PassionFlower

PassionFlower

 The fresh or dried leaves of Passion Flower or maypop are used to make a tea that is used to treat insomnia, hysteria, and epilepsy, and is also valued for its  analgesic  properties. Many species have been found to contain  beta- carboline  harmala alkaloids. which are MAO inhibitors with anti-depressant properties.

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PassionFlower White

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Passiflora, commonly known as Passion Flower, is a woody vine that has been used historically to improve mood and sleep difficulties.

It is often prescribed to women as a way to relieve symptoms of PMS. The phytochemical breakdown of Passion Flower includes several flavonoids that are believed to be responsible for Passion's anti-anxiety effects.

The most active and well studied of these flavonoids are vitexin, isovitexin and chrysin.

Constituents responsible for the pharmacological activity of passion flower have been the subject of ongoing research throughout most of this century.

Passion flower does contain one or more so-called harmala alkaloids, but their number and identity are disputed.

Besides, such alkaloids generally act as stimulants, not depressants.

PassionFlower or Wild Water Lemon

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A Polish report that both an alkaloid fraction and a flavonoid pigment fraction produced sedative effects in mice was subsequently followed up by Japanese investigators.

They were able to isolate small amounts of the pyrone derivative maltol from an alkaloid-containing extract of the plant.

Maltol was found to induce depression in mice and to exhibit other sedative properties.

The scientists concluded that the depressant effects of maltol, no doubt, counteracted the stimulant action of the harmala alkaloids but were not strong enough to explain the total sedative effects of the plant extract.

Flavonoids including vitexin, isovitexin, isoorientin, schaftoside, and isoschaftoside have also been identified and may contribute to biological activity.

Further studies are obviously necessary before the active principles of passion flower can definitely be identified.

PassionFlower is Food for Hummingbirds

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Researchers are not exactly sure what effect Passion Flower's flavonoids have on the central nervous system, though it is thought that they may effect the benzodiazepine receptor sites in the brain.

Unlike prescription benzodiazepines, however, Passion flower is not habit forming as it does not bind directly to the receptor sites.

Passion flower is a wonderfully relaxing remedy and one of the best tranquilizing herbs for chronic insomnia, having no addictive effects and allowing you to awake refreshed and alert in the morning.

Passion flower has a sedative and antispasmodic action, relaxing spasm and tension in the muscles, and calming the nerves and lessening pain.

Passion flower can be used for neuralgia, shingles, sciatica, Parkinson's disease, muscle pain, twitching and spasm, anxiety, agitation, stress and any physical problem that is stress-related, such as colic and asthma, as well as high blood pressure.

Wherever physical symptoms are related to or aggravated by anxiety or tension, passionflower can be added to your chosen prescription; for example for hot flashes, migraine, headaches, abdominal pain or a tickly cough.

PassionFlower Passiflora incarnata

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The 1997 Commission E on Phytotherapy and Herbal Substances of the German Federal Institute for Drugs recommends Passionflower herb for 'Nervous restlessness.'

'Daily dosage: 4 - 8 g of herb; equivalent preparations.

Mode of Administration: Comminuted herb for tea and other preparations for internal use.'

Passion flower acts like a sedative.

It lowers blood pressure, gives relaxation and is a very mild hallucinogen.

Passion flower is nature's sleeping pill, very helpful for insomnia, producing no narcotic hangover.

It is an effective antispamodic, helpful with seizures, hysteria, asthma, nerve pain and Parkinson's disease.

Passion flower contains harmine, harman, harmol, harmaline, harmalol, and passaflorine.

For many years, plant researchers believed that the group of harmane alkaloids were the active constituents in passion flower.

Recent studies, however, have pointed to the flavonoids in passion flower as the primary constituents responsible for its relaxing and antianxiety effects.

The European literature involving passion flower recommends it primarily for antianxiety treatment; in this context, it is often combined with valerian, lemon balm, and other herbs with sedative properties.

PassionFlower and Fruit

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'A few years ago, several friends and I boiled down about five pounds of Passiflora incarnata vines and leaves and drank the decoction.

Within about 20 minutes, we all began to experience some profound behavioral shifts, all of us acting in a more 'primal' manner.

We were also quite energized and 'up', with some slight distortion of colors.

This very fun state lasted about three hours or so, followed by a very deep sleep in which all involved experienced quite profound dream states.'

Grieve's classic 'A Modern Herbal': 'The drug is known to be a depressant to the motor side of the spinal cord, slightly reducing arterial pressure, though affecting circulation but little, while increasing the rate of respiration.

PassionFlower Blue

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It is official in homoeopathic medicine and used with bromides, it is said to be of great service in epilepsy.

Its narcotic properties cause it to be used in diarrhoea and dysentery, neuralgia, sleeplessness and dysmenorrhoea.'

King's 1898 Dispensatory: 'The clinical application of passiflora has been with most observers satisfactory.

Its force is exerted chiefly upon the nervous system, the remedy finding a wide application in spasmodic disorders and as a rest-producing agent.

It is best adapted to debility and does not act so well in sthenic conditions, although not contraindicated in such.

It is specially useful to allay restlessness and overcome wakefulness, when these are the result of exhaustion, or the nervous excitement of debility.'

'It proves specially useful in the insomnia of infants and old people

. It gives sleep to those who are laboring under the effects of mental worry or from mental overwork.

PassionFlower Passiflora incarnata

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Passionflower supports a healthy response to stress.

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