Passion Flower herb by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Passion Flower extract for stress relief
Passionflower or Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) is a plant native to North America, found mostly in the Midwest and Southeast. Passionflower has been used as folk remedy to treat anxiety. Studies show extracts of passion flower have anti anxiety and aphrodisiac properties.

Passion Flower benefits
Passion flower is helpful in some people in reducing restlessness, anxiety, and nervousness. It also has mild anti-cough properties. Passionflower may also be a mild aphrodisiac and is found in Passion Rx, a sexual enhancement formula (see below). Good Night Rx with passion flower extract is helpful as a sleep aid for occasional sleeplessness nights. Other herbs that are used to relieve stress include ashwagandha (half a capsule), kava, and valerian. Nutrients that help reduce anxiety or stress include 5-HTP and tryptophan. Another nutrient to consider for relaxation is theanine. You can find passion flower in Passion Rx, an all natural herbal formula for sexual enhancement.

Passion Flower supplement 200 mg

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

Suggested Use: 1 passion flower capsule daily or as directed by a qualified healthcare professional.
* Passion Flower daily value not established.

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Aphrodisiac benefit of passion flower herb
Compounds within passion flower have exhibited aphrodisiac, libido-enhancing and virility-enhancing properties in rats. When administered together with nicotine, ethanol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for 30 days in male rats, passion flower prevented the drug-induced decline in sexuality in male rats.
   The aphrodisiac properties of the methanol extract of leaves of passion flower have also been evaluated in mice by observing the mounting behavior. The methanol extract of passion flower exhibited significant aphrodisiac behavior in male mice.

Aphrodisiac activity of methanol extract of leaves of Passion Flower in mice.
Phytother Res. 2003 Apr;17(4):401-3.
The aphrodisiac properties of the methanol extract of leaves of passion flower have been evaluated in mice by observing the mounting behavior. The methanol extract of Passion flower herb exhibited significant aphrodisiac behavior in male mice at all doses, i.e. 75, 100 and 150 mg/kg. Amongst these, the highest activity was observed with the 100 mg/kg dose when the mountings were calculated about 95 min after the administration of the passion flower extracts.

Passion Rx  -- Physician formulated for Men and Women for Sexual Enhancement
Now with high potency Passion Flower extract

 How quickly does Passion Rx work?
Passion Rx provides results that are often seen within two to four days, but continue to improve with use. Our feedback thus far indicates more than 80% user satisfaction by the end of the first week, and 90 percent by the end of the second week.

 A unique blend
Passion Rx is physician formulated by Dr. Sahelian and his research staff have tested various doses and extracts of dozens of herbs from a number or raw material suppliers to determine the ideal dosage and combination for optimal aphrodisiac properties with the fewest side effects. After years of trial and error, a UNIQUE physician formulated proprietary blend with 16 herbal extracts from the best raw material suppliers has been created. This UNIQUE aphrodisiac blend is a close kept secret only known to the doctor and his research staff. You will only find this exact physician formulated combination in Passion Rx.

Passion Rx supports and enhances healthy:

The potent herbal extracts and nutrients in Passion Rx include acetylcarnitine, ashwagandha, catuaba, cnidium monnieri, DMAE, horny goat weed extract, maca, mucuna pruriens, muira puama, passion flower, rhodiola, tribulus terrestris, tongkat ali and yohimbe. A version of Passion Rx is available without yohimbe bark.

 High Quality products formulated by a medical doctor
 Consider highly popular all natural products. These top quality products include Mind Power Rx for better mental focus, concentration, and mood; Diet Rx which helps you eat less. It really does curb appetite; Good Night Rx with passion flower for better sleep; Eyesight Rx for better vision, often within days; MultiVit Rx a daily comprehensive multivitamin for more energy and vitality; Joint Power Rx for healthy joints; Prostate Power Rx for a healthy prostate gland; and Passion Rx with passion flower for sexual enhancement, better libido, and improved performance and stamina in men and women.
What's in passion flower Herb?
Passionflower herb contains flavonoids, sterols, cholorogenic acid, volatile oil, and traces of alkaloids (including harmine, harman). The methanol extracts of leaves, stems, flowers, and whole plant exhibit anti-anxiety effects. The roots are practically devoid of anti-anxiety effects. This means the leaves seem to contain the most concentration of the active ingredients.

Passion flower dosage
Passion flower can be used as a tea, 2 to 4 grams of the dried herb two times a day (one teaspoon is usually about 2 to 3 grams). Passion flower is also available as fluid or tincture extract (follow directions on the bottle). Capsules of the dried herbal extract are available from 200 to 400 mg, taken once or twice a day or as needed to reduce stress. Passion flower is often combined with valerian and other sedative herbs. Recently high concentration extracts have been available, for instance passion flower 10:1 extract, which means it would be about ten times as potent as regular passion flower herb.

