Goat-leaf honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium); sweet honeysuckle
A bush of the honeysuckle family. Stems are twisted, 2-4 m long. Swallows are opposite, whole, entire, rounded-oval, bluish below; the upper ones on the flowering shoots are joined by wide bases. Flowers are bisexual, irregular, 3-5 in axils of fused leaves, fragrant; corolla – with a long tube and a lip-like bend, pink or yellowish-white. The fruit is a berry, orange-red, inedible. Blooms in May-June.
Distribution . It grows in the wild in the Caucasus. It is grown as an ornamental plant on the territory of Ukraine.
Raw material . The aerial part of the plant (leaves, stems and flowers) is used for medicinal purposes. Harvested during flowering.
The plant is unofficial.
The chemical composition has not yet been studied . It is only known that the flowers contain 0.7% essential oil.
Pharmacological properties and use . The plant has diuretic, antiseptic, wound-healing and pain-relieving properties. An infusion or decoction of leaves and stems is used as a diuretic for acute stomach and intestinal pains, and is used to wash the head with hair loss. Aqueous infusion of flowers in the form of lotions is used for eye diseases. An infusion of leaves is used to gargle the throat with sore throat. Chopped fresh leaves are applied to wounds for faster healing.
Medicinal forms and applications. Internally – infusion (1 teaspoon of raw material per glass of boiling water, infuse for 30 minutes, strain) 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.