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Passionflower, Passiflora incarnata

Proposed Uses: Anxiety; Drug Addiction; Insomnia; Nervous Stomach

The passionflower vine is a native of the Western hemisphere, named for symbolic connections drawn between its appearance and the crucifixion of Jesus. Native North Americans used passionflower primarily as a mild sedative. It quickly caught on as a folk remedy in Europe and was thereafter adopted by professional herbalists as a sedative and digestive aid.

In 1985, Germany's Commission E officially approved passionflower as a treatment for "nervous unrest." The herb is considered to be a mildly effective treatment for anxiety and insomnia, less potent than kava and valerian, but nonetheless useful. It is also used for nervous stomach.

However, there is only weak supporting scientific evidence that passionflower works for these purposes. The active ingredients in passionflower are not known.

Dosage
The proper dosage of passionflower is 1 cup 3 times daily of a tea made by steeping 1 teaspoon of dried leaves for 10 to 15 minutes. Passionflower tinctures and powdered extracts should be taken according to the label instructions.

Safety Issues
Passionflower is on the FDA's generally recognized as safe list.
The alkaloids harman and harmaline found in passionflower have been found to act somewhat like the drugs known as MAO inhibitors and also to stimulate the uterus, but whether whole passionflower has these effects remains unknown.

Passionflower might increase the action of sedative medications. Finally, there are five case reports from Norway of individuals becoming temporarily mentally impaired from a combination herbal product containing passionflower.  It is not clear whether the other ingredients may have played a role.

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