Are honeysuckle honeysuckle fruits edible or not?

Many gardeners grow honeysuckle on their property. Varieties of edible, or blue, honeysuckle produce a rich harvest of tasty and healthy berries; decorative varieties decorate alleys and gazebos. One of them is honeysuckle. This climbing shrub is used for vertical gardening; its flowers are used in the cosmetics industry. Let's consider the features of honeysuckle honeysuckle, whether its berries are edible or not.

Honeysuckle Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle Honeysuckle, or goat, is loved by summer residents for its fast-growing greenery and abundant flowering. The climbing shrub tolerates formative pruning well and is used for landscaping fences, gazebos, and terraces.

From May to July, the plant is covered with white or pinkish flowers with a delicate aroma that intensifies in the evening.

Interesting! The essential oil contained in honeysuckle flowers is used as an aphrodisiac.

At the end of July - beginning of August, orange or red berries with a diameter of 6–8 mm ripen on the bushes.

Are the fruits edible or not?

Like other types of decorative honeysuckle, Honeysuckle berries are inedible. They taste very unpleasant, with a sharp, persistent bitterness. They contain the glycoside xylostein, which causes digestive system disorders: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

How poisonous are honeysuckle berries?

There is no reliable information about the degree of toxicity of the fruits, since special studies have not been conducted. Those at greatest risk are young children exploring their garden plots and trying to get their teeth into everything.Just a few berries can cause abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

Important! If there are signs of poisoning, seek medical attention.

An adult would have to eat at least a handful of berries to feel the symptoms of poisoning. Given the very unpleasant taste, it is almost impossible to consume them in quantities necessary to cause serious poisoning.

How to distinguish edible honeysuckle from inedible ones

Varieties edible honeysuckle recognized by the following signs:

• non-climbing shrub no more than 2 m high;
• the fruiting period occurs at the very beginning of summer;
• the berries are dark blue or blue-blue, on long stalks;
• the fruits are elongated, spindle-shaped, covered with a waxy coating;
• The taste is pleasant, some varieties have a slight bitterness.

Decorative inedible honeysuckle grows strongly (height honeysuckle reaches 6 m). The berries of such plants are small and round in shape. The color changes from bright orange to dark red. The fruits are located on short stalks and often grow together. This, for example, happens in common honeysuckle, which is popularly called wolfberry.

Honeysuckle in folk medicine

Infusions of leaves and flowers have antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects.

Attention! Before using medications, consult your doctor.

Raw materials are harvested at the beginning of honeysuckle flowering. First, dry in the shade or in a dehydrator at +35…+40°C. Dried flowers are stored in an airtight container, away from sunlight, for a year, leaves - up to 2 years.

Infusion for cystitis

Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and diuretic effect, the infusion alleviates the condition of chronic cystitis.

Take 1 tsp.dry leaves, pour a glass of hot water (+90°C) and leave for about half an hour. Strain the liquid, take 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day.

For a cold

To reduce fever during colds, use an infusion of flowers: 1 tsp. raw materials are poured with a glass of hot (+90°C) water and infused for an hour. The strained infusion is taken 1 tbsp. l. in the morning and in the evening.

Rinse for sore throat

As an additional anti-inflammatory agent for stomatitis, sore throat, and pharyngitis, rinsing with an infusion of leaves is used.

For this, 1 tbsp. l. dried leaves are poured with 250 ml of hot (+90°C) water and left for 10–15 minutes. The cooled infusion is filtered and used to rinse the mouth and throat.

For the treatment of wounds

Honeysuckle leaves promote rapid healing of minor cuts and scrapes. To do this, fresh raw materials are kneaded until juice appears, wrapped in gauze and applied to the lesions.

Conclusion

Due to the fast growth, beauty of flowers and fruits Honeysuckle used for vertical gardening. Are ornamental honeysuckle berries edible? No, many types of crops contain xylostein, which causes food poisoning. The fruits taste very bitter.

Honeysuckle leaves and flowers are used for medicinal purposes. They have antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diuretic and healing properties.