Passionflower, botanical name Passiflora, is a genus of flowering plants, most of which grow as vines. Its fruit is edible and the leaves and the roots of the plant have a long history of medicinal use in traditional herbal medicine. Research has revealed evidence for benefits of passionflower in the treatment of anxiety.
GABA
Passion flower reduces insomnia and hysteria by promoting GABA--an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that decreases excitability and relaxes muscles--according to a study conducted at the Department of Biology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York and published in the November 2009 issue of "Medical Science Monitor." The meta analysis--a study of previously published research--focused on herbal and nutritional supplements that exert anti-anxiety, relaxation and mood-enhancing effects. The researchers concluded that scientific literature supports the use of passion flower as a useful alternative in the management of everyday stress and anxiety.
Extraction Techniques
Passion flower extracts reduced anxiety in laboratory mice, according to a study by L. M. Sena et al. at the Department of Pharmacology - Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Three different extraction techniques were tested for effectiveness in the study, which was published in the August 2009 "Experimental Biology and Medicine," and all three increased the amount of time laboratory mice spent in the light compartment of a light:dark box, indicating less anxiety in the mice, say the researchers. Passion flower also increased the sedative effects of ether in the study.
Passion Flower Species
The species of passion flower, Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa, showed anti-anxiety and sedative properties in laboratory mice in a study by J. Deng et al., at the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China. In the study, published in the March 2010 issue of "Journal of Ethnopharmacology," mice given various preparations of passion flower exhibited decreased anxiety at low doses and a sedative effect at higher doses, indicating that, while effective as an anti-anxiety treatment, passion flower may impair motor function under certain conditions.
Sedative Effect
Water extract of passion flower reduced anxiety without affecting motor function, while an extract that included all flavonoids--a category of plant-based antioxidants--produced anti-anxiety effects along with impaired motor function, according to a study by M. Coleta at the Center of Pharmaceutical Studies, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. The study, published in the December 2006 issue of the "Phytotherapy Research" journal, used laboratory mice and measured response to maze tests to evaluate the herb's effects.
References
- PubMed.gov: Formulations of dietary supplements and herbal extracts for relaxation and anxiolytic action: Relarian
- "Experimental Biology and Medicine": Neuropharmacological Activity of the Pericarp of Passiflora edulis flavicarpa Degener: Putative Involvement of C-Glycosylflavonoids
- PubMed.gov: Anxiolytic and sedative activities of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa
- PubMed.gov: Neuropharmacological evaluation of the putative anxiolytic effects of Passiflora edulis Sims, its sub-fractions and flavonoid constituents
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