Passionflower 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Passionflower – 100 g ($12.99), 50 g ($8.99), 25 g ($6.99)

Benefits:

The use of passionflower to tranquilize and settle edgy nerves has been documented for over 200 years. This herb relieves muscle tension and helps calm extreme anxiety. It has a depressant effect on the central nervous system and lowers blood pressure. Passionflower is especially good for nervous insomnia.

A wide range of potential therapeutic applications of passionflower are currently being investigated. It relaxes the linings of artery walls; reduces blood pressure; stops chemical reactions that cause nausea and vomiting as a result of withdrawal from cocaine, heroin, or opiate painkillers; and, in laboratory tests, stops the growth of certain kinds of thyroid cancer. It has been approved by the German Commission E for nervousness, restlessness, and insomnia.

Anxiety and addiction. Laboratory studies in France concluded that passionflower reduces anxiety and increases the effectiveness of prescription sleep aids. Compounds in passionflower occupy the same receptor sites in the brain as benzodiazepine drugs, such as chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and diazepam (Valium), but produce less drowsiness. The alkaloids harmane and harmaline, found in passionflower, have been found to act somewhat like monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, a category of drugs sometimes prescribed for depression and other disorders. One product called Passipay is made from passionflower extract and has been shown to have the same benefit as the drug oxazepam in reducing anxiety in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Passionflower is sometimes substituted for prescription sedatives for people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. In one study, men who were addicted to opium benefited during withdrawal from passionflower, according to the Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale. In another study, using passionflower before surgery seemed to reduce the anxiety associated with the upcoming surgery.

Recommended Use

Passionflower is available as a tea or tincture for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. Sometimes external forms are available as are homeopathic remedies, which help with sleep, convulsions, and agitation. Do not use passionflower if you are taking anticoagulants. Passionflower may cause symptoms including dizziness, ataxia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, electrocardiogram (ECG) changes, and impaired cognitive function.

You should not use passionflower if you take an MAO inhibitor. Nor should you take passionflower during pregnancy, because it may stimulate the uterine muscles. Women seeking to become pregnant also should not take it. Adults over the age of sixty-five and children between the ages of two and twelve should take only low-strength preparations, and you should not give this herb in any form to a child under two years of age.

Many herbalists recommend using only professionally prepared remedies. P. caerulea contains cyanide, and there is some fear that this may accidentally be substituted if you purchase the unprocessed herb.

Botanical Name: Passiflora incarnata
English: Passiflora, Passion flower
Also, known as: Apricot Vine, Flor De La Pasión, Fleischfarbene Passionsblume, Fiore Della Passione, Fleur De La Passion, Grenadille, Maracujá, May Apple, May Flower, May-Pop, Pasionaria, Passiflora, Passiflora Roja, Passiflore, Passion Vine, Rose-Coloured Passion Flower, Water Lemon, White Passion Flower, Wild Passion Flower, Purple passionflower, and Purple passion vine.
Origin: India
Harvested: Wild or cultivated
Parts Used: Aerial parts

General Information:
Passiflora incarnata, is a perennial, creeping herb, climbing vine by means of axillary tendrils. It is woody in warm winter climates and herbaceous in cold winter climates. The vines can grow from 6 to 25 feet long, but generally don’t climb higher than 8 feet tall. Leaves alternate with furrowed, often twisted petioles, possessing two extra-floral nectarines at the apex; lamina 5-15 cm long, broad, green to brownish green, palmate with three to five lanceolate lobes covered with fine hairs on the lower surface; margin serrate. The white-to-purple summer-blooming flowers have a very interesting structure, including a showy corona, and grow to 2-3 inches in diameter with peduncles up to 7 cm long, arising in leaf axils, five, white, elongated petals, calyx of five thick sepals, upper surface green and with horn-like extension. Flowers bloom in summer and are fragrant. This unusual flower is widely distributed in the Southeast, especially from Florida to Texas. Fruits are long, oval, flattened and greenish-brown containing numerous seeds 4-5 mm long, 3-4 mm wide and 2 mm thick, with a brownish-yellow, pitted surface. Fleshy, egg-shaped, edible fruits called maypops appear in July and mature to a yellowish color in fall. Ripened maypops can be eaten fresh off the vine or made into jelly. Maypop is also a common name for this vine. Maypop’s name refers to the loud popping sound made when fruits are stepped on, is approximately the size of a chicken egg.

The plants were given the name Passionflower or Passion vine because the floral parts were once said to represent aspects of the Christian crucifixion story, sometimes referred to as the Passion. Though often considered a weed in its habitat, the plant is used in horticultural applications due to its fast-growing vines and uniquely beautiful flowers. They are pollinated by bees and are self-sterile. The fruit is commonly eaten by animals, including songbirds, which helps to distribute the seeds.

How to use:
Hot Infusion:
The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. Hot water is needed to draw out the antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, flavonoids, and volatile oils from the botanicals. Strain and squeeze out as much as liquid as possible and enjoy!

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal tea with a bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder and or licorice root powder.
You can make ice cubes or pops by freezing tea in ice trays or pop molds.

Precautions: