What is forsythia?

The main medicinal part of forsythia extract is the fruit, medicinally it refers to the dried fruits of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, which is a plant that belongs to the family Oleaceae. Other names of forsythia include Golden Bell, forsythia fruit, Forsythiae Fructus, Forsythia Suspensa Fructus, Forsythia Suspensa Vahl, Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae, and so on. In China it is basically produced in Northeast China, North China, the Yangtze River, and Yunnan province. It has long been known as the panacea for people who are particularly susceptible to skin infections, e.g. boils, furunculosis, carbuncles, abscesses, and more. If added into daily skin care, this herb can be also one of the most cost-effective ways for a number of skin problems, such as chafing, redness of the skin, acne, skin inflammation, etc. Because of that, it has become one common ingredient in many purely plant based skin-care products. TCM wise this drug, often shown together with Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower) and Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion), is widely used in many acne herbal remedies. IdoBio is processed into forsythia extract with different proportions and contents through plant extraction process.

Pharmacological actions of forsythia extract

1. forsythia extract has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Main antibacterial components are forsythol and its volatile oils, which have a strong inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella and a certain inhibition on influenza virus, leptospira, and other pathogens;

2. It has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects;

3. The oleanolic acid contained can strengthen the heart, induce diuresis, and lower high blood pressure;

4. The vitamin P contained can reduce vascular permeability and fragility and thus prevent hemolysis;

5. Its decoction can prevent vomiting and protect liver from damage.