Product Overview
Parts used: Dried fruit
TCM category: Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity
TCM nature: Cool
TCM taste(s): Bitter
Meridian affinity: Heart Lung Small intestine
Scientific name: Forsythia suspensa
Other names: Weeping forsythia fruit, Golden-bell fruit
Use of forsythia fruits (Lian Qiao) 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 practitionner, 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 forsythia fruits 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 forsythia fruits are used*:
For food poisoning and overindulgence in rich and greasy foods or alcohol with symptoms of abdominal bloating, belching and acid regurgitation combine forsythia fruits with hawthorn berries (Shan Zha), radish seeds (Lai Fu Zi), medicated leaven (Shen Qu), tangerine peel (Chen Pi), crow-dipper rhizomes (Ban Xia) and poria-cocos mushrooms (Fu Ling).
For External Wind Heat with fever, sore throat, chills and red eyes combine forsythia fruits with mulberry leaves (Sang Ye), chrysanthemum flowers (Ju Hua), wild mint (Bo He) and platycodon roots (Jie Geng).
For high fevers with delirium and unconsciousness combine forsythia fruits with cape jasmine fruits (Zhi Zi), baikal skullcap roots (Huang Qin) and fermented soybeans (Dan Dou Chi).
For swollen glands combine forsythia fruits with maral roots (Lou Lu) and rhubarb (Da Huang).
For severe colds, flu or upper respiratory tract infections combine forsythia fruits with honeysuckle flowers (Jin Yin Hua), platycodon roots (Jie Geng), greater burdock fruits (Niu Bang Zi), wild mint (Bo He), fermented soybeans (Dan Dou Chi), lophatherum herbs (Dan Zhu Ye), common reed rhizomes (Lu Gen), liquorice (Gan Cao), notopterygium roots (Qiang Huo) and woad roots (Ban Lan Gen).
For external application on hardened breast sores combine forsythia fruits with honeycomb (Feng Fang) and dandelions (Pu Gong Ying).
For swollen glands combine forsythia fruits with honeycomb (Feng Fang), frankincense (Ru Xiang), fritillary bulbs (Chuan Bei Mu) and heal-all spikes (Xia Ku Cao).
Key TCM concepts behind forsythia fruits (Lian Qiao)'s properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), forsythia fruits are plants that belong 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 '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 forsythia fruits are plants that are Cool in nature. This means that forsythia fruits tend 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 forsythia fruits can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Forsythia fruits also taste Bitter. The so-called "five elements" theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Bitter ingredients like forsythia fruits tend 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 forsythia fruits are 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 "spirit" which basically refers to someone's vitality. In addition to performing respiration, the Lungs are thought 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.
