Passionflower as an Herb

(Passiflora incarnata)

Passionflower is the dried aboveground parts (herb) of a member of the largely tropical American passionflower family.

The Passion flower, cultivated and sometimes grown as a house plant, was named by early missionaries in the early 1500s. They believed that several parts of the plant, including the petals, rays, and sepals, symbolized features of the crucifixion of Christ.

Passionflower was largely neglected until the mid-nineteenth century. It was introduced into medicine about 1840 by. L. Phares of Mississippi and by 1898 was in use by American physicians.

Medicinal Uses for Passionflower

Passionflower proves specially useful in the insomnia of infants and old people. It gives sleep to those who are laboring under the effects of mental worry or from mental overwork.

Formerly approved as an over-the-counter sedative and sleep aid, it was not recognized as effective by the US Food and Drug Administration in a 1978 review of nighttime sleep aids.

In European herbal medicine, passionflower products are used for nervous tension, especially in sleep disturbances or anxiety arising from restlessness. Recent research on passionflower indicates that several chemical components act together to cause these effects.

In addition, it is said to be of great service in epilepsy. Its narcotic properties cause it to be used in diarrhea and dysentery, neuralgia, and dysmenorrhoea.

The dried herb is generally available and is made into tea, tinctures, fluild extracts, and in Europe, sedative chewing gums.

Culinary

Extract used to flavor alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and in frozen dairy products. Passion fruit is edible, but seedy. It can be used to make jelly, but its best usage may come from being a food source for several species of butterfly and their larvae.

Cautions

Passionflower contains minute amounts of harman alkaloids which can reduce the effects of antidepressants based on monoamine oxidase inhibitors. In Germany, passionflower preparations may contain no more than 0.01 percent of harman alkaloids. Otherwise, no side effects or contraindications are reported for the herb.

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DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.