Passionflower is known by the names, Apricot Vine, Maypop, Passion Vine, Purple Passionflower or Wild Passionflower. The botanical name for this plant is Passiflora incarnata L. Passionflower is a native plant of the United States and grows from Maryland and south to Florida then west to Texas and Oklahoma, mainly growing in the southeastern part of the United States.
Passionflower is a woody vine whose stems can trail as much as thirty feet in length. This vine can even climb to the tops of trees to capture the full sun. The leaves are divided into three sharp lobes and the flowers are white to pale lavender and are about two inches in diameter. The flowers bloom from June until September. A yellow berry is produced from the flower which is about two inches long and are edible. The parts of the plant that are mainly used are the flowers and the vine. This lets the root stay intact to produce more green medicine.
During the 16th century the Spanish explorers praised the beauty of this exotic vine and found that it was a source of medicine for the Native Americans. Many of the southern tribes used Passionflower to treat bruises and other injuries. This was accomplished by using the Passionflower leaves in the form of a poultice and the fruit was used as a tea to bathe sore eyes.
Passionflower is an amazing medicinal plant, it contains non-addictive sedative properties which acts as a depressant on the central nervous system. This tranquilizer effect is useful in treating insomnia, nervousness and assists the body in lowering high blood pressure. The plant also contains anti-inflammatory properties which was used to treat arthritis and pain. It has been used by many herbalists to treat dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), and is found to be most effective. The dried fruits and flowertops are ingredients in many of todays sedatives.
The flower, fruit and vine of the Passionflower are used by many herbalists because Passionflower contains alkaloids such as harmane, harmol, harmaline, harmine and harmalol, and flavanoids such as sugars, sterols, and gum. The chief use of this plant is in the form of a tranquilizer. Passionflower can be taken in the form of a tea, extract, or capsules.
The Passionflower is a very unique plant which contains numerous medicinal qualities. It is a wild plant, native to the United States, and costs nothing to grow.
Passionflower is recognized as safe for use in the United States. But due to a number of government regulations there is little public knowledge of the medicinal qualities of this plant.
The uses of the Passionflower have been documented as far back as the 1600s. Physicians and herbalists have used this plants medicine to treat many conditions. In countries other than the United States Passionflower is used daily and the knowledge of its properties is widespread. In the United Kingdom it is on the General Medical Sales List, Canada it is approved as an over-the-counter drug and in Germany it has been approved by the Commission E (comparable to our FDA) as an over-the-counter drug. Passionflower is just one more of the many green medicines given to us - free of charge - from the Good Earth.