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Passionflower
Natural Encyclopaedia

Passiflora incarnata

FAMILY: Desert roses

HABITAT: Central and South America, southern United States. It is currently cultivated in many warm-temperate climate countries.

USED PART: the aerial parts of the plant.

RECOMMENDED PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS: nebulised dry extract titrated in hyperoside min. 0.3% (Italian Pharmacopoeia X), whose daily dose ranges from 300 to 600 mg, divided into two administrations, one of which is taken in the late evening shortly before bedtime.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: In addition to phenolic acids, coumarins, phytosterols and cyanogenic heterosides, the plant contains numerous flavonoids.

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES:
Action on the central nervous system: Has sedative action on the central nervous system, especially at the level of the motor area of the spinal cord and sleep centres. Especially useful in cerebral insomnia, where it causes sleep similar to physiological sleep and awakening without lightheadedness. It does not appear to cause drug addiction. It has recently been shown that certain flavonoids are able to bind to benzodiazepine receptors, also exerting sedative and anti-anxiety actions.
A controlled clinical trial evaluated the effect of passion flower in patients suffering from anxiety disorders. These were 36 patients with a definite diagnosis of anxiety syndrome, who received either 45 drops/day of passion flower fluid extract or 30 mg/day of oxazepam per os for a period of 4 weeks. The assessment was made using the Anxiety Scale before and after treatment. It was seen that both treatments were effective at the end of the trial, although oxazepam showed its benefits more quickly. It did, however, cause problems of drowsiness and poor concentration at work in several patients, problems that were far less pronounced in Passionflower-treated subjects. No relevant adverse reactions were observed in either group.

SIDE EFFECTS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Patients suffering from vasculitic events after taking Passionflower extracts have been described, albeit very rarely. However, the phenomenon is reversible with drug withdrawal.
It can be used in pregnancy, during lactation and in children.

 

It can be found in  vagostabil® junior