Passiflora incarnata herb information by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Passiflora incarnata for anxiety
Passiflora incarnata Linn. (Passionflower or Passion Flower) is used in several parts of the world as a traditional medicine for the management of anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and morphine addiction. Passiflora may also have aphrodisiac properties.

What's in passiflora incarnata herb?
 A tri-substituted benzoflavone moiety has been isolated from the bioactive methanol extract of passiflora, which has been proposed to be responsible for the biological activities of this plant. Passiflora also contains flavonoids, sterols, cholorogenic acid, volatile oil, and traces of indole alkaloids (including (harman, harmin, harmalin, harmol, and harmalol). The major flavonoids isolated from passiflora incarnata are identified as orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and schaftoside.

Passion Flower ( Passiflora Incarnata herb ) 200 mg
Passiflora Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 1 capsule
Servings per Bottle: 90

Each Capsule Contains:
Passion Flower-  200 mg *
     (Passiflora spp.) flower and leaf

 Click here to buy Passiflora supplement, kava herb, 5-HTP supplement, theanine, tryptophan, and other herbs and supplements for relaxation, or to subscribe to a FREE newsletter
Suggested Use: 1 passiflora capsule daily or as needed.
* Passiflora daily value not established.

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What are some of the benefits of passiflora herb?
 Passiflora herb is useful to induce relaxation. Passion flower is helpful in some people in reducing restlessness, anxiety, and nervousness. It also has mild anti-cough properties. Passiflora herb may also be a mild aphrodisiac and is found in Passion Rx, a sexual enhancement formula. Other herbs that are used to relieve stress include ashwagandha, kava, and valerian. Nutrients that help with anxiety or stress are 5-HTP and tryptophan.

Passiflora and anxiety
Passiflora may be helpful in reducing restlessness, anxiety, and nervousness. It also has anti-cough properties. The methanol extracts of leaves, stems, flowers, and whole plant exhibit anxiolytic effects. The roots are practically devoid of anxiolytic effects. This means the leaves seem to contain the most concentration of the active ingredients.
   A double-blind randomized trial compared the efficacy of passiflora incarnata extract with oxazepam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. The study was performed on 36 out-patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder allocated in a random fashion: 18 to the passiflora extract 45 drops/day plus placebo tablet group, and 18 to oxazepam 30 mg/day plus placebo drops for a 4-week trial. Passiflora extract and oxazepam were effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. No significant difference was observed between the two protocols at the end of trial. Oxazepam showed a rapid onset of action. On the other hand, significantly more problems relating to impairment of job performance were encountered with subjects on oxazepam. The results suggest that passiflora extract is an effective drug for the management of generalized anxiety disorder, and the low incidence of impairment of job performance with Passiflora extract compared to oxazepam is an advantage.

Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata L.) -- a reliable herbal sedative
Wien Med Wochenschr. 2002;152(15-16):404-6.
Extracts and fluid extracts from the aerial parts from passiflora incarnata L. are widely used as components of herbal sedatives. Many pharmacological investigations confirm the sedative effects of passiflorae herb. From some of the studies also anxiolytic effects can be deduced. Based on pharmacological data, the experiences of traditional use and the use in combinations passiflora extracts are an important factor in the phytotherapy of tenseness, restlessness and irritability with difficulty in falling asleep.

Passiflora and cough
Passiflora has the ability to suppress cough.

Aphrodisiac properties of passiflora herbal extract
 In addition to the benefits listed above, passiflora extract has exhibited aphrodisiac, libido-enhancing and virility-enhancing properties. When administered concomitantly with nicotine, ethanol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for 30 days in male rats, passiflora extract prevented the drug-induced decline in sexuality in male rats. Because the one of the extracts in passiflora incarnata is a tri-substituted derivative of alpha-naphthoflavone (7,8-benzoflavone), a well-known aromatase-enzyme inhibitor, the mode of action has been postulated to be a neurosteroidal mechanism vide in which the this extract prevents the metabolic degradation of testosterone and upregulates blood - testosterone levels in the body.
   The aphrodisiac properties of the methanol extract of leaves of passiflora incarnata Linn. have also been evaluated in mice by observing the mounting behavior. The methanol extract of passiflora incarnata exhibited significant aphrodisiac behavior in male mice.

