Let’s discover all the applications and properties of passion flower, a health plant also known as the passion flower.
Origin and history
Passionflower incarnate does not go unnoticed. It is not a play on words, but a fun way to underline the many virtues of this perennial herbaceous plant with a climbing habit.
It is a plant native to Central and South America and belonging to the Passifloraceae family, from which the passion fruit derives.
Its particular appearance has guaranteed it a lot of success as an ornamental plant and is known all over the world with the suggestive name of “passion flower”.
The origin, in fact, dates back to the Jesuit missionaries of the seventeenth century, who saw in the tendrils of the plant the whip of the flagellation of Christ, in the stamens and stills the hammer and nails, and in the rays of the corolla the crown of thorns.
But what makes passionflower a truly special plant are its medicinal and therapeutic properties.
The properties of passion flower for health
Long known as a natural remedy to promote sleep, its virtues are now also confirmed by science.
Passionflower, in fact, contains numerous flavonoids which acting on the central nervous system perform a sedative and anxiolytic function.
It is rich in phenolic acids, curarines, phytosterols and cyanogenic heterosides and the synergy of all these elements amplifies its calming and neurotonic effect.
But that is not all. Passionflower is also an effective remedy for irritable bowel and to quell cough attacks, thanks to its antispasmodic properties.
Useful for calming menstrual pains, it also carries out a preventive action for heart attacks. But what’s even more important is that passionflower is safe, has no side effects, and isn’t really addicting.
It can be taken as an herbal tea or in the form of mother tincture and its action is enhanced by the synergy with other plants (such as chamomile, lemon balm, valerian etc.).
Passionflower recipes
To immediately experience the benefits of passion flower, here is a relaxing herbal tea, perfect before going to bed.
What you need is a coffee spoon full of passion flower leaves, half a teaspoon of lime blossom and half of lemon balm leaves.
Leave everything to infuse for 15 minutes in boiling water, filter and sweeten to taste … and sweet night to all!
Warnings
After having dealt with the properties in detail, we would like to make some final considerations.
There is no doubt that this plant has slight therapeutic virtues. But not all passion flowers: it depends on the species, the growing conditions, the time of harvest.
Benzodiazepines are anxiolytics, not antidepressants. These two drug families do not act in the same way and do not have the same therapeutic indications.
Furthermore, the active ingredients of the plant are nothing more than chemical compounds, and can even cause addiction. But the dosage is so low that, firstly, it can only relieve minor ailments, and secondly, the addiction is less strong.
This plant has different uses depending on the species: Passiflora caerulea cannot fear frost, and can be grown anywhere, but it is only ornamental.
The passiflora edulis is called grenadilla and is the one used in cooking.
Finally, the incarnate passionflower is the only one that is used in herbal medicine, and is grown in the south-east of the United States and in Mexico.
