Passionflower

The passionflower embodies the Passion of Christ, the crucifixion of Jesus. Looking at the flowers through the eyes of the first Jesuits in America, one can recognize the crucified Lord in them.

 

The passionflower (Passiflora) with its enchantingly beautiful flowers is found here only in gardens and indoors, as its beauty originally comes from the subtropics and tropics. The climbing plant prefers warm and consistently moist conditions. There are numerous species of passionflowers, with around 520 species in this genus, and some even grow as shrubs or trees. Most species of passionflower are native to South and southern North America, but some representatives are also native to Australia, Asia, and Madagascar.

The flesh-colored passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), also called the hardy passionflower, is used pharmaceutically as a medicinal plant. Its native range is the southeastern USA; today, the passionflower as a medicinal plant is mainly cultivated in Florida and India, but also in Spain and Italy.

 

The Native Americans of North America prepared foods and drinks from the flesh-colored passionflower and enjoyed eating its fruits raw. (The passion fruits offered here, however, come from other species of passionflower.) But the passionflower also has a long tradition as a medicinal plant among Native Americans. They made preparations from the roots of the passionflower which they used in various ways: for example, the Cherokee drank root tea for liver complaints and used poultices made from ground root for cuts or inflammations.

 

In Europe, the passionflower has been used since the 20th century especially for mild symptoms of nervous restlessness, as a sleep aid, or as an anxiolytic and antispasmodic remedy; however, only the above-ground parts, that is, the leaves and flowers of the passionflower, not the root. Passionflower herb is often found in dietary supplements and over-the-counter herbal medicines in combination with other plants, especially valerian, hawthorn, hops, or St. John's wort.

The "Study Group on the Development History of Medicinal Plants" selected passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) as the Medicinal Plant of the Year 2011 because of its profile of effects and long history of use.

 

Laboratory studies have shown that extracts from Passiflora incarnata have sedative and anxiolytic effects in rodents, and the components of passionflower act directly on the GABA system in the brain. The neuronal messenger GABA plays a major role in controlling anxiety and stress responses. Research assumes that the binding of a component in the passionflower extract to the GABA-A receptor is responsible for the clinical efficacy. [2] However, which components in passionflower are exactly responsible for the pharmacological effects is not yet clearly understood; it is likely a mixture of substances.

The passionflower herb is traditionally attributed the following positive effects:

for nervous conditions

for mild sleep disturbances

antispasmodic and

anxiety-relieving properties. 

 

Overall, the use of passionflower "Passiflorae herba" is based on the long-established traditional folk medicine and the results of animal experimental studies. According to a 2013 review, passionflower has shown a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities in preclinical experiments. These include anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing), sedative, cough-suppressing, anti-asthmatic, and anti-diabetic activities. However, the authors note that there are not enough well-documented, controlled clinical studies with sufficient participant numbers. They conclude that new clinical studies with stricter methodology should be conducted to evaluate the traditional efficacy of Passiflora incarnata L. [1]

 

There are several forms of administration for the passionflower. Most commonly, it is taken as tea, often also in the form of tea blends. Otherwise, tinctures are the most frequent form: here the active ingredients are put into an alcoholic solution. 

For tea, put one to two teaspoons of passionflower herb into a cup. Pour boiling water over it and let it steep for 10 minutes. Up to three cups of this tea can be consumed daily, with intake recommended as a course. Most users therefore rely on drinking strong passionflower teas every day for about a month.

For a tincture, fill a screw-top jar with passionflowers. Pour double grain spirit or wine spirit over them. Place the closed jar in a warm place for up to 6 weeks. Then strain out the solid parts and transfer the liquid into a dark bottle.

Finally, you can of course also buy ready-made preparations like capsules and take extracts of the passionflower this way. If you choose the right form of administration and a good manufacturer, this might be the best option.

 

The chemical composition of various products derived from the passionflower has been intensively studied by science. Mainly flavonoids, coumarins, and essential oils were found. The results show that various bioactive components can contribute to the reported clinical effects and likely act synergistically, meaning they enhance each other. Currently, researchers assume that not all pharmacologically active compounds have been precisely identified yet. [1] The flavonoids are suspected to be the pharmacologically active substance group in the passionflower.

 

Passiflora incarnata grows as an evergreen shrub with extensive roots, from which shoots up to 6 meters long emerge. From June, the begins to bloom, captivating with its fascinating flowers about 8 cm in size, each located at the end of a single stem. Green-white sepals and pale pink petals alternate around the corona. This consists of 100 appendages, wavy like fringes and colored in many variations. The style and stamens of the flesh-colored passionflower form a central column.

 

It is astonishing how many Christian symbols the passionflower incorporates. It was named after the Passion of Christ for good reason:

Five sepals and five petals each represent the 10 apostles who were present at the crucifixion.

The corona represents the crown of thorns of Jesus.

Three styles with stigmas represent the nails on the cross.

Five stamens represent the wounds of Christ.

The ovary represents either the sponge with vinegar or the chalice of the Last Supper.

The leaves with their three lobes represent the Holy Trinity.

Unlobed leaves represent the spear with which Jesus' supposed death was verified.

 

Those who have passionflowers at home or in the garden can sometimes enjoy the wonderful sight of passion butterflies or other butterflies. This is because the beautiful flower of the passionflower mimics butterflies to be pollinated. This is also called a mimetic flower strategy. In addition, the passionflower produces sweet nectar to be even more attractive to pollinators. You will most likely see passion butterflies on your flowers most often. Attracted by the passionflower are also peacock moths, morpho butterflies, and queen butterflies.

 

Christian missionaries believed they saw insignia of the Passion of Christ in the exceptionally beautiful flowers of the passionflower. The plant owes its name to this circumstance: Passiflora incarnata translates to the flesh-made passionflower.

Only the flesh-colored passionflower Passiflora incarnata is used in preparations, even though other species like the blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea) are often mistakenly shown on the packaging.

1. Miroddia M et al. (2013) Passiflora incarnata L.: Ethnopharmacology, clinical application, safety and evaluation of clinical trials. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 150: 791–804. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.09.047
2. Appel K et al. (2011) Modulation of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system by Passiflora incarnata L. Phytotherapy Research 25: 838–843. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3352

When Jesuits first arrived in the New World and saw the passionflower, they found Christian symbols for the crucifixion of Jesus in it. Above, we have looked at the individual symbols and their meanings. 

We already know naturally occurring species numbering over 530. They mostly come from tropical and subtropical regions of the American continents.

Yes, there are. And because passionflower is becoming increasingly popular, there are more and better extracts. We recommend looking for capsules that contain only passionflower extract and the material for the capsule shell. As soon as fillers like magnesium stearate, talc, titanium dioxide, or similar are included, this speaks against the quality of the preparation.

This question divides opinions. Unfortunately, there are hardly any or no clinical studies with a large number of participants that have produced conclusive findings. Therefore, the use of passionflower extract is rather traditional. At the same time, the use of passionflower is considered a “well-established use” because there is evidence of effectiveness and because its use is safe. For example, there is an approved preparation called Lioran that contains passionflower. It claims to help with anxiety and stress.