body care and repair
Passionflower
Botanical Name: Passiflora incarnata
Common Name: Passionflower, Passion Vine, Granadilla, Maracoc, May Pops
Family: Passifloraceae
Habitat and Growing Conditions: “Z 7-10, well-drained, sandy, slightly acid soil in sun.” (The Herb Society of America’s New Encyclopedia of Herbs, p. 303)
Historical Association with the Passion of Christ:
• The flower is purple: the color of the season of Lent
The five sepals and five petals: the ten apostles present with Jesus during his passion (excluding Peter and Judas)
• The three stigma: the three nails that held Jesus to the cross
• The five anthers: the five wounds of Jesus (hands, feet and side)
• The filaments: the crown of thorns
• The leaves with 3 points: the Holy Trinity
• The vine: God’s attachment to the earth
Medicinal Properties: “The drug is known to be a depressant to the motor side of the spinal cord, slightly reducing arterial pressure, though affecting circulation but little, while increasing the rate of respiration. It is official in homoeopathic medicine and used with bromides, it is said to be of great service in epilepsy. Its narcotic properties cause it to be used in diarrhoea and dysentery, neuralgia, sleeplessness and dysmenorrhoea.” (Mrs. Grieve’s Online Modern Herbal)
“Proven indications and usage include: nervousness and insomnia. Unproven uses include depressive states, hysteria, general nervous agitation, insomnia and nervous gastrointestinal complaints. No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.” (PDR for Herbal Medicines, p. 634-635)
“Used to treat pain and insomnia, imbalances of the nervous system including nervous tension and stress headaches. It is an excellent herbal sedative and relieves smooth muscle spasms. It is useful in treating spasmodic dysmenorrhea, colic, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, blood pressure and epilepsy. Passionflower also has an antifungal principle called passicol that shows intermediate killing power on candida species.” (Mark Pederson’s Nutritional Herbology, p. 134-135)
“A bitter, sedative, cooling herb that relieves pain, relaxes spasms and lower blood pressure. Used internally for nervous tension, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, tension headache, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual tension, nervous tachycardia, hypertension, and shingles. Also assists with withdrawal from addictive drugs, including benzodiazepines and valium.” (The Herb Society of America’s New Encyclopedia of Herbs, p. 303)
References (title, author, page #): Mrs. Grieve’s Online Modern Herbal; Mark Pederson’s Nutritional Herbology, p. 134-135; PDR for Herbal Medicines, p. 634-635; The Herb Society of America’s New Encyclopedia of Herbs, p. 303
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