Natural Anxiety Remedies: Passionflower

I wanted to continue my posts about natural anxiety remedies by talking about the herb Passionflower. Its botanical name is Passiflora, often with a second word such as passiflora officinale, or passiflora incarnata, both of which are listed as alternative names for Passionflower.

Passionflower has been used for centuries to treat anxiety, and insomnia. It is often used in combination with other herbs such as valerian or scullcap.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database has this to say about the use of passionflower to treat anxiety: "There is some evidence that passionflower can reduce symptoms of anxiety, sometimes as effectively as some prescription medications."

There was a study done in 2001 that compared Passionflower to oxazepam in the treatment of GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), which concluded: "The results suggest that Passiflora extract is an effective drug for the management of generalized anxiety disorder, and the low incidence of impairment of job performance with Passiflora extract compared to oxazepam is an advantage." (The drug oxazepam had worked faster, but did impair job performance during the study.)

You can read more about this study here: Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.

You should use caution with Passionflower if you are using any other kind of sedative preparation, as Passionflower could intensify the effect. Passionflower is generally considered safe in normal doses, but some side effects have been reported, such as dizziness, confusion, irregular muscle action and coordination, altered consciousness, and inflamed blood vessels. (I have personally used Passionflower without any problems, and have recommended to others, also with no problem. I mention the reported side effects only because they appear in some of the publications which describe the use of Passionflower, and I wanted to make sure my readers are aware of, what I believe is a very slim, possibility of side effects.)

I have found Passionflower can be a safe and effective natural anxiety remedy, and recommend you try it, if you are looking for a natural alternative.

If you have severe anxiety symptoms, please consult a professional. If you are taking any medication, please talk to your doctor before you begin taking Passionflower, or any other natural remedy.