species; in Chinese pharmacopoeial practice, 山银花 was separated into its own entry in the mid-2000s and is formally considered a different raw material. The species differ, in particular, in the ratio of phenolic acids and saponins, so mixing them or selling one under the name of the other is incorrect.

2. History and Cultural Significance:

• Ancient name: 忍冬 (rěndōng, “enduring winter”)
• Later name: 金银花 became established for the buds in medieval China
• Other names: 双花 (shuānghuā, “paired flower”), 二花

The plant under the name 忍冬 is mentioned in old compendia of medicinal raw materials: the name is connected with its semi-evergreen nature — part of the foliage persists through winter. The specifically “floral” name 金银花 entered wide usage later, during the Song and Ming eras, and reflected gardeners’ observation of the corollas’ colour change. Li Shizhen, in the “Compendium of Materia Medica” (本草纲目, Běncǎo Gāngmù), describes both the vine and its flowers.

In daily life, honeysuckle flowers became firmly embedded in the culture of “cooling” beverages of central and southern China: they are added to 凉茶 blends, combined with chrysanthemum (菊花, júhuā) and other herbs. The infusion is perceived as seasonal, “summery,” associated with the idea of cooling down in hot and humid weather.

3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:

• Life form: semi-evergreen twining vine-shrub
• Flowers: paired, tubular-bilabiate, fragrant
• Colour change: from white to golden-yellow
• Commercial raw material: dense unopened bud

Lonicera japonica is a climbing shrub with opposite leaves and characteristic paired flowers that sit in the axils in twos (hence the folk name “paired flower” and the poetic 鸳鸯藤, yuānyāngténg, “vine of mandarin ducks”). The fresh corolla opens white, then turns yellow after a day or two, so that both white and yellow flowers are visible simultaneously on one branch — this gave rise to the name “gold-silver.”

Commercial value lies specifically in the unopened buds. They are harvested at the stage called in Chinese production 大白期 (dàbái qī) — when the bud has already fully swelled and whitened but has not yet opened. Opened yellow flowers are considered a lower-grade raw material.

4. Terroir and Cultivation Characteristics:

• Henan (河南): Fengqiu County (封丘) and Xinmi district — formerly Mi County (密县), famous 密银花 (mìyínhuā)
• Shandong (山东): Pingyi County (平邑) in the Yimeng Mountains (沂蒙) — the largest growing area
• Gansu (甘肃): Longxi County (陇西) — a relatively new large region

The commercial geography of honeysuckle has developed over centuries. Henan raw material is considered classic: 密银花 from the environs of the former Mi County was renowned for its slender bud and pure aroma, while Fengqiu today is one of the regions with a protected geographical designation. Pingyi County in Shandong, in the Yimeng Mountains, has over time become the largest producer by area and volume, supplying a significant portion of the commercial output. In Gansu, Longxi County developed industrial cultivation later, but thanks to its dry continental climate and large expanses, it has entered the ranks of leading regions.

Honeysuckle is undemanding as to soils, drought- and frost-resistant, holds slopes well, and is therefore often used in erosion-control and recultivation plantings. The shrub does not enter its productive phase immediately, but thereafter yields flowers for many years. Several harvests are possible per season, as bud formation is extended.

5. Production Technology:

• Harvesting: manual, at the 大白期 stage, in dry weather
• Primary processing: drying or brief fixation by steam or heat followed by drying
• Drying methods: sun-drying (晒干, shàigān), shade-drying (阴干, yīngān), hot-air drying (烘干, hōnggān)
• Problematic technique: sulphur fumigation (硫熏, liúxūn)

Harvested buds must be dried quickly: delay leads to browning and loss of aroma. Traditionally, raw material is dried in the sun or in the shade; modern facilities more often use hot-air drying, which yields an even colour and reduces the risk of spoilage. Some producers apply brief heat or steam fixation to “arrest” the bud and fix the colour.

Historically, the raw material was fumigated with sulphur for bleaching and protection against mould and insects. Such a technique yields an unnaturally pale, “glossy” bud and a sharpish odour, while residual sulphur is undesirable; today the practice of fumigation is restricted and discouraged, and quality raw material is dried without sulphur.

