Forsythiae Fructus( Lianqiao) is classed from near-mature fruit and hyper-mature fruit,which are named as Qingqiao and Laoqiao,respectively. This article was based on the different views of which was better,Qingqiao or Laoqiao. Acorrding to the naming,varieties,habitat,harvesting and processing,used parts,medicinal properties and clinical efficacy,the herbalogical study was carried out. The results showed that Lianqiao had been sourced from the areial part of Hypericum ascyron and H. erectum of Clusiaceae before Tang Dynasty. Beside the former,and the fruit of Forsythia suspensa of Oleaceae was newly used as Lianqiao during the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty. The later had been the only origin of Lianqiao since the Song Dynasty. With the change of the medicinal varieties,the habitats of Lianqiao has also changed. The varieties of Clusiaceae were mainly produced in the Yellow River Basin from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty,they were produced in the south of the Yangtze River. The variety of Oleaceae was mainly produced in Shanxi,Henan,Shandong,Shaanxi,and northern Sichuan from the Tang and Song Dynasties. Currently,Shanxi and Henan have the largest output. Traditionally,there were two commercial varieties including Qingqiao and Laoqiao of Lianqiao based on the harvesting time. In traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) theory,Lianqiao removes evil heat and relieves toxicity,removes swelling and resolves enlarged nodes. Accroding to the effects of Lianqiao,Qingqiao was considered to be better than Laoqiao in TCM clinic. The modern research on main medicinal constituents and pharmacodynamic effects also confirmed the above mentioned facts. This paper can provide literature support for the rationalities of Qingqiao's mainstream medication and assay standard of Lianqiao in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
Keywords: Forsythia suspensa; Laoqiao(hyper-mature fruit of Forsythia suspensa); Qingqiao(near-mature fruit of Forsythia suspensa); herbalogical study.