Passionflower is known for its calming properties and is often used to help with sleep disorders and nervousness. Discover the benefits of passionflower products with Medicom's high-quality offerings.
For medicinal purposes, among the passion flowers, the species maypop (Passiflora incarnata)is particularly significant; as the so-called "type species," it is also considered the ideal among the more than 500 passion flower species. This flower not only looks beautiful, but it has also long been popular in naturopathy as a mild and purely natural sedative and sleep aid.
The maypop is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central, North, and South America. There, it grows as an evergreen, perennial climbing shrubwith shoots 2 to 6 meters in length. The most striking feature of the passion flower is its colorful, often red-violet blossoms, which can shine like little suns from June to September, making the plant an attractive ornamental.
Preparations made from the maypop have calming, relaxing, anxiety-reducing, sleep-promotingand antispasmodic effects. Experience with these beneficial effects of the passion flower is based primarily on a long tradition of folk medicine and daily practice. Preparations made from dried passion flowers do not cause dependency. Furthermore, they can be easily combined with other herbal remedies, which enhances the calming effect.
The pharmacologically most interesting components of the passion flower come from the group of flavonoids. These are primarily cyanogenic glycosides, essential oil, freeamino acidsand polysaccharides.
In naturopathy, extracts from passion flowers are mainly used for internal tension, for states of restlessnessand the resulting mild sleep disorders. Corresponding preparations can also be used for irritability and for relaxation. Combinations with other herbal sedativesfor example made from lavender, valerian have proven to be beneficial, as the effects can mutually reinforce each other.
In Germany, Passiflora incarnata can be encountered under the names "Winterharte Passionsblume" (hardy passion flower) or "Fleischfarbene Passionsblume" (flesh-colored passion flower), but often also just as "Passionsblume" (passion flower). The plant likely received its name from missionaries in South America. In the lush, radiant corona of the flower, they recognized the crown of thorns of Christ. Thus, in their eyes, the flower stood symbolically for the passion of Christand received its name from the Latin "passio" (suffering).
Cultivation areas for pharmaceutical purposes can be found to a significant extent in the USA and India, but also in southern Europe. The harvest takes place during the flowering period by cutting the shoots just above the ground. Under good conditions, passion flowers can be harvested twice a year. The entire plant is then dried in the air or using hay dryers. A high proportion of stems reduces the quality of the preparations.
Preparations containing passion flower are available as capsules, tablets, drops, coated tablets, and also as tea. Anyone allergic to passion flower plants should avoid taking them. When choosing, one should look for a high-quality preparation such as passion flower extract, for example in capsule form, as these generally have a high concentration of active ingredientsand can be precisely dosed. A combination with melatoninto shorten the time it takes to fall asleep is particularly useful, supplemented with, for example, lavender, L-tryptophan, vitamin B6, and magnesium.
Medicinal plants
Vitamins