Passion Flower and anxiety
A double-blind randomized trial compared the efficacy of passion flower extract with oxazepam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. The study was performed on 36 out-patients diagnosed with anxiety allocated in a random fashion: 18 to the passion flower extract 45 drops/day plus placebo tablet group, and 18 to oxazepam 30 mg/day plus placebo drops for a 4-week trial. Passion flower extract and oxazepam were effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Significantly more problems relating to impairment of job performance were encountered with subjects on oxazepam. The results suggest that passion flower extract is an effective herb for the management of generalized anxiety disorder, and the low incidence of impairment of job performance with passion flower extract compared to oxazepam is an advantage.

Passion Flower side effects
No major side effects have been reported with passion flower in the medical journal. It may be wise to avoid the combination of passion flower and sedative drugs such as the benzodiazepines. One obvious side effect is sedation.

Passion Flower herb for opiate withdrawal
 Passion flower extract may be an effective adjuvant agent in the management of opiate withdrawal.

Passion Flower herb research
Pharmacological studies on the sedative and hypnotic effect of Kava kava and Passiflora extracts combination.
Phytomedicine. 2005 Jan;12(1-2):39-45.
Kava kava extract, passion flower 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.

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. Dhawan K. Panjab Univesity, Chandigarh, India.
The present work is a mini-review of the author's original work on the passion flower plant  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 passionflower, 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 of passion flower has exhibited aphrodisiac, libido-enhancing and virility-enhancing properties in 2-year-old male rats. When administered concomitantly with nicotine, ethanol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for 30 days in male rats, the BZF also prevented the drug-induced decline in sexuality in male rats.

Antiasthmatic activity of the methanol extract of leaves of Passiflora incarnata ( passion flower ).
Phytother Res. 2003 Aug;17(7):821-2.
The methanol extract of the leaves of passion flower was evaluated for its antiasthmatic 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 animals treated with passion flower extract.

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. ( passion flower ) are widely used as components of herbal sedatives. Many pharmacological investigations confirm the sedative effects of passion flower. From some of the studies also anxiolytic effects can be deduced. As passion flower is mainly used in combinations, clinical studies of the single drug are not available. Based on pharmacological data, the experiences of traditional use and the use in combinations passion flower extracts are an important factor in the phytotherapy of tenseness, restlessness and irritability with difficulty in falling asleep.

Passion Flower in the treatment of opiates withdrawal: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Akhondzadeh S. Tehran University of Medical Sciences, South Kargar Avenue, Tehran 13334, Iran.
J Clin Pharm Ther. 2001 Oct;26(5):369-73.
In our continuing study of traditional medicines, which have neurotropic effects, passionflower 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 passionflower 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 passion flower extract plus clonidine tablet or clonidine tablet plus placebo drop during a 14-day double-blind clinical trial. The fixed daily dose was 60 drops of passionflower extract and a maximum daily dose of 0.8 mg of clonidine administered in three divided doses. Both protocols were equally effective in treating the physical symptoms of withdrawal syndromes. However, the passionflower plus clonidine group showed a significant superiority over clonidine alone in the management of mental symptoms. These results suggested that passion flower extract may be an effective adjuvant agent in the management of opiate withdrawal. However, a larger study to confirm our results is warranted.

Passion flower in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam.
J Clin Pharm Ther. 2001 Oct;26(5):363-7. Akhondzadeh S. Tehran University of Medical Sciences, South Kargar Avenue, Tehran, Iran.
Passion flower is a folk remedy for anxiety. A double-blind randomized trial compared the efficacy of Passion flower extract with oxazepam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. 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 Passion flower extract 45 drops/day plus placebo tablet group, and 18 to oxazepam 30 mg/day plus placebo drops for a 4-week trial. Passion flower 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. Passion flower extract is an effective drug for the management of generalized anxiety disorder, and the low incidence of impairment of job performance with Passion flower extract compared to oxazepam is an advantage. A large-scale trial is justified.

Passion Flower emails
Q. Is passion flower tea available ?
   A. Yes, you can find passion flower tea in a health food store.

Q. What do you think of a product that has the combination of valerian and passion flower ?
   A. This may be an effective product for anxiety, but it really depends on the dosage and extract potencies of the valerian and passion flower that is used in the herbal combination.

Q. I am interested in passion flower supplement I read about. Is there a passion flower extract that exists? I would prefer not to buy it in a vitamin / capsule form, but rather as a pure extract.
   A. Passion flower extracts do exist in various potencies, but they are available in capsule form. We are not aware of passion flower extract being sold in raw powder form in a bag.

Q. Will passion flower make me sleepy during the day? Or can my body become used to it where I can take it for anxiety and depression?
   A. Different people have different reactions and it depends on the passion flower dose, and if you are concerned about sleepiness, consider opening the capsule and taking half to see how your body reacts. As to getting used to it, again each person is different on how they respond with time to passion flower and what kind of tolerance, if any, they develop.

Q. I am interested in buying Passion Rx just to tell you that I take passion flower 200mg in the morning and 200mg in the evening. Is it possible that I continue the passion flower pills and take Passion Rx at the same time?
   A. It is best to first learn how each supplement works for you by itself. Once you learn how Passion Rx works alone, and you probably already know how passion flower works for you by itself, then you can combine them but perhaps initially in lower amounts.

This passion flower herb page was last updated in February 2008.