Aphrodisiac activity of methanol extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata Linn in mice.
Phytother Res. 2003 Apr;17(4):401-3.
The aphrodisiac properties of the methanol extract of leaves of passiflora incarnata Linn. have been evaluated in mice by observing the mounting behavior. The methanol extract of Passiflora incarnata exhibited significant aphrodisiac behavior in male mice.

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 The potent herbal extracts in Passion Rx include ashwagandha, catuaba, cnidium monnieri, coleus forskohlii, horny goat weed, maca, mucuna pruriens, muira puama, passiflora incarnata, pfaffia paniculata, rehmannia, rhodiola, shilajit, tribulus terrestris extract, and tongkat ali. A version of Passion Rx has yohimbe bark.

Beneficial effects of chrysin and benzoflavone on virility in 2-year-old male rats.
J Med Food. 2002 Spring;5(1):43-8.
This work describes the potential usefulness of bioflavonoids for countering the deleterious effects of aging on male sexuality in 2-year-old rats. A flavone chrysin from passiflora caerulea Linn. and a benzoflavone moiety recently isolated from passiflora incarnata Linn. were administered to 2-year-old male rats for a period of 30 days. After cessation of these treatments, there was a significant improvement in overall sexual functions in the rats given bioflavonoids, compared with control rats. The rats receiving chrysin and BZF exhibited increased libido when they were allowed to interact with nonestrous female rats. Additionally, both treated groups had increased sperm count, greater fertilization potential, and greater litter size when they were allowed to interact with proven proestrous female rats of a similar strain. BZF was more potent than chrysin as an antiaromatase agent and exhibited better effects on the sexual system of the 2-year-old male rats.

Passiflora incarnata dosage
 Passiflora can be used as a tea, 2 to 5 grams of the dried herb two to three times a day (one teaspoon is usually about 2 to 3 grams). Passiflora is also available as fluid or tincture extract (follow directions on the bottle). Capsules of the dried herbal extract are available from 200 mg, taken as needed on daily. Passionflower is often combined with valerian and other sedative herbs.

Passiflora side effects
 No significant side effects have yet been reported in studies except for anecdotal reports, but long term studies are not yet available. Sedation is of course one of the side effects.
       
Passiflora extract and opiate withdrawal
Passiflora extract may be an effective adjuvant agent in the management of opiate withdrawal.    An extract from passiflora herb reverses tolerance and dependence of several addiction-prone psychotropic drugs, including morphine, nicotine, ethanol, diazepam and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

Passiflora in the treatment of opiates withdrawal: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
J Clin Pharm Ther. 2001 Oct;26(5):369-73.
Accumulating evidence shows the efficacy of Passiflora incarnata extract in the management of anxiety. In our continuing study of traditional medicines, which have neurotropic effects, this plant had an anxiolytic effect, which may be used as an adjuvant agent in the detoxification of opiates by clonidine. We present the results of a double-blind randomized controlled trial of clonidine plus passiflora extract vs. clonidine plus placebo in the outpatient detoxification of 65 opiates addicts. A total of 65 opiates addicts were assigned randomly to treatment with passiflora extract plus clonidine tablet or clonidine tablet plus placebo drop during a 14-day double-blind clinical trial. Both protocols were equally effective in treating the physical symptoms of withdrawal syndromes. However, the passiflora plus clonidine group showed a significant superiority over clonidine alone in the management of mental symptoms. These results suggested that passiflora extract may be an effective adjuvant agent in the management of opiate withdrawal. However, a larger study to confirm our results is warranted.

