Passionflower Extract

PASSIONFLOWER (Passiflora incarnata L)

Description

It’s a perennial climbing plant with alternate tri-lobed from which axil tendrils sprout and roll themselves in a ringlet form. Flowers are violet-white, big and solitaire with a long peduncle. They are beautiful and the white corolla is embellished with purple filaments. It has 5 large stamens and a 3 stigmas pistil. The fruit is oval-shaped, green or pale brown and fleshy with plenty of dark yellow honeycomb-shaped seeds.
It is original from America and is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is an ornamental plant and it is some times naturalized in the Mediterranean zones.

Part used
The leaves and flowers.

Indications
> Anxiety, nervous hyperexcitation, insomnia, neurovegetative dystonia.
> Tachycardia and cardiovascular erethism, hypertension.
> Intestinal spasms and gastrointestinal ulcer.
> Menopausal disorders.
> Muscle contractures: torticollis, lumbar pain and myasthenia.

Other uses
> Opiate detoxification used along with clonidine (Akhondzadeh et al 2001-a).
> Alcoholic detoxification (Dhawan et al 2002-a).
> Cough suppressant similar to codeine (Dhawan K and Sharma A. 2002-a).
> Libido and fertility enhancer, raise sperm count in rats (Dhawan K and Sharma A. 2002-b).
> Prevents nicotine and alcohol-induced azoospermia (Dhawan K et al. 2002-c).