What is Passionflower?

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a flowering plant that has about 500 species. Also known as passion vine, maypop, granadilla, and apricot vine, passionflower belongs to the family called Passifloraceae. Passionflower is a herbaceous, woody plant that produces tendril vines or bush, depending on the species. Passionflower also produces flowers that have white and purple colors with a distinctive corona. Passionflower also produces several seedy fruits.  

Uses of Passionflower

Passionflower has some benefits for which it is used both in the healthcare and food industries. Some of the uses of passion flowers are listed as follows:

1. Passionflower is used as a flavoring agent in the manufacturing of beverages and food substances.

2. The fruit of passionflower is used as part of the ingredients for formulating dietary supplements.

3. The oil extracts from the seed of passionflower are used to manufacture skin products such as cream and lotions.

4. The oil extracts of passionflower can also be used directly on the skin for a soothing effect.

5. Passionflower can be used as animal feed additives.

Traditional uses of Passionflower

According to history, Passionflower is a plant used in herbal medicine to cure many illnesses such as sleeplessness, anxiety, and hypertension. Traditionally in Europe, it is also employed due to its potent ability to cure neuralgia, diarrhea, burns, dysmenorrhea, and hemorrhoids.  The roots of passionflower are also used to make tea, consumed as a tonic and a sedative to aid better sleep time. Furthermore, passionflower is used in the healing of cuts and bruises. Lastly, passionflower is also used traditionally to provide relief to women who have menopausal symptoms.

Surprising facts about Passionflower

Passionflower is a herbaceous perennial plant, which is always a vine or bush concerning its species. The vine species always develops to a width of 5 feet and a height of 30 feet.

Passionflower produces huge beautiful flowers of varying colors ranging from white, pink, and red, blue to multicolor. Among all species of passionflower, the blue passion flower is the most popular; the blue passionflower develops flowers with a purple base on the filament, a white in the middle, and a blue at the apex.  In tropical climates, passionflower continues to grow and bloom.

Among all the numerous species of passionflower, 60 species produce edible fruits; the fruit has an egg shape with either a purple or a yellow color.

The propagation of the Passionflower can be done through their cuttings or seeds.

Several caterpillars of more than 70 species of butterflies feed on the leaves of passionflower.

According to history, the name "passion flower" was given when some Spanish missionaries discovered similarities between the crucifixion of Christ and the shape, arrangement, and number of floral parts of the Passionflower.

The leaves and roots of Passionflower possess compounds that have soothing and anti-anxiety properties, which are employed to treat sleeplessness, hysteria, and epilepsy.

Health benefits of Passionflower and why myAir bars contain it

Passionflower is another super plant that has some advantages which enhance the health and well-being of man. The health benefits of Passionflower are highlighted below:

1. Passionflower can help to relieve anxiety

Passionflower can relieve anxiety in the body of man. So many clinical studies prove that passionflower has properties that can help calm anxiety. Researchers discovered that passionflower produced the same results as anti-anxiety drugs used on mice in a clinical study. Some other two clinical trials in animal models had sedative effects.

In 2016, a clinical trial was carried out where researchers discovered that Passionflower helped cause a reduction in anxiety level, thereby enhancing memory functioning in rats. However, the rate at which passionflower works vary from one study to another.

A review on the effect of Passionflower found out that Passionflower has a calming and soothing effect on the models that consumed it. Some researchers, therefore, recommended it as a traditional treatment for anxiety.

Passionflower possesses a sedative and anti-anxiety property which makes it able to relieve anxiety, thereby leading to calmness.

2. Passionflower helps to lower the blood pressure level in a man

Some studies were carried out to prove that the extract from passion oil is capable of causing a decrease in a high blood pressure level known as hypertension. In conclusion, the consumption of a cup of passionflower tea helps to drive regulation in the blood pressure level of people who have mild hypertension. However, it was advised that people who are on medication should not use the herb because it can lead to an abnormal decrease of the blood sugar level to a harmful effect that may cause death.

Passionflower can help reduce and regulate high blood sugar levels in the body to an average level.

5. Passionflower can help to cure sleeplessness and enhance a good sleeping time

Passionflower can help to enhance good sleep, according to some gathered evidence. Research conducted using mice as the model concludes that Passionflower can promote a positive effect of sleep patterns in man.

A study of rats that consumed passionflower shows that the passionflower had an important slow-wave sleep, reducing the rapid eye movement sleep that aided the rats to sleep quicker. Another animal study discovered that passionflower caused a reduction in the period of falling asleep and increased the period for sleeping. 

Passionflower possesses the ability to increase and improve the sleeping time in man, thereby leading to improved health of man.

3. Passionflower can help to reduce depression, anger etc.

A study of models that consumed passionflower recorded that after taking it for 3-6 weeks, there was a considerable reduction and relief from depression, anger, and headache in contrast to a control group.

Passionflower possesses the ability to reduce depression, anger, and headache, according to a study.

4.  Passionflower possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

Passionflower contains some compounds that provide antioxidative effects. These compounds include apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin glycosides, isovitexin, quercetin,  rutin, and vitexin. It also contains quercetin which was mainly studied widely and has been discovered to be very potent in protecting the body from free radical molecules that cause damage and hinder many enzymes that can cause skin inflammation. Furthermore, the compounds help the nervous system relax, thereby easing nerves from any form of body pain.

Passionflower possesses many compounds that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammation in the body, thereby preventing inflammation and free radicals from damaging the skin.

Conclusion

Passionflower is a plant with some properties embedded in it, and all these properties are beneficial to the health and well-being of man. The fruits produced by Passionflower are also edible; the oil extract from the seed in the fruit helps make skincare products for rubbing on the skin to glow, to mention but a few. Good news- myAir bars are packed with passionflower!

Footnotes

Passiflora incarnata - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata

Passion Flower Benefits | Natural Health Guide

https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/passion-flower

Role Identification of Passiflora Incarnata Linnaeus: A Mini-Review

Mijin Kim, Hee-Sook Lim, [...], and Tae-Hee Kim

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5770524/

Passiflora incarnata L. (Passionflower) extracts elicit GABA currents in hippocampal neurons in vitro and show anxiogenic and anticonvulsant effects in vivo, varying with extraction method

S.-M. Elsas, D. J. Rossi, [...], and A. Soumyanath

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941540/

Passiflora incarnata L. Improves Spatial Memory, Reduces Stress, and Affects Neurotransmission in Rats

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ptr.5578

Passionflower Extract Induces High-amplitude Rhythms without Phase Shifts in the Expression of Several Circadian Clock Genes in Vitro and in Vivo

Kazuya Toda, Shoketsu Hitoe, [...], and Hiroshi Shimoda

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5542920/

Passionflower Extract Induces High-amplitude Rhythms without Phase Shifts in the Expression of Several Circadian Clock Genes in Vitro and in Vivo

Kazuya Toda, Shoketsu Hitoe, [...], and Hiroshi Shimoda

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5542920/