Posted on 10/24/2014 7:07:29 AM PDT by tired&retired
Chinese researchers have discovered what they say is the first ‘virological penicillin’ – MIR2911, a molecule found naturally in a Chinese herb called honeysuckle.
Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a well-known Chinese herb. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it has been used to effectively treat influenza infection for centuries.
Several previous studies have confirmed that the herb, usually consumed in the form of a tea, can suppress the replication of influenza virus.
However, the active anti-viral components and the mechanism by which they block viral replication have remained unclear.
Now, a team of researchers headed by Dr Chen-Yu Zhang of Nanjing University in China has identified MIR2911 (honeysuckle-encoded atypical microRNA2911) as the first active component directly targeting various influenza viruses, including the swine flu H1N1, highly pathogenic avian H5N1 and H7N9 infections.
(Excerpt) Read more at sci-news.com ...
Is this the honeysuckle that grows like Kudzu?
This could be good news, but I don’t trust any scientific PR coming out of China.
A horticultural expert in your family - how great is that! We used to pull the stamen from the flowers and suck the nectar off them but that is as bold as it gets for me. I would like to know more about the tea just for FMI. Another poster said he had loads of the stuff and I am sure they would enjoy recipes. Will she be posting here?
They don’t get the flu or colds either!
I guess this is the same stuff growing wild in the south? We used to pull the flowers and then nip the bottom off the buds to get the nectar. We also ate huckleberries which were mostly seed but tasty.
I read that the red berries from honeysuckle here in MO are poisonous.
I don’t remember the red berries from honeysuckle. Did you mean holly? Anyway, Kittnmom, another poster, said they have a horticulturalist in the family. Let’s see what she has to say.
so far from what I gather on the net, yes, the honeysuckle here in the South that grows out of control is the invasive species Japanese Honeysuckle. Check out pictures on the net just to make sure yours is the same.
Anyway, it has been used forever in Chinese Med for a number of things. It seems mostly the dried flower blooms early in the summer are used for tea. I wish I could find info about the leaves because this damn plant stays green most of the winter.
Recipe is equal parts honeysuckle flowers, water and sugar. Add a spoon of lemon juice and pectin and proceed as in any other jelly. Of course, the flowers are steeped in the water and drained.
Same basic recipe for corn cob jelly.
Probably later. She can read FR from work, but does not log in and post, just to keep on the safe side of any monitoring there.
A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread
only about 1 in 20-30 are any good but it is tasty.
Well what we have in the South is just good old Honeysuckle which grows like a weed. I guess its the same stuff that grows in China.
It’s the same stuff. Lonicera japonica was brought to the US in the 1800s from Japan.
> If good old Tennessee Honeysuckle has the same properties, I’m willing to share! (can’t get rid of the stuff!)
Is Tennessee Honeysuckle Japanese Honeysuckle?
There are 28 varieties of honeysuckle and only 2 of them are fragrant. And only one of those is used for teas, the Japanese version.
I’m sure the honeysuckle in Tennessee is the same as here in North Carolina. I’ve never thought about it being an introduced plant species. It’s everywhere. It’s a fragrant variety. Pick a bloom, pull out the stamen and it’s lightly covered with a sweet tasting nectar, I think everybody’s done that as a kid down here. Hence the name, I suppose.
But, just think if they found a wonderful cure for some awful disease. You would have yourself a motherload of those damn leaves:-)
“Encyclopedia of Medicinal herbs by Andrew Chevallier”
I will check it out. I have and use often the PDR of Medicinal Herbs which shows the chemistry and discusses which ingredient is doing the work and why. It’s several inches thick and is my bible for herbal cures.
Surprisingly, last month at the state psychiatric association conference they spent a lot of time on herbal medicine in psychiatric treatment.
OK thanks
I think “japonica” means “Japanese” in Latin.
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