Forsythia Bush (Forsythia intermedia)

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP – Living in Natures Love Lifestyles @insideawareness.com

tea kettle Mortar Edible

Forsyhia – easy starter

Also known as: ‘Golden Bell’

Uses: Culinary, Medicinal, Cosmetics

Parts used: Seeds, Flower, Leaves, Twigs & Roots

Preparation: Teas, Extract, Essential Oil, Flower Essences, Juice, Syrups, Dedoctions, Poultices

Symbolizes: Transformation
Language of Flowers meaning: Anticipation
Associated with: Crown Chakra
Element: Air
Governed by: Sun

When Forsythia blooms on bare branches in early spring it is stunning. One of the earliest spring bloomers with yellow flowers grouped in clusters. Each flower has four lobes. The bark is yellowish brown in colour and has raised lenticels (bumps). It is a fast grow bush and can grow from one to two feet per year to height of 3 meters (10’) tall and 3.5 meters (12’) wide. They can be grown as hedgerows or ornamental’s and they enjoy full sun to partial shade.

Easy Starters – Cut branch and insert in moist soil!

Culinary

The flowers are edible and can be steams or used to make jelly and syrups. They can be used fresh or dried for making tea.

Learn more about Forsythia & Dandelion Jelly

Health and Wellness

Seed Pods called Fruit in Chinese Traditional Medicine

After flowering this bushes forms fruit (seed pods) that are used in Chinese Herbal formulas for treating the common cold, influenza, and allergies. There are two stages that they pick and use these seed pods. One stage is when the pods are unripe and green and the other, ripe and yellow.

In Chinese Traditional Medicine these seeds are a detoxicant for treating toxic and hot conditions like inflammatory and infectious diseases as it clears the body of toxic heat (sore throats, swollen lymph glands, flues, fever and, chills. . This includes viral and bacterial infections such as; colds, bronchitis, strep throat. They use it to give relief to carbuncles (staph abscesses that go deeper and get larger than boils) and more:

a diuretic
stimulant for blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus
reduce fever
expel intestinal worms
a skin tonic for chronic skin eruptions, acne or dermatitis and antiscrofulous (Scrofula is a tuberculous infection of the skin on the neck).
prevent vomiting
protect liver from damage

In Western Cultures, extracts of forsythia fruit has become one common ingredient in many plant based skin-care products and is now used in cosmetic products, hair care (e.g., hair growth liniments and anti-dandruff shampoos), skin care (e.g., acne cream) and foot care (e.g., athlete’s foot) products for their antimicrobial and traditional detoxifying properties.