Common name: Passionflower, Maypop, Apricot Vine
Plant Family: Passifloraceae
Habitat: Native to the Southern USA (Virginia, Texas & Tennessee) and to central and South America, Passionflower is now extensively cultivated in Europe (particularly Italy). It prefers well drained slightly acid soil. (RHS, 2002)
Cultivation: Perennial climber. Fragrant lavender white flowers appear in summer followed by ovoid orange fruits
It is propagated from seed in spring or by semi-ripe cuttings in summer, and needs plenty of sun. It is frost tender but survives by completely dying back in winter. (Fisher, 2009)
Parts used: Aerial parts (particulalry the leaves) gathered when the plant is flowering or in fruit.
Phytochemistry: Flavonoids (apigenin), Maltol, Cyanogenic glycosides (gynocardin) (Chevallier, 2000)
Traditional uses: Used in North American medicine notably by the Houma tribe who added it it to drinking water as a tonic. Spanish missionaries in south America regarded the flowers as symbols of Christ, the three stigmas representing the nails, the five anthers the wounds and the ten sepals the apostles (minus Judas and Peter). (Chevallier, 2000) It was recommended by a 18th century doctor as a cure for epilepsy. In the 19th century it became a popular cure for insomnia. Mrs Grieve recommends its narcotic properties for diarrhoea and dysentery, neuralgia, sleeplessness, and dysmenorrhea. (Grieve, 1931) Kings American Dispensatory recommended it for; Irritation of brain and nervous system with atony; sleeplessness from overwork, worry, or from febrile excitement, and in the young and aged; neuralgic pains with debility; exhaustion from cerebral fullness, or from excitement. (Felter & J.U., 1898)
Scientific research: Much of the research on Passiflora incarnata has concentrated on its anxiolytic and sedative actions. However what actually is responsible for these actions has proved elusive (Sampath, Holbik, Krenn, & Butterweck, 2010; Wohlmuth, Penman, Pearson, & Lehmann, 2010). It has been found that in mice studies it was anxiolytic at low does and sedative at high doses (Deng, Zhou, Bai, Li, & Li, 2010). It has also been shown that the roots do not partake of this anxiolytic action (Dhawan, Kumar, & Sharma, 2001). There have also been documented issues with the standardisation of passiflora tinctures with radically different anxiolytic effects obtained from different manufacturers (Dhawan, Kumar, & Sharma, 2002). In humans two papers have shown that passiflora reduces anxiety in dental patients (Kaviani, Tavakoli, Tabanmehr, & Havaei, 2013) and also in patients before surgery (Movafegh, Alizadeh, Hajimohamadi, Esfehani, & Nejatfar, 2008). In vitro passiflora extract has been shown to elicit significant GABA currents in hippocampal neurons (Elsas et al., 2010).
Looking at other passiflora research it has been demonstrated in diabetic mice mice the tincture produced a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels compared with standard diabetic drugs (Gupta, Kumar, Chaudhary, Maithani, & Singh, 2012)
Summary of action: Anxiolytic, spasmolytic, mild sedative, hypnotic (Thomsen & Gennat, 2009)
Indications: Anxiety, Opiate and nicotine withdrawal, Insomnia (often in combination with Valeriana of.), Restlessness and irritability, Nervous tachycardia, Nervous headache, Spasmodic conditions (including dysmenorrhea, asthma and epilepsy), Neuralgic pain (including facial, rectal and cardiac pain). (Bone, 2003)
Cautions: No contraindications known
Dosage: Dry herb 2-8 grams a day, Liquid extract 1:2 20-40 ml a week (Thomsen & Gennat, 2009)
References
Bone, K. (2003). A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs. Philadelphia: Elsevier.
Chevallier, A. (2000). Encyclopedia of Herbal medicine. Gret Britain: Dorling Kindersley.
Deng, J., Zhou, Y., Bai, M., Li, L., & Li, H. (2010). Anxiolytic and sedative activities of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 128(1), 148-153. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2009.12.043
Dhawan, K., Kumar, S., & Sharma, A. (2001). Anxiolytic activity of aerial and underground parts of Passiflora incarnata. Fitoterapia, 72(8), 922-926. doi:10.1016/S0367-326X(01)00322-7
Dhawan, K., Kumar, S., & Sharma, A. (2002). Comparative anxiolytic activity profile of various preparations of Passiflora incarnata linneaus: a comment on medicinal plants' standardization. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 8(3), 283.
Elsas, S. M., Rossi, D. J., Raber, J., White, G., Seeley, C. A., Gregory, W. L., . . . Soumyanath, A. (2010). 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, 17(12), 940-949. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2010.03.002
Felter, H. W., & J.U., L. (1898). King's American Dispensatory: Ohio Valley Co.
Fisher, C. (2009). Materia Medica of Western herbs: Vitex Medica.
Grieve, M. (1931). A Modern herbal. London: Jonathan Cape.
Gupta, R. K., Kumar, D., Chaudhary, A. K., Maithani, M., & Singh, R. (2012). Antidiabetic activity of Passiflora incarnata Linn. in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 139(3), 801-806. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.12.021
Kaviani, N., Tavakoli, M., Tabanmehr, M., & Havaei, R. (2013). The efficacy of passiflora incarnata linnaeus in reducing dental anxiety in patients undergoing periodontal treatment. Journal of dentistry (Shīrāz, Iran), 14(2), 68.
Movafegh, A., Alizadeh, R., Hajimohamadi, F., Esfehani, F., & Nejatfar, M. (2008). Preoperative oral Passiflora incarnata reduces anxiety in ambulatory surgery patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Anesthesia and analgesia, 106(6), 1728-1732. doi:10.1213/ane.0b013e318172c3f9
RHS. (2002). New Encyclopedia of Herbs and their Uses (Revised ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley.
Sampath, C., Holbik, M., Krenn, L., & Butterweck, V. (2010). Anxiolytic effects of fractions obtained from Passiflora incarnata L. in the elevated plus maze in mice. Planta Medica, 76(12), P337. doi:10.1055/s-0030-1264635
Thomsen, M., & Gennat, H. (2009). Phytotherapy Desk Reference. Australia: Global Natural Medicine.
Wohlmuth, H., Penman, K. G., Pearson, T., & Lehmann, R. P. (2010). Pharmacognosy and chemotypes of passionflower (Passiflora incarnata L.). Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin, 33(6), 1015-1018. doi:10.1248/bpb.33.101
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