Pasiflora

What is Pasiflora?

Pasiflora is the dried leaf, stem and flower of the vine Passiflora incarnata. People drink it as a calming tea or take it as drops or capsules. In Latin America it is also called pasionaria or flor de la pasión.

It is used for nerves, worry and trouble falling asleep. It is a mild herb, not a sleeping pill. Many bedtime blends list it next to lemon balm, valerian or linden.

Here is the honest verdict. Human evidence is thin and mixed. A few small trials point to slightly less anxiety and a little better sleep, but the studies are short and small.

Long use in tradition is not proof that a herb works. It is also not proof that it is safe. Both things have to be checked in people, and for pasiflora that work is far from finished.

How does Pasiflora work?

No one has proved how pasiflora acts in the human body. The main idea comes from lab work, not from people.

In animal and cell studies, extracts appear to act on GABA pathways. GABA is the brain's main calming signal. Drugs that boost it make people drowsy, so this is a plausible route.

In mice, some extracts reduced anxious behaviour and shortened the time to fall asleep. Mice are not people, and the extracts used in labs are not always what is in your tea.

The flavonoids in the plant are often named as the active part. Which one matters, and at what strength, is still unsettled. Different batches and different plant parts give very different mixes.

So treat any mechanism talk on a label as a theory. The useful question is whether people feel better in trials, and there the answer is a weak maybe.

What forms does Pasiflora come in?

Pasiflora is sold in several everyday forms.

- Loose dried herb or tea bags, made from the aerial parts (leaf, stem, flower) - Liquid tincture or drops in alcohol or glycerine - Capsules and tablets of dried extract - Combination sleep and nerve blends, often with valerian, lemon balm or hops - Syrups sold for children in some Latin American countries

The fruit sold as passion fruit comes mostly from other Passiflora species. Eating passion fruit is not the same as taking pasiflora herb.

In blends you often cannot tell how much pasiflora you are getting. If a product makes you drowsy, another herb in the mix may be doing it.

Where it comes from:

Pasiflora has a long record of folk use for nerves and sleep. Spanish missionaries in the Americas named the flower for the Passion of Christ, seeing the cross in its parts.

In Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, the dried herb was brewed as a calming tea. Healers gave it for susto (fright), restlessness, racing heart from worry and sleepless nights. It was often mixed with tila (linden) or orange blossom.

North American eclectic doctors of the 1800s used it for similar complaints. It later entered European herbal medicine books and is still listed there.

This page reports that history. It does not recommend that you copy it.

What does Pasiflora help with?

• Mild anxiety and nervousness: This is the use with the most human testing, and the results are still weak. A small 2001 trial in 36 adults with generalised anxiety compared a pasiflora extract with oxazepam, an anxiety drug. Both groups improved by a similar amount. The trial was short, small and not repeated at that quality. Later reviews call the evidence promising but not solid. Do not expect it to replace treatment for an anxiety disorder.
• Trouble falling asleep: Tradition is strong here; proof is modest. In a small crossover study, adults drank pasiflora tea for a week and rated their sleep slightly better in a diary. Lab sleep measures did not change much. The effect was small and the group was healthy, not people with insomnia. A Cochrane review found too little good evidence to judge it for anxiety or sleep. It may do nothing for you.
• Restlessness and fidgeting: Herbal traditions in Latin America and Europe used pasiflora tea for children and adults who could not settle. Some European product licences allow a claim for mild nervous restlessness. Those licences rest mainly on long use, not on strong trials. Controlled evidence in restless children is very limited. Talk to a doctor before giving it to a child.
• Nerves before surgery or dental work: This is the setting with the most repeated trials, though each is small. In several hospital studies, people given a pasiflora extract before an operation or dental work felt less anxious than those given a dummy. Some trials found no delay in waking up from anaesthesia. The doses were set by researchers and given under supervision. That is not the same as taking a supplement at home before surgery, which can be risky.
• Nervous stomach (traditional use): Folk healers gave pasiflora tea for cramping and churning linked to worry. There are no good human trials for this use. Any benefit may simply come from feeling calmer, or from the warm drink. If stomach pain is new, severe or comes with weight loss or blood, see a doctor instead.

Which foods are rich in Pasiflora?

Pasiflora is not a nutrient and no food supplies it. Passion fruit comes from related species and is not a source of the herb.

What are the side effects of Pasiflora?

• Drowsiness and slowed reactions
• Dizziness
• Confusion or muddled thinking, mostly at high doses
• Nausea or stomach upset
• Headache
• Allergic rash, itching or swelling (rare)
• Fast or irregular heartbeat (rare, reported in case reports)

Good to know:

Most people who take pasiflora at label amounts have no trouble. Drowsiness is the common one, and it is the reason not to drive after a dose.

Serious events are rare. A few hospital case reports describe a fast heartbeat, severe dizziness or vomiting after large amounts.

Stop taking it and get medical advice if you feel faint, your heart races, or you get a rash or swelling.

How much Pasiflora should you take?

• Recommended daily: Labels vary a lot, so read the one in your hand. This is a description of the market, not advice for you. Typical label amounts are: - Tea: about 1 to 2 g of dried herb per cup, up to three cups a day - Dried extract capsules: often 200 to 400 mg per dose - Tincture: a few millilitres, as printed on the bottle Strength differs between brands and between plant batches. A product that works for a friend may be twice as strong as yours. Start at the low end of the label and never stack two sleep products.
• Best time of day: Most people take it in the evening, because it can make you drowsy. For sleep, labels often suggest a dose 30 to 60 minutes before bed. For daytime nerves, some take a smaller amount, but drowsiness is still possible. Do not drive or use machines until you know how it affects you.
• With or without food: Food does not matter much. You can take it with or without a meal. Tea is usually drunk on its own in the evening. If capsules upset your stomach, taking them with food may help. Do not take it with alcohol. The two together can make you very drowsy.
• Time to effect: If it helps at all, it tends to help the same evening. In pre-surgery trials, effects were measured 30 to 90 minutes after a dose. Sleep studies ran for a week before people noticed small changes. It may also do nothing. Many people feel no difference, and that is a normal outcome with this herb.
• How long to take it: Short-term use is the norm. Most trials ran from a few days to four weeks. European herbal product rules usually suggest stopping after about two to four weeks if nothing changes. There is little safety data for months of daily use. Ongoing anxiety or insomnia needs a proper look by a doctor, not a longer run of tea.