Passion Flower Extract

Species Name: Passiflora incarnata

Also Known As: Apricot vine, granadilla, Jamaican honeysuckle, maypop, passion flower, passion fruit, passion vine, purple passion flower, water lemon, and wild passion flower.

Passion flower or Passiflora incarnata, is a climbing vine native to North, Central, and South America.

This vine has been naturalized in many other parts of the world and today there are more than 400 species of the passion flower plant.

Passion flower is renowned for its beautiful white flowers that have a purple, blue, or pink calyx crown.

Spanish Christian missionaries in the 15th and 16th centuries adopted the unique physical characteristics of the passion flower plant as symbols of the crucifixion of Christ.

What is passion flower extract? Passion flower extract is made from aerial parts of the plant, including the leaves, stems, and flowers.

It is generally harvested after the berries have started to mature. Then the material is dried. Passion flower extract comes in the form of liquid extract or tinctures and encapsulated forms.

Home Remedies Using Passion Flower Extract

Benefits of Passion Flower Extract

Historically Passiflora incarnata leaves and roots were used by Native Americans in North America to make a tea used to treat insomnia, hysteria, and epilepsy. This herb was also valued for its analgesic or pain relieving properties.

This practice was adapted by the European colonists. Species of passion flower found in Central and South America were used for similar purposes.

Today passion flower extract is commonly used for its mild sedative effect to induce sleep.

Nervous symptoms and cramps are alleviated by the herb, which allows a restful, uninterrupted, and deep sleep.

It is an effective treatment for attention deficit disorder, to calm nervous, high-strung and easily excited children, and as a treatment for restless leg syndrome.

Passion flower extract is the chosen herbal remedy for the treatment of nausea and vomiting symptoms resulting from drug withdrawal that accompanies discontinued use of Vicodin, cocaine, heroin, or opiate painkillers.

Passion flower extract is a common treatment for bronchial asthma and menopausal problems. It is also used in some treatments of coronary illness, circulation weakness, and cardiovascular neuroses.

Topically passion flower extract can be used in the treatment of burns. Compresses made from passion flower extract are used to reduce inflammation. This extract is also used in baths and sachets for its soothing qualities.

Clinical research has shown, "A recent study found that patients who were given passion flower before surgery had less anxiety, but recovered from anesthesia just as quickly, than those given placebo."

Side Effects of Passion Flower Extract:

Passion flower extract is generally considered safe. It has not been found to adversely interact with other sedative drugs. However because the effects on nursing and pregnant women has not been studied, passion flower extract should not be used by pregnant and nursing women.

Please consult with a doctor before starting any herbal remedy.