Passionflower

Apart from its beautiful exotic look and vibrant colours, the Passionflower not only produces a delicious, tangy fruit – it has considerable health benefits too!

What is Passionflower?

Passionflower or Passiflora Incarnata is a climbing vine that bears beautiful, exotic looking flowers.

Its chemical composition produces calming, sleep-inducing and muscle spasm relieving effects.

The plant was well known to Native Americans, who used the plant to treat boils, wounds, earaches and liver problems.

In Europe, Passionflower was used to treat anxiety, restlessness, and agitation.

What are the Health Benefits of Passionflower?

The benefits are numerous. Here are a few:

Relief from Depression Caused By Menopause

Its calming effect makes Passionflower particularly popular in the world of herbal anti-anxiety and sedative agents. Studies found that the plant may alleviate such symptoms as hot flashes, insomnia and night sweats. This is why it is considered an effective remedy against menopause related depression.¹

Regulation of Sleeping Disorders

Due to its anti-anxiety and sedative effect, Passionflower is used to regulate sleeping disorders. It has been reported that people who took the remedy at bedtime experienced significant improvement in their quality of sleep and reduction of insomnia. This in turn contributed to improvement in sleepless symptoms such as headaches, depression and anxiety.¹The added benefit of being a muscle relaxant can improve quality of sleep in terms of reducing involuntary muscle twitches through the night. It helps prevent sleep disturbances, acting as a muscle relaxant.¹

Antioxidants

Given the environment in which we live and the chemicals added to so much of what we eat, we all know the importance of antioxidants.

Passionflower is a powerful antioxidant due to the presence of a large number of antioxidant compounds including vitexin, isovitexin, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin, apigenin and luteolin glycosides, to name a few. Antioxidants are useful to neutralise the harmful effects of free radicals and prevent various chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.²

Anti-Inflammatory Remedy

Due to its bioactive compounds, Passionflower extract is a highly effective anti-inflammatory. It does this by preventing the production of inflammatory mediators, decreasing leukocyte migration and granuloma mass. Some studies found that the plant has a likely role in the treatment of neuropathic pain.³

Blood Sugar Management

Passionflower leaves have significant hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic properties. The leaves have long been used as a traditional treatment for diabetes mellitus. Studies show that the bioactive compounds extracted from the plant may reduce blood glucose levels in diabetic mice.⁴

Lower Blood Pressure Regulation

Passionflower extract is found to reduce high blood pressure and is therefore recommended for people with mild hypertension. Ayurveda suggests using a mixture of three herbs for the treatment of hypertension; Punarnava, Passionflower and Hawthorn Berry.⁵

Addiction Treatment

In a world of increasing addiction, the need for natural therapies to assist withdrawal symptoms is widely sought after. Withdrawal from addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and prescription drugs is accompanied with unpleasant side-effects.

Passionflower is demonstrating considerable promise in the treatment of addiction during detoxification and withdrawal phases. Some studies show that Passionflower extracts are helpful against withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, irritability, nausea, insomnia, high blood pressure, sweating, severe anxiety, depression and seizures.⁶

Is Passionflower Safe?

Passionflower is generally considered safe. However, it is not recommended for use by pregnant women or sufferers of liver disease.

Due to its lowering of blood pressure, if you are taking blood pressure medication, it’s important you consult with your doctor before commencing Passionflower treatment.

This herbal remedy can also have powerful sedative effects, so it is advised that you don’t drive or operate machinery while taking Passionflower in reasonable quantities.

As you can see, Passionflower really does have some incredible health benefits. Speak to your health practitioner to find out if Passionflower is a good alternative for you.

Properties

Anti-Inflammatory³
Anti-Stress¹^,⁹
Antioxidant²
Anxiety¹^,¹⁰
Blood Pressure – Reduction⁷
Brain Function / Neuroprotective¹^,¹⁰
Concentration⁸
Dementia Prevention²
Depression¹^,¹⁰
Diabetes / Blood Sugar⁴
Digestive Function²
Headaches³
Hypertension⁷
Insomnia & Sleep Support⁹
Liver Health²^,⁴
Menopause¹^,¹⁰
Muscle Spasms³
Pain Relief³
Sedative¹^,⁹^,¹⁰
Toxin Removal²
Wound Healing³

References