Passion flower is a perennial herb that is available as an infusion, a tea, an extract or a tincture. The herb may work by increasing a chemical in the brain known as gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, states the University of Maryland Medical Center. GABA can reduce brain cell activity, leading to a sense of relaxation. Based on this effect, passion flower has many medical applications.
Sedative
Passion flower has a long history of use as a sedative for conditions that include restlessness, anxiety and insomnia. MedlinePlus, however, does not endorse the use of the herb for these conditions, as the scientific research of these effects is weak and was primarily based on animals.
Congestive Heart Failure
MedlinePlus notes that research has been conducted on the effects of an extract containing both passion flower and hawthorn in patients with congestive heart failure. However, the individual contribution of passion flower is unclear. As a result, MedlinePlus does not directly recommend the use of passion flower for this purpose.
Drug Withdrawal
Passion flower may be helpful for easing symptoms of drug withdrawal, according to a 2001 study in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Therapeutics. Researchers conducted a two-week study of 65 men who had been addicted to opiate drugs. They found that passion flower increased the beneficial effects of clonidine, a drug which is widely used for drug withdrawal. In particular, researchers found that the use of passion flower led to significant emotional relief during the drug treatment program.
Seizures
Passion flower may improve the sedative and cognitive effects of anti-epileptic medications, according to research published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior in 2001. However, researchers caution that studies have been limited to animal subjects, so passion flower should not be substituted outright for existing medications, and patients and physicians must become educated on adverse effects.
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