Passion Flower Extract Buy NEW!
Native to the southern United States, Passiflora incarnata is now widely cultivated throughout the US and Europe. Passionflower is utilized for its gentle calming properties. This vining plant has showy, intricate flowers, which caught the eye of Spanish missionaries who correlated the inflorescence with the Passion of the Christ, and thus dubbed the name passion flower. Our organic passionflower can be tinctured, steeped as passionflower tea, and incorporated into herbal infusions.
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Passionflower is cooling to the body, calming to the mind, and soothing to the spirit. It quells disquietude, calms the ruminating mind, and can promote natural relaxation and helps in coping with stress.* This plant is gentle yet profound. It can be administered as a soothing tea for children or the elderly and can help to calm a restless mind. Other common names include apricot vine, maypop, and wild passionflower.
Passiflora sp. has a rich history of traditional use dating back to pre-historic times. Seeds that were thousands of years old were found around Virginia, where the Algonkian Indians thrived. Early European settlers have records of the Algonkian Indians eating the passionflower fruit. The Cherokee used P. incarnata root extensively for a variety of purposes. Additionally, various parts of the plants, including the fruits, were made into a beverage, and the leaves and young tendrils were boiled or fried and eaten. Various indigenous groups were known to use the plant as a topical poultice. P. incarnata has had documented uses in Europe going back to 1787. In the spirit world, passionflower has been used as a magical charm to attract friendships and to bring peace, and the leaves can be placed in a house to illicit harmony and lessens discord.
The standard caveats apply to passion flower that apply to any other new medication or treatment: If you are already taking or planning to take another medication or supplement, consult with a qualified healthcare provider about potential interactions.
Toda K, Hitoe S, Takeda S, Shimizu N, Shimoda H. Passionflower extract induces high-amplitude rhythms without phase shifts in the expression of several circadian clock genes in vitro and in vivo. Int J Biomed Sci. 2017 Jun;13(2):84-92. PMID: 28824345; PMCID: PMC5542920.
Elsas SM, Rossi DJ, Raber J, et al. Passiflora incarnata L. (Passionflower) extracts elicit GABA currents in hippocampal neurons in vitro, and show anxiogenic and anticonvulsant effects in vivo, varying with extraction method. Phytomedicine. 2010;17(12):940-9. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2010.03.002
The calming effects of Passionflower were discovered in Peru in the 16th Century, though the Aztecs of Mexico were using it long before that. Today, you can enjoy the benefits of Passionflower's all-natural way to help you relax and drift off to sleep without feeling groggy when you wake up.*
Passiflora caerulea 'Waterloo Blue' has exotic-looking blue and white flowers with white and purple filaments. Also known as Passion Flower, Passiflora caerulea is a fast growing, aggressive perennial vine with tentacle-like projections and attractive deep green, finger-like, evergreen foliage. Waterloo Blue' is a long-blooming variety.
Please note: Depending on the time of year, the foliage of the plants may be trimmed to fit into our shipping boxes. This could delay the flowering of the plant, but many perennials actually benefit from being cut back.
Passionflower is an American plant that grows from Texas to Florida and up through the lower Midwest to Pennsylvania. The fruits may pop when stepped on, and so they are also called Maypop. The Cherokee in the Tennessee area call it Ocoee, and the Ocoee river valley is named in its honor. The vines, leaves, and flowers make good sleep and anti-anxiety medicine. These fruits are deliciously sweet and tart! I drive home from the farm and eat one or two slowly, carefully removing the pulp from around each little seed.
Passionflower was so named by Spanish missionaries as a teaching tool to explain the passion of Christ - with many of the flower parts representing elements of Jesus's last days and crucifixion (10 petals and sepals = 10 faithful apostles; 5 stamens = 5 wounds; 3 stigmas = 3 nails; corona = crown of thorns; etc).
Passionflower nectar is abundant at the center of the crimped, disc-like corona, so honeybees, carpenter bees, and fritillary butterflies squeeze under one of the five stamens, getting a good pollen rub-down on their way in. At the next flower, the pollen will be received as they brush past one of the three stigmas. Pollination!
