English: Forsythia fruits
Chinese: 连翘
Parts used: Dried fruit
TCM category: Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity
TCM nature: Cool
TCM taste(s): Bitter
Organ affinity: Heart Lung Small intestine
Scientific name: Forsythia suspensa
Other names: Weeping forsythia fruit, Golden-bell fruit
Use of Lian Qiao (forsythia fruits) in TCM
Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitioner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Remove impurities, wash and dry
Dosage: 3 - 12 grams
Main actions according to TCM*: Expels Heat and toxicity from the Blood. Dispels External Wind-Heat. Reduces lumps, swollen lymph nodes and sores of a Heated nature.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which Lian Qiao may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Carbuncles Boils Lymphadenitis Mastitis Erysipelas Urinary tract infection Oliguria Sore throat Dry mouth
Contraindications*: This herb should not be used by those with Deficiency and Cold Spleen/Stomach conditions, nor should it be used for sores that are already open or caused by Yin Deficiency.
Common TCM formulas in which Lian Qiao is used*
Yin Qiao San
Source date: 1798 AD
Number of ingredients: 10 herbs
Formula key actions: Disperses Wind Heat. Clears Heat. Resolves Toxicity.
Conditions targeted*: Common coldInfluenza and others
Lian Qiao is a king ingredient in Yin Qiao San. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Yin Qiao San, Lian Qiao acrid, cool, and fragrant. It releases the Exterior, clear Heat from
the Lungs and resolve Toxicity.
Jing Jie Lian Qiao Tang
Source date: 1773 AD
Number of ingredients: 12 herbs
Formula key actions: Dispels Wind. Clears toxic-Heat. Disperses Stagnation.
Conditions targeted*: RhinitisTonsillitis and others
Lian Qiao is a king ingredient in Jing Jie Lian Qiao Tang. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Jing Jie Lian Qiao Tang, Lian Qiao releases pathogens from the Exterior and dispel Wind with Japanese catnip. It also resolves toxic-Heat by dispersing toxin accumulation.
Liang Ge San
Source date: 1107 AD
Number of ingredients: 8 herbs
Formula key actions: Drains Fire. Unblocks the bowels by clearing the Upper Burner. Draining the Middle Burner.
Conditions targeted*: PharyngitisStomatitis and others
Lian Qiao is a king ingredient in Liang Ge San. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Liang Ge San, Lian Qiao clears Heat and resolving Toxicity. It enters the Heart channel to disperse pathogenic Heat, eliminates all types of Heat from the Upper Burner, and is a specific herb for treating sores.
Key TCM concepts behind Lian Qiao's properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Lian Qiao belongs to the 'Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity' category. Herbs in this category are used to clear inflammatory and infectious conditions, referred to as 'Internal Heat' in TCM. This is why most of the herbs in this category will have both antibacterial and antiviral properties. In TCM one has too much 'Internal Heat' in their body as a result of a deficiency of 'Yin' (which is Cold in nature, see our explanation on Yin and Yang) or, more commonly, an Excess of Yang (Hot in nature). Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity treat the latter while, at the same time, removing infectious toxins from the body. As such they tend to be Cold or Neutral in nature.
As suggested by its category Lian Qiao is Cool in nature. This means that Lian Qiao tends to help people who have too much 'Heat' in their body, although with less effect than a plant that would be Cold in nature. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much Heat in their body are said to either have a Yang Excess (because Yang is Hot in nature) or a Yin deficiency (Yin is Cold in Nature). Depending on your condition Lian Qiao can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Lian Qiao also tastes Bitter. The so-called 'Five Phases' theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Bitter ingredients like Lian Qiao tends to have a cleansing action on the body by clearing Heat, drying Dampness and promoting elimination via urination or bowel movements.
The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what Organs and Meridians they target. As such Lian Qiao is thought to target the Heart, the Lung and the Small intestine. In addition to regulating Blood flow, in TCM the Heart is believed to be the store of the 'Mind' which basically refers to someone's vitality. In addition to performing respiration, the Lungs are thought in TCM to be a key part of the production chain for Qi and the Body Fluids that nourish the body. Like the Stomach, the Small Intestine has a digestive role, extracting the "pure" part of what we injest to the Spleen and the "impure" down to the Large Intestine.
Research on Lian Qiao
Bofu-tsusho-san (consisting of Forsythiae Fructus) could be a useful herbal medicine in treating obesity with impaired glucose tolerance.1
Sources:
1. Hioki C, Yoshimoto K, Yoshida T. (2004). Efficacy of bofu-tsusho-san, an oriental herbal medicine, in obese Japanese women with impaired glucose tolerance. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. , 31(9):614-9.