Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a climbing shrub native to the tropical parts of the United States from Virginia to Florida and westward to Missouri and Arkansas. The name which comes from the Spanish, flor de la pasión, refers to the passion of Christ as the flower’s different parts were thought to resemble to the implements of the crucifixion.
It produces a mesmerizing and beautiful yet delicate flower which develops into a large oval fleshy fruit. The whole plant is used to make medicine, yet the stem and leaves seem to have the highest amount of chemical activity. The vine and leaves contain many alkaloids such as harmaline, harmine, harman, and harmalol. These beta-carboline alkaloids may act as MAO inhibitors and account for some of the actions of passionflower. The plant also contains many bioflavonoids including quercitin, rutin, apigenin, kaempferol, vitexin, and orientin, as well as chrysin, which research has shown can be helpful in alieviating anxiety.
The Eclectic Physicians used it to promote healthy sleep, especially where restlessness, wakefulness and interrupted sleep were the chief complaints due to debility or exhaustion. It remains a steadfast choice of traditional herbalists for its ability to gently restore debilitated nerve centers by promoting nutrition uptake at the cellular level. It supports a calming and relaxing effect on the body during times of occasional stress. Few human clinical studies have tested passionflower but some scientists think it may work 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.
Passionflower is available in a variety of forms such as tea, capsule, and liquid extract. All of which we carry here at Peach Vitamins. If you have any further questions about passionflower, please feel free to stop by our store conveniently located on Peachtree Rd. right in the heart of Buckhead or give us a call at 404-266-9115 and our knowledgeable staff of nutritional supplement professionals will be happy to assist you.