6. Organoleptic Characteristics:

• Appearance: slender stick-like buds 2 – 3 cm, yellowish-green to yellowish-white, with fine pubescence
• Aroma of dry raw material: fresh, herbaceous-floral, with a light sweetish note
• Infusion: from pale yellow to yellowish-green, transparent
• Taste: mild, slightly bitter, with a cooling aftertaste

A good bud is firm, intact, without a large proportion of opened flowers, stems, or debris. The aroma is clean, without mustiness or the chemical sharpness betraying sulphur. In the infusion, transparency and freshness are valued; noticeable brownishness usually indicates old or overheated raw material.

7. Chemical Composition:

• Phenolic acids: chlorogenic acid (绿原酸, lǜyuánsuān) and its isomers — a key marker
• Flavonoids: luteoloside, i.e. luteolin-7-O-glucoside (木犀草苷, mùxīcǎogān)
• Iridoids: secologanin, loganin, sweroside, and related compounds
• Essential oils: a small volatile fraction that forms the aroma

The chemical profile of honeysuckle is well studied. The main analytical marker is chlorogenic acid; its content in quality raw material typically ranges from one and a half to several percent. The second control substance accepted is luteoloside. It is precisely by the ratio of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and saponins that 金银花 is distinguished from 山银花.

8. Health-Promoting Properties:

• In household tradition: the infusion is classified as a beverage of “cooling” property (清热, qīngrè), appropriate in hot weather
• What science investigates: phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity under laboratory conditions
• Status: a food product, not a medicine

In Chinese household tradition, an infusion of honeysuckle flowers is counted among beverages of a “cooling” character and is drunk primarily in the warm season, often as part of cooling herbal blends. This is a cultural category, not a medical indication.

The foregoing is a description of traditional conceptions, not an assertion of therapeutic effects. The product is a food product; health claims made at retail lie outside the scope of an encyclopaedia and are not reproduced here. As with any strong herbal infusion, moderation is sensible; people with special conditions, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as those taking medications, would do well to approach regular consumption with caution. This is a neutral caution, not a recommendation or dosage.

9. Brewing:

• Ratio: about 3 – 5 g of dried buds per 300 – 500 ml of water
• Temperature: 90 – 95 °C
• Vessels: glass teapot or glass, gaiwan, porcelain
• Time: first infusion 2 – 4 minutes
• Infusions: 2 – 3
• Cold serving: suitable

Honeysuckle is conveniently brewed in transparent glass — one can see how the buds unfold and the water gradually takes on colour. Water just off the boil, slightly cooled (about 90 – 95 °C), is sufficient: this better preserves the fresh aroma while excessive bitterness does not emerge. The first infusion is held for two to four minutes; thereafter the time of each subsequent infusion is slightly increased; the raw material sustains two to three infusions.

In summer, honeysuckle is often drunk cold: the infusion is brewed somewhat stronger, cooled, and placed in the cold; sometimes a little chrysanthemum or just a touch of sweetener is added. Classic combinations are with chrysanthemum (菊花) and liquorice (甘草, gāncǎo) in cooling blends.

10. Storage:

• Conditions: dry, cool, dark, airtight container
• Risks: moisture, browning, loss of aroma, insects
• Shelf life: practically within a year or two, aroma is brighter in the first year

Dried buds are hygroscopic and sensitive to light: exposed to air and sunlight, they quickly brown and lose their scent. They should be stored in a tightly closed container, in a dry, cool place, away from strong odours. If dampened, the raw material easily moulds and is attacked by insects, so it is important to prevent moisture.

11. Price and Adulterations:

• Wholesale price benchmark: around 160 ¥/kg (the figure depends on grade, region, and year)
• Genuine raw material: whole unopened buds of Lonicera japonica, of even yellowish-green colour, with a clean aroma
• Typical substitutions and defects: 山银花 passed off as 金银花; a high proportion of opened flowers; sulphur fumigation; artificial colouring; admixture of stems and leaves

Genuine 金银花 consists of slender, neat, predominantly unopened buds with natural colouring and a lively herbaceous-floral scent. Causes for wariness include: an unnaturally white, “bleached” appearance and a sour chemical smell — a sign of sulphur; a dull uniform colour and a smell of dye; an abundance of opened yellow flowers, fragments of stems, and debris. A separate story is substitution with raw material of 山银花 (Lonicera macranthoides, Lonicera confusa, and closely related species): its buds are usually larger and coarser, with denser pubescence, and formally it is a different commodity. The wholesale price serves only as a rough guide: noticeably cheaper lots are worth checking for substitution and quality, while retail markup is not discussed here.

12. 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 light bitterness and a cooling floral aftertaste.

the teas described here are available from teamotea