Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)







Passionflower is not native to our Northeast climate but is found in warmer zones, where it sometimes reaches invasive status. You can grow it, however, and with some protection, it is able to survive a not so harsh winter. There are over 500 species. I will now quickly move away from the very interesting technical and scientific information, as well as how this incredible Herb/Flower got its name. There is plenty of information on the internet, should you be interested. I’m sure there could have been plenty of better names, and of course, you can come to your own conclusions.

For more information and authoritative confirmation also check out
Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E, which is the European Authority on Herbs.
http://cms.herbalgram.org/expandedE/Passionflowerherb.html?ts=1567952927&signature=fa2dc05e414fd4063d1c4ae29c4e6ac0

What I want to focus on, however, is Passionflower’s amazing ability to help us out, as well as her unique personality.
“ Passiflora is suited to conditions of nervous and cerebral overstimulation, excitement, and irritation…….it calms the cerebral cortex and has a special affinity to the medulla oblongata, the area of the brainstem that oversees sleep…..Passionflower is one of the most important remedies for insomnia from overstimulation of the mind, excessive thinking and chatter in the brain...”    Matthew Wood

I wholeheartedly agree. Passionflower “drops you down” a few levels, and allows you to deal with things yourself. It is powerful but does not sedate, it is not a narcotic, it just cleans up the mess that prevents you from thinking clearly. What a gift. Ultimately this is what it boils down to anyway. Nobody and nothing can solve problems for you, or even offer solutions. This is always up to us.
My sister worked as a Doctor’s Assistant in Germany. One of the Doctors prescribed Passionflower quite a lot. He too felt that many things could be solved by getting the patient in a state of mind where s/he (the patient) would be able to problem-solve themselves. This is how it should be done. And with no side effects and interactions, it is safe. Obviously, don’t use extreme amounts, or creative, crazy ways of using it, as well, allergies can always be a thing. So decide for yourself if this is true. I have however read some things as warnings, which I know to not be true.

Passionflower can even help with conditions that worsen with anxiety. Cough, for example, indigestion, blood pressure and more, which are caused by stress. You should still see your doctor if you experience problems, but we’ve all been there, where some condition gets aggravated by anxiety or stress. This, Passionflower can help with.
I have even seen it working in situations of shock and trauma. There are more specific remedies for this, but it makes sense that it would work here as well.

Passionflower is also interesting, that you might not think it is working, because you don’t feel anything. That is because it doesn’t “do” anything as a sedative or narcotic would. It just takes away the “overstrung” By the time you check if it is working, you’re already “there.” This might sound cryptic, but it isn’t. Hard to put in words, it might be easier to look at the picture of the flower to understand.
The many thin, purple strands can stand for the mental condition of being frazzled and overloaded with many, or just one, repetitive thoughts for example. There might be one or many root causes for this. Then look at the outer white petals which gently provide support for these many strands. Slightly curved up, in a protective shape. Not enclosing, but gently holding them together. Like fingers of a hand. Guiding, supporting, shielding, keeping safe.
Cunningham describes her as belonging to feminine, Venus, water, and gives her powers of peace, sleep and friendship. He advises placing Passionflower in the house to calm problems and troubles and bring peace. I would suggest putting a little in the soup as well, it most likely would be more effective.

I’ve grown Passionflower for several years. She is highly interactive. So interactive, I was not able to harvest her, aside from some flowers for a flower essence. She turned out to be so reactive and aware, it was more like having a pet than a plant. You can laugh if you like, but that’s what happened.
She also expresses her preferences clearly. Here is an example. I planted the babies in pots, near a metal trellis, knowing the vines would need support. When the time came that the little shoots looked for something to grab on, I noticed one, being taller and stronger than the rest, acting as support for all the others. I gently untangled them, hanging and weaving them into the trellis, to show them what to do. Only a couple of hours later, everything was as before. Off the trellis, around the “leader.” Slightly surprised, I started to repeat the process, when I clearly “just knew” that they had an aversion to the metal. So I went and got some bamboo sticks and wrapped them around those. Again they unwound. Now they really got my attention. I stuck in some branches and twigs from trees. Those were unstable, so I tied them to the trellis with natural twine, and wrapped the shoots around the branches. Again, only about two hours later, those little feeler-like vines had undone themselves from the branches, but now the did not cling to the leader, but they had tightly wrapped themselves around the string. That was what they were looking for. The “leader” always stayed the leader. Taller and stronger than all others, always making the first move in growing and exploring the next level. Once attached, the others followed. Of course, I played with this, exploring the “what would you do if I did this or that”....the “just know” factor, I quickly realized, was not my own. The plant seemed to express itself this way. The affinity to mind is strong, and clearly, you don’t even have to consume the plant. It certainly has a strong mind of its own, but it does not take over. Only at first I attributed the observation to myself, then it was clear that there was a lot more going on.
Passionflower will not do things for you, but it will help you by restoring functioning, impaired by stress.
Passionflower gets along really well with a lot of herbs, helping them, as well, by relaxing the system and hence allowing them to work better, without interference by stress-induced responses. If you want to enhance Passionflower’s gifts, Lemon Balm is a great choice, as well as Linden Flower, Scullcap and Hawthorn. These combinations will still not be sedative or narcotic. For extra help in severe situations, Valerian is a good choice. Valerian does not work the same for everyone, however. Lavender and Chamomille also work well. Which one to choose though? This depends on who you need. Each Plant has its own special gift and specific application. However, sometimes it comes down to what you have available, or are able to obtain. Herbs are unique and often will do what you need them to do, even if it is not a perfect match. That would never work with drugs. However, the better you understand the individual herbs, the more impressive their work. This is the advantage of creating your own little Apothecary. This way you have the option to tweak things to perfectly match the challenge. But there is no rush to go out and buy a lot. This happens little by little, ideally, you can wildcraft, maybe grow some things, but first, you want to understand why you want things in there, what they can do for you. So one herb at a time, I will try to help you with that.

I’d love to hear your experience with Passionflower or any other herb.