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Passiflora Incarnata research
Pharmacological studies on the sedative and hypnotic effect of Kava kava and Passiflora extracts combination.
 Phytomedicine. 2005 Jan;12(1-2):39-45. Capasso A, Sorrentino L.
1st Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Salerno, Italy.
Kava kava extract, passiflora extract and a combination of both extracts, administered to mice, caused a significant decrease of the amphetamine-induced hypermotility and significant prolongation of sleeping phase induced by subcutaneous injection of barbiturates. Due to a synergism of both extracts, simultaneously administered the pharmacologically registered effect in both in vivo experiments was found to be superior over the sum of the single separately administered extracts.

Passiflora: a review update.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Sep;94(1):1-23.
Flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, phenolic compounds and volatile constituents have been reported as the major phyto-constituents of the passiflora species. A few species of passiflora have been used for curing various ailments, the most important being passiflora incarnata Linneaus which possesses significant CNS depressant properties.

Drug/substance reversal effects of a novel tri-substituted benzoflavone moiety (BZF) isolated from Passiflora incarnata Linn.--a brief perspective.
Addict Biol. 2003 Dec;8(4):379-86.
The present work is a mini-review of the author's original work on the plant passiflora incarnata, which is used in several parts of the world as a traditional medicine for the management of anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and morphine addiction. A tri-substituted benzoflavone moiety (BZF) has been isolated from the bioactive methanol extract of passiflora, which has been proposed in the author's earlier work to be responsible for the biological activities of this plant. The BZF moiety has exhibited significantly encouraging results in the reversal of tolerance and dependence of several addiction-prone psychotropic drugs, including morphine, nicotine, ethanol, diazepam and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, during earlier pharmacological studies conducted by the author. In addition to this, the BZF moiety has exhibited aphrodisiac, libido-enhancing and virility-enhancing properties in 2-year-old male rats.

Antiasthmatic activity of the methanol extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata.
Phytother Res. 2003 Aug;17(7):821-2.
The methanol extract of the leaves of passiflora incarnata was evaluated for its anti asthma effects against acetylcholine chloride (Ach)-induced-bronchospasm in guinea-pigs. Using a 7-day treatment regimen, significant prevention of dyspnea-related-convulsions was noted in the animalswith passiflora extract.

Passiflora in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam.
Akhondzadeh S. Tehran University of Medical Sciences, South Kargar Avenue, Tehran, Iran.
J Clin Pharm Ther. 2001 Oct;26(5):363-7.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a folk remedy for anxiety. A double-blind randomized trial compared the efficacy of Passiflora incarnata extract with oxazepam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. METHODS: The study was performed on 36 out-patients diagnosed with GAD using DSM IV criteria. Patients were allocated in a random fashion: 18 to the Passiflora extract 45 drops/day plus placebo tablet group, and 18 to oxazepam 30 mg/day plus placebo drops for a 4-week trial. RESULTS: Passiflora extract and oxazepam were effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. No significant difference was observed between the two protocols at the end of trial. Oxazepam showed a rapid onset of action. On the other hand, significantly more problems relating to impairment of job performance were encountered with subjects on oxazepam. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that Passiflora extract is an effective drug for the management of generalized anxiety disorder, and the low incidence of impairment of job performance with Passiflora extract compared to oxazepam is an advantage. A large-scale trial is justified.

Toxicity of Passiflora incarnata L.
 J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2000;38(1):63-6.
A 34-year-old female developed severe nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, prolonged QTc, and episodes of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia following self-administration of a herbal remedy, passiflora incarnata L., at therapeutic doses. The possible association of symptoms with passiflora was not recognized for several days. She required hospital admission for cardiac monitoring and intravenous fluid therapy. Passiflora incarnata was associated with significant adverse effects in this patient. It is important to ask specifically about the use of herbal medicines in patients with undiagnosed illnesses.

Passiflora questions
Q. Can passiflora help with internet addiction?
   A. I am not aware of such a relationship.

Various Passiflora Species
Passiflora incarnata
Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora edulis
Passiflora ligularis
Passiflora foetida
Passiflora lutea
Passiflora alatocaerulea

This passiflora herb page was last updated in February 2008.