Passionflower seeds are known to be difficult to germinate. Here are a few methods to try: Place seeds in a moist paper towel in the refrigerator for one month before planting into warm, well draining soil. Alternatively, try soaking in warm water for 2 days and then nicking slightly with a blade before planting. Germination can take at least one month. Another method is to plant the seeds in the fall and allow them to overwinter in freezing temperatures for germination in the spring. This is a spreading perennial, and if it likes where it has been planted, it could grow long roots underground, popping up in nearby beds in coming years. Choose its home wisely and you will be graced with bountiful vines, blooms, and fruits!
Combining beauty and a sweet/sour delicious fruit, Passionflower climbs quickly along trellises or fencing and makes for a wonderful privacy screen. The beautiful blooms resemble a kaleidoscope that attracts many pollinators. Otherwise known as Maypop for the sound the fruit makes when stepped on, Passionflower is sure to delight all senses!
Studies suggest that passionflower may reduce anxiety in patients undergoing surgery. Another study found that passionflower had similar affects as an anti-anxiety medication in reducing general anxiety. The properties in passionflower are thought to promote calming effects by increasing the levels of the chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which reduces the activity of some neurons that cause anxiety.
Pregnant women should not take passionflower, as the active compounds can stimulate uterine contractions. There is insufficient information available regarding the effects of passionflower in women who are breastfeeding; they should avoid passionflower as well.
I highly recommend that you consider passionflower instead of taking a synthetic drug or using alcohol or food to self-medicate when you are experiencing stress. It is calming without being sedating, and much safer than many of the popular anti-anxiety medications used today.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) was used traditionally in the Americas and later in Europe as a calming herb for anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and hysteria. It is still used today to treat anxiety and insomnia. Scientists believe passionflower works by increasing levels of a chemical called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA lowers the activity of some brain cells, making you feel more relaxed.
The effects of passionflower tend to be milder than other herbs used to treat anxiety including valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and kava (Piper methysticum). Passionflower is often combined with valerian, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), or other calming herbs. Few scientific studies have tested passionflower as a treatment for anxiety or insomnia, however. Because passionflower is often combined with other calming herbs, it is difficult to tell what effects passionflower has on its own.
Studies of people with generalized anxiety disorder show that passionflower is as effective as the drug oxazepam (Serax) for treating symptoms. Passionflower didn't work as quickly as oxazepam (day 7 compared to day 4). However, it produced less impairment on job performance than oxazepam. Other studies show that patients who were given passionflower before surgery had less anxiety than those given a placebo, but they recovered from anesthesia just as quickly.
Native to southeastern parts of the Americas, passionflower is now grown throughout Europe. It is a perennial climbing vine with herbaceous shoots and a sturdy woody stem that grows to a length of nearly 10 meters (about 32 feet). Each flower has 5 white petals and 5 sepals that vary in color from magenta to blue. According to folklore, passionflower got its name because its corona resembles the crown of thorns worn by Jesus during the crucifixion. The passionflower's ripe fruit is an egg-shaped berry that may be yellow or purple. Some kinds of passionfruit are edible.
PediatricNo studies have examined the effects of passionflower in children, so DO NOT give passionflower to a child without a doctor's supervision. Adjust the recommended adult dose to account for the child's weight.
Passionflower may increase the amount of time blood needs to clot, so it could make the effects of blood-thinning medications stronger and increase your risk of bleeding. Blood-thinning drugs include:
MAO inhibitors are an older class of antidepressants that are not often prescribed now. Theoretically, passionflower might increase the effects of MAOIs, as well as their side effects, which can be dangerous. These drugs include:
Akhondzadeh S, Naghavi HR, Vazirian M, Shayeganpour A, Rashidi H, Khani M. Passionflower in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2001;26:369-373.
Barbosa PR, Valvassori SS, Bordignon CL Jr, et al. The aqueous extracts of Passiflora alata and Passiflora edulis reduce anxiety-related behaviors without affecting memory process in rats. J Med Food. 2008;11:282-288. 041b061a72