Other Name(s):
Forsitia, Forsythia de Paris, Forsythia Fructus, Forsythia koreana, Forsythia suspensa, Forsythia Suspensa Fructus, Forsythia Suspensa Vahl, Forsythia viridissima, Fructus Forsythiae, Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae, Golden Bell, Lian Qiao, Lien Chiao, Mimosa de Paris, Rengyo, Syringa suspensa, Weeping Golden Bell.
- Overview
- Uses
- Side Effects
- Precautions
- Interactions
- Dosing
Forsythia is a plant. The fruit is used for medicine.
Forsythia is used for swelling of small air passages in the lung (bronchiolitis), tonsillitis, sore throat, fever, vomiting, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, pain and swelling (inflammation), and a severe skin rash with fever and vomiting caused by a bacterium (erysipelas).
Sometimes forsythia is given intravenously (by IV) in combination with other herbs for treating bronchiolitis.
How does work?
Forsythia might decrease inflammation. However, more information is needed to determine how forsythia might work.
Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- Inflammation of small air passages in the lung (bronchiolitis). Developing research suggests that children with bronchiolitis due to a particular infection (respiratory syncytial virus infection) get over their symptoms faster when given a combination of forsythia, honeysuckle, and Baikal skullcap intravenously (by IV).
- Tonsillitis.
- Sore throat.
- Fever.
- Gonorrhea.
- Pain and swelling (inflammation).
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of forsythia for these uses.
It is not known if forsythia is safe when taken by mouth. There is some information that an injectable form might be safe when used in children.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of forsythia during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Surgery: Because forsythia might slow blood clotting, there is a concern that it might cause extra bleeding during and after surgery. Stop taking forsythia at least two weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Forsythia might slow blood clotting. Taking forsythia along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
The appropriate dose of forsythia depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for forsythia. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
References
Chen X, Beutler JA, McCloud TG, et al. Tannic acid is an inhibitor of CXCL12 (SDF-1alpha)/CXCR4 with antiangiogenic activity. Clin Cancer Res 2003;9:3115-23. View abstract.
Iwakami S, Wu JB, Ebizuka Y, Sankawa U. Platelet activating factor (PAF) antagonists contained in medicinal plants: lignans and sesquiterpenes. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1992;40:1196-8. View abstract.
Kim MS, Na HJ, Han SW, et al. Forsythia fructus inhibits the mast-cell-mediated allergic inflammatory reactions. Inflammation 2003;27:129-35. View abstract.
Kong XT, Fang HT, Jiang GQ, et al. Treatment of acute bronchiolitis with Chinese herbs. Arch Dis Child 1993;68:468-71. View abstract.
Ming DS, Yu DQ, Yu SS. New Quinoid Glycosides from Forsythia suspensa. J Nat Prod 1998;61:377-9. View abstract.
Ozaki Y, Rui J, Tang Y, Satake M. Antiinflammatory effect of Forsythia suspensa Vahl and its active fraction. Biol Pharm Bull 1997;20:861-4. View abstract.
Ozaki Y, Rui J, Tang YT. Antiinflammatory effect of Forsythia suspensa V(AHL) and its active principle. Biol Pharm Bull 2000;23:365-7. View abstract.
Prieto JM, Recio MC, Giner RM, et al. Influence of traditional Chinese anti-inflammatory medicinal plants on leukocyte and platelet functions. J Pharm Pharmacol 2003;55:1275-82. View abstract.
Rouf AS, Ozaki Y, Rashid MA, Rui J. Dammarane derivatives from the dried fruits of Forsythia suspensa. Phytochemistry 2001;56:815-8. View abstract.
Tohda C, Kakihara Y, Komatsu K, Kuraishi Y. Inhibitory effects of methanol extracts of herbal medicines on substance P-induced itch-scratch response. Biol Pharm Bull 2000;23:599-601. View abstract.
Zhang GG, Song SJ, Ren J, Xu SX. A new compound from Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl with antiviral effect on RSV. J Herb Pharmcother 2003;2:35-40. View abstract.
