Natural Product Research and Development – Forsythia suspensa Special Topic
Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, a dried fruit of the Oleaceae plant Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.), is mainly produced in Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, and Shaanxi provinces. When the fruit is first ripe, it is harvested and processed as “Qingqiao”, and when the fruit is fully ripe, it is harvested and processed as “Laoqiao”. As a natural medicine, Forsythia suspensa has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing wind heat, reducing swelling and dispersing nodules. Modern pharmacology is mainly related to antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial effects, and it is widely used in clinical practice. In the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, more than 100 varieties of forsythia suspensa were included in the formulated preparations with forsythia suspensa as the main component, such as Lianhua Qingwen capsule, Shuanghuanglian series preparations, etc. These preparations also played a huge role during the COVID-19, demonstrating the significant potential of forsythia suspensa.

The medicinal effects of Forsythia suspensa leaves and Forsythia suspensa fruits recorded in traditional Chinese medicine classics are extremely similar. Modern chemical analysis shows that the two also have significant similarities in chemical composition, both containing Forsythia suspensa glycoside A, Forsythia suspensa glycoside, Forsythia suspensa lipin, etc. In terms of antibacterial effect, Forsythia suspensa leaves are superior to Forsythia suspensa. In addition, research has found that Forsythia suspensa flowers are rich in compounds such as rutin, hyperoside, and oleanolic acid, making them highly valuable for development. The volatile oil of Forsythia suspensa is a substance in Forsythia suspensa that has been overlooked but has obvious pharmacological activity. It has good antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and other effects. Therefore, the new version of the pharmacopoeia has stipulated the content of volatile oil of Forsythia suspensa. Based on this, this topic focuses on the research results related to the analysis of components, pharmacological activity, quality evaluation, and resource development of Forsythia suspensa in this journal, in order to provide reference for the comprehensive development and utilization of Forsythia suspensa.