Evidence supporting the use of: Honeysuckle
For the health condition: Sinus Infection

Links: Go back one page, Tool main page, Ingredients list, Health conditions list, Body systems list

Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is often included in herbal formulas intended to address symptoms of respiratory tract infections, including sinusitis. In traditional practice, honeysuckle is valued for its purported "heat-clearing" and "detoxifying" properties, and it is commonly combined with other herbs such as forsythia in decoctions for treating "wind-heat" conditions like colds, flu, and sinus infections.

However, the scientific evidence supporting honeysuckle’s efficacy for sinus infection is limited. While honeysuckle does contain bioactive compounds (such as chlorogenic acid and luteolin) with demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity in vitro and in animal studies, clinical trials in humans specifically for sinus infections are lacking. Most research focuses on its use for broader respiratory tract infections, such as in the well-known formula Yin Qiao San, but even here, high-quality clinical data are sparse.

Therefore, while honeysuckle is traditionally used for sinus infections and has some laboratory evidence suggesting potential benefits, it lacks robust clinical validation for this specific condition. Its use is primarily justified by tradition, with moderate indirect support from basic scientific studies, but not from direct clinical trials for sinusitis.

More about honeysuckle
More about Sinus Infection