"While it is not emphasized nowadays, this herb also tonifies deficiency, enriches the blood, and alleviates thirst. Encountering the Sources of the Classic of Materia Medica says that it 'resolves toxicity and expels pus; within its draining is tonification, and it is a sage-like herb for sores that have perforated.' Essentials of the Materia Medica observes (with its own annotations in parentheses) that Lonicera Flos (jin yin hua) is "sweet, cold, and enters the Lungs. Disperses heat, resolves toxicity (clearing heat is resolving toxicity), tonifies deficiency (it tonifies like all sweet things), remedies wind, nourishes the blood, and stops thirst. ([Zhu] Dan-Xi says: Once abscesses and sores have quieted, thirst manifests ...one should use Lonicera Flos (jin yin hua) to nourish the blood, and Astragali Radix (huang qi) to tonify the qi: where can thirst then originate?" When treating externally-contracted wind-heat or warm pathogen disease, the heat-dispersing property of this herb is utilized; when treating swollen toxic sores, its ability to resolve toxicity is called upon. Charred, it enters the blood to treat dysenteric bleeding disorders due to heat toxin, cooling the blood and alleviating the dysenteric symptoms. It can be used for any stage of warm pathogen disease, from superficial to deep, in the nutritive or blood levels. Zhang Jie-Bin observes that 'if the toxin has not yet formed, it can disperse it; if the toxin has already formed, it can [cause it to] perforate.' Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians notes that Lonicerae Flos (jin yin hua) 'treats chills, fever, and swellings of the body.' Essentials of the Materia Medica says that the herb can 'enrich blood, alleviate thirst, and treat raised pruritic skin lesions.' Rectification of the Meaning of Materia Medica says that it 'excels at transforming toxicity, and thus treats all types of toxicity; sores both shallow and deep, toxic swellings, lichen simplex, red bayberry [sores, i.e., syphilis] and wind-dampness - truly, it is an important herb. It can disperse toxins which have not yet formed pus, and when pus has been formed, it can bring it to a head. However, its nature is gradual, and the dosage must be high. [It can be administered in a variety of forms:] it can be boiled in wine, or the juice pounded out, mixed in wine and consumed, or pulverized, mixed with wine and applied in a thick poultice."* -Bensky: Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica