Passionflower

Passionflower: Passiflora Incarnata

Passionflower consists of a single genus with about 550 species. They range from vines to woody shrubs and trees. The entire plant (with the exception of the stem) can be used: fruit, buds, flowers, leaves and seeds. The vine can grow up to 30 feet long.

This plant can be found from PA to FL and from TX to Mo. It likes sandy soil and disturbed fields, roadsides and fence lines. Flowers are large, unique and range from whitish to purple. They bloom from July - October.

The main action word for this plant is sedative.

SEDATIVE: herbs that calm the nervous system and reduces stress throughout the body. Many sedatives are also classified as nervines, hypnotics and antispasmodic.

NERVINE: herb that is used to calm the nerves.

HYPNOTICS: herbs that will help to induce deep and successful sleep.

ANT-SPASMADIC: herbs that can prevent or ease muscular cramps or spasms.

ANODYNE: herbs that can ease the sensation of pain.

This plant has several medicinal purposes. It's known for the following:

• Manage mild sleep irregularities
• Relieve anxiety
• Calms the mind
• Sooth the stomach
• Tension headaches
• Opiate withdrawal

Passionflower will NOT put you to sleep but will support normal sleep that may have been disrupted by stress, muscle spasm. Etc.

With so many parts of the plant usable, you can make jelly, teas, tinctures etc.

This is just the basic information about this gorgeous plant. I urge you to research more about all of the possibilities that it has.

The side effects are sleepiness, dizziness and confusion.

DO NOT USE WITH SEDATIVES OR IF PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING.

On a personal note: The other night I made a cup of passionflower tea before bed. I slowly drank it and within 30 minutes I went from wide awake to ready to cuddle with my pillow. I was amazed at how fast I fell asleep. Besides a couple minutes of interrupted sleep, I slept well all night long. I woke up energized and ready to get the day started. No sluggish feeling like you sometimes get after taking a pill. This is a huge thing for me as I usually have to take several things to go to sleep. Below is the extremely simple recipe for the tea.

PASSIONFLOWER TEA:

Use 2 tsp of dried passionflower. per 1 cup of water. Pour the boiling water over your herb, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Then strain into a cup. This herb is extremely "earthy" tasting. I added a bit of honey to mine, and it was very tasty. You can add cinnamon as well if you'd like.