Passion Flower
(Passiflora incarnata)
Family: PASSIFLORACEAE
Energetics: Cooling to neutral. Neutral.
Taste: Bitter (leaf). Sour (fruit)
Tissue States: Irritation. Constriction.
Systems Affected: Liver. Nervous system (special affinity for the medulla oblongata & vagus nerve), Heart.
Parts Used: Leaf (medicinal). Fruit (food).
Key Components: Alkaloids (including harmine, harman, harmon & passiflorine), Flavone glycosides, flavonoids (rutin), fatty acids, sterols.
Preparations & dosage: Infusion: 1 tsp per cup of boiling water. Infuse for 15 minutes. Drink 1 cup per day for sleep & 1 cup 2x per day for other conditions. Tincture: 1-4 ml taken same as infusion. In many sleepy time formulas but is more relaxing itself and not so much sedative.
Actions:
Foundational: Bitter. Relaxant.
Primary: Mild sedative. Hypotensive. Nervine.
Secondary: Antispasmodic. Anodyne. Trophorestorative (nervous system).
Uses:
Brain/nervous system: Passionflower is used for insomnia when there is circular thinking, stress or worry that keeps someone from falling asleep. It can also be helpful with anxiety. It has also been known to be helpful in certain neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and epilepsy. Other nerve issues passionflower may be helpful for is nerve pain from shingles.
As a bitter nervine, I also wonder if it would be another herb helpful with children who throw frequent tantrums. Although perhaps not, it is said that herbs that are of a more neutral nature energetically are beneficial to a wider variety of people, but I've read that that does not appear to be true of passionflower and the indications for it are very specific. More for the person who is weak and run down. People who suffer from insomnia but are exhausted. People who are fragile from illness, age or stress. It's used for these weakened state people to slowly build and strengthen the nervous system.
It is said that Passionflower affects the heart and can help lower blood pressure, but I'm now wondering if this doesn't have more to do with it's affinity for the nervous system and it's ability to calm thus making it helpful in stress related hypertension.
As an antispasmodic: Passionflower has been used in epilepsy and other seizure disorders as well as Parkinson's disease, tetanus and Pertussis (whooping cough). Taking as early as possible helps to make it more effective in these cases.
Specific for relieving circular thoughts. Intransigent insomnia. Helps transition to a peaceful sleep without the narcotic hangover. Antispasmodic action in such cases as Parkinson’s, seizures & hysteria. Nerve pain such as neuralgia & shingles. Asthma associated with tension. Nervous cerebral overstimulation & spasms, convulsions & tremors that follow nervous overstimulation. Calms the cerebral cortex. Body trembling die to anxiety (or possibly helpful for shakes due to early Parkinson’s)Hiccups, vomiting (Vagus nerve). Insomnia due to overstimulation of the mind & excessive thinking, circular thoughts. Increases concentration during waking hours without causing drowsiness by cutting down the “internal chatter”. Think the chronic worrier. Specific for insomnia caused by excessive thinking but not due to pain. Acts on nerve centers that control respiration & blood pressure so good for spasmodic cough & temporary high blood pressure caused by tension & stress. Whooping cough. Nervous Asthma. Digestive irritation (hiccough, vomiting, indigestion) caused by nervous stimulation. Tetanus (Matthew Wood). Fever with delirium & low muttering.
My personal experience with Passion Flower: Well, it smells better before you steep it, of that I'm sure. It smells nothing like the name. When I think of passion flower, I think if a sweet fruity taste/smell. NOPE. I mean I know, it being leaves, that there no chance of it being anything like that. Ok, lets taste it.. 1 teaspoon steeped in 1 cup of just boiled water for 5-10 minutes (I set my timer for 5 minutes then got distracted after I turned the timer off). Luckily, it tastes better than it smells. Not my favorite, but it's alright. I want to say it tastes grassy.
Combines well with: Valerian. Skullcap. Wood Betony. Chamomile. Hawthorn. Rose.
Identifying:
Growing:
Harvesting:
Contraindications: Children 4 and under can tend to become overstimulated by large doses can also cause vomiting in these children. Dirty heavily coated tongue.
Sources:
Studies:
Efficacy and Safety of a Polyherbal Sedative-Hypnotic Formulation NSF-3 in Primary Insomnia in Comparison to Zolpidem: A Randomized Controlled Trial: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3608291/
Passionflower in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11679026/
Comparing the Effect of Preoperative Administration of Melatonin and Passiflora Incarnata on Postoperative Cognitive Disorders in Adult Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28920038
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