What is passion flower?

Passion flower is originated from Brazil and a perennial climbing plant. The stem grows to about 4 m in length and its leaf is deeply divided into five parts. The diameter of the flower is about 8 cm. Its flower, fruit root and leaf are used as medicine. About 400 types of passion flowers are distributed across tropical America, Asia and Australia and have hundreds of fragrance and taste with an egg-shaped fruit that has sour and sweet taste proper for tea. Looking into it, it has hour, minute and second hands just like a clock.

Effect of passion flower extract

1) Effect of insomnia

The components of passion flower, alkaloid and flavonoid are reported as having the effect of mental stability and of relieving neuralgia, tension and pain.

2) Anti-inflammatory effect/good for hypoglycemia

Its flower, fruit, leaf and root are used as medicine. According to a Traditional Chinese medicine book, ancient people had used the boiled down passion floral leaf, chrysanthemum, mulberry leaf and the Asiatic wild grass and lotus leaf to heal chill/pain. In addition, American Indians had healed swollen eyes and inflammation using the whole passion flower and the root was used for sthenia.

3) Stress relaxing effect

Leaves of passion flower are used as a relaxing agent, preventing rapid pulse and reducing high blood pressure. It can mitigate muscle spasm of asthma, epilepsy, nervousness, and colon bacillus syndrome. A poultice made of it can treat burns and skin irritation.

Related Articles

1) It was proved that passion flower was effective for anti-inflammatory hypoglycemia as an antioxidant.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic effects of the leaf extract from Passiflora nitida Kunth. (Laboratory of Biological Activity, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amazonas Federal University, Alexandre Amorim Street, 330, 69010-300 Aparecida, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.)

2) Effect of passion flower among four herbs, as the folk remedy for healing of mental disease

An evidence-based view is now being developed for some of these so-called alternative herbal treatments. This article discusses clinically relevant scientific information on medicinal extracts of 4 herbs: saffron, passionflower, valerian, and sage. (1Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, South Kargar Street, Tehran 13337, Iran.)

3) It was proved that passion flower components have relaxing and stress relaxing effect in the mice with Passiflora administered.

Swiss albino mice were used as experimental animals in elevated plus-maze(EPM) Materials and methods : The aerial part of Passiflora edulis f.flavicarpa was anxiolytic at low dose but sedative at high dose. Flavonoids are important active constituents. Since AE contained little flavonoids, it was conjectured that there were other components responsible for the anxiolytic effect of Passiflora edulis f.flavicarpa besides falvonoid.