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Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle is a plant whose parts growing above the ground are used to make medicine. Honeysuckle is used together with conventional treatment for diabetes and as a diuretic. In combination with other medicinal plants, rue is used to stimulate the adrenal cortex and pancreas, to protect the liver, for digestive problems and to stimulate milk flow in breastfeeding women. Some people use herbal combinations containing honeysuckle as a tonic or for "blood cleansing".

How does honeysuckle work?

Honeysuckle contains a chemical that could lower blood sugar levels, at least in a test tube. However, it is unclear whether honeysuckle also has this effect in humans.

How effective is rue?

There is not enough scientific data to be able to make a statement about the effectiveness of rue for diabetes and digestive problems, as well as when used for the purpose of "blood purification". Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of honeysuckle in these applications.

Safety and side effects

There is not enough information to assess whether honeysuckle is safe and harmless. There are no reports of adverse effects in humans, but fatal poisoning has occurred in grazing animals that have eaten large amounts of rue.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of rue during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid rue.

Diabetes: Honeysuckle may interfere with effective diabetes treatment. For this reason, diabetics should not use honeysuckle.

Operations: Honeysuckle could affect blood sugar levels and there are therefore concerns that honeysuckle could interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. For this reason, you should stop taking honeysuckle two weeks before an operation.

Interactions

Care should be taken when combining honeysuckle with the following medications.

Diabetes medication

Honeysuckle could lower blood sugar. Diabetes medication is also used to lower blood sugar levels. Taking honeysuckle in combination with diabetes medication could result in an excessive drop in blood sugar levels. For this reason, blood glucose levels should be carefully monitored. It is possible that the dosage of diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of honeysuckle depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for honeysuckle. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. Atanasov AT. Effect of Galega officinalis L. extract on platelet aggregation in rats. J Herbs Spices Med Plants 1995;3:71-6.
  2. Huxtable CR, Dorling RR, Colegate SM. Identification of galegine, an isoprenyl guanidine, as the toxic principle of Schoenus asperocarpus (poison sedge). Aust Vet J 1993;70:169-71.
  3. Neef H, Augustijns P, Declercq P, et al. Inhibitory effects of Galega officinalis on glucose transport across monolayers of human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2). Pharm Pharmacol Lett 1996;6:86-9.