Passion flower or Passiflora, is a vine known for its beautiful white flowers with purple, blue, or pink calyx crown blooms. The plant is native to North, Central, and South America. It was discovered by the West when Spanish explorers first ventured into Peru and came across the Aztec Indians, who were fond of using Passiflora as a sedative and analgesic.

Recent studies have renewed interest in the herb. Researchers don’t know exactly how passionflower works, but they theorise that compounds in the plant, known as flavonoids and alkaloids, regulate the neurotransmitters in your nervous system that reduce anxiety. (One of its active constituents includes harmine; the ingredient used as a ‘truth serum’ by the Germans in World War II, by virtue of its ability to relax the mind and create a contemplative state.)

 

Studies on passion flower are limited but promising. In a double-blind study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics in 2001, 32 people suffering from general anxiety disorder were treated daily with 45 drops of passionflower liquid extract or 30 mg of oxazepam, a common anti-anxiety drug. After four weeks, both groups showed a significant decrease in their anxiety symptoms. But none of the people taking passionflower reported severely impaired job performance, while 44 percent of the patients taking oxazepam did.

 

In a study published in 2002 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, researchers gave passionflower extract to alcohol-addicted mice undergoing alcohol withdrawal. The herbal extract reduced the mice’s withdrawal anxiety by up to 90 percent compared to mice that received no treatment.

 

It seems that the constituents in Passion flower somehow decrease the activity of nerve cells in the brain, causing relaxation and is therefore helpful for anxiety and insomnia because of its calming effect. It is also effective in increasing the activity of feel good neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. This makes it anti-depressive, a useful alternative to St John’s Wort for those who can’t take it.

 

Stress and depression are on the increase today in our 24/7 wired world and the nerve relaxant, blood pressure lowering effects of Passiflora make it of prime interest to those vulnerable to stress symptoms. It can also be helpful during the menopause, when falling hormone levels can make women prone to anxiety and depression.

 

The overall effect of Passiflora, when used as a whole herb, is as a gentle but effective relaxant that calms the central nervous system with no addictive properties, so it is appropriate for a whole host of conditions, from sleeping problems to nerve spasms. In addition to being helpful for anxiety, stress, insomnia, and nervous gastrointestinal conditions, the passion flower is also commonly used for pain relief, digestive upsets, painful periods and haemorrhoids.

 

You can take Passion flower in capsule form or you can use the dried herbs. To make an anxiety-easing tea, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of the dried herb. Steep for 15 minutes, strain, and drink 1 cup twice a day.

 

Passionflower appears to be safe when taken in the recommended doses, but it may make you drowsy. Talk to your health care practitioner before using passionflower if you have a bleeding or clotting disorder or take sedative medications, including antihistamines and sleep aids; the herb can intensify their effects. Don’t exceed recommended dosages and don’t take the herb if you’re pregnant or nursing.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 2:20 am and is filed under Herbs, Stress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.