Anxiety is a major concern for many people. Generalized anxiety syndrome, as well as acute situations that produce anxiety, can be debilitating, with symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, sleep disturbances and irrational fears. Passiflora, or passion flower, is one of the best-studied herbs in natural medicine and has been used for centuries to treat anxiety. Recent clinical studies support these traditional effects.
History
Passion flower has been used for centuries for sleep and as a sedative, according to the National Institutes of Health. It was approved by the German regulatory authority's Commission E for treating nervousness and insomnia. The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia recommends passion flower for sleep disorders, restlessness, nervous stress and anxiety.
Active Components
According to the pharmacists' reference "PDR for Herbal Medicines," passion flower contains many active components including flavonoids, cyanogenic glycosides and volatile oils. Research published in 2008 in the journal Planta Medica found that passion flower has a significant effect on anxiety in mice and postulated that it was due to its effect on gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. Many prescription anxiolytics also work through the GABA receptor to decrease anxiety and improve sleep.
Research
Research using a model of anxiety in mice published in the German scientific journal Pharmazie in 2009 found that passion flower has effectiveness similar to the prescription benzodiazepine diazepam. It acted just as quickly and provided the same amount of anxiety relief.
In humans, a double-blind placebo-controlled trial published in 2001 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics found that passion flower provided a quicker onset of action and similar effectiveness to the prescription drug oxazepam for treating generalized anxiety. There was also a significant impairment of job performance in the drug group, but not in the passion flower group.
Another double-blind placebo-blind study examined the effects of a dose of passion flower taken just before an acute stress, in this case before surgery. The researchers published their findings in the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2008, saying that passion flower significantly decreased anxiety experienced versus the placebo within 20 minutes of taking the supplement. No detrimental effects were experienced.
Directions for Use
The researchers in the 2008 study published in Anesthesia and Analgesia used a dose of 500 mg of passiflora extract for treating an acute situation. For long-term use, the European Medicines Agency recommends a dose of 0.5 to 2 grams of whole herb, one to four times daily. Passion flower at this dose is considered safe for adults and children 12 years old and up.
Considerations
Note that there are many species of passion flower. Passiflora incarnata, particularly an alcoholic extract of the upper parts of the plants, is the one which has been most studied. Other forms of passion flower may not be as effective for anxiety.
Passion flower is considered safe by the European Medicines Agency, which evaluated its safety in 2008. The National Institutes of Health indicates that there are reports of side effects such as rapid heart rhythm, sedation, nausea and vomiting.
Always consult your health-care provider or pharmacist to determine if an herbal remedy such as passion flower is suitable for you.
References
- National Institutes of Health MedlinePlus: Passion Flower
- European Medicines Agency: Passion Flower Monograph
- "British Herbal Pharmacopoeia"; British Herbal Medicine Association; 1996
- "PDR for Herbal Medicines Second Edition"; Joerg Gruenwald Ph.D. et al., Editors; 2000
- "The Complete German Commission E. Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines"; 1998
