Passion Flower was first discovered in Peru by a Spanish doctor named Monardes in 1569 who documented the indigenous uses and took it back to the Old World where it quickly became a favorite herb tea.⁽³⁾ Spanish conquerors of Mexico and South America also learned its use from the Aztec Indians and it eventually became widely cultivated in Europe. Since its discovery, Maracuja has been widely used as a sedative, antispasmodic and nerve tonic. Indians throughout the Amazon use the leaf tea as a sedative.⁽²⁾ When introduced into Europe in the 1500's it was used as a calming and sedative tea.⁽⁴⁾ It was introduced in North American medicine in the mid 1800's as a sedative through native and slave use in the South as a tea, as well as bruising the leaves for headache, bruises and pain.⁽⁴⁾ In many countries in Europe and in the U.S. and Canada, the use of Passion Flower to tranquilize and settle edgy nerves has been documented for over 200 years.⁽³⁾ Its long documented history in herbal medicine has included its uses for colic, diarrhea, dysentery, dysmenorrhea, epilepsy, eruptions, insomnia, morphinism, neuralgia, neurosis, opthalmia, piles and spasm.⁽⁵⁾

Passion Flower is widely employed by herbalists and natural health practitioners around the world today. It is mostly employed as a sedative, hypnotic (inducing sleep), nervine, anti-spasmodic and pain reliever.⁽⁶⁾ In the United States, P. incarnata is the species most used to treat insomnia, Parkinson's Disease, seizures and convulsions, muscle cramps, hysteria, high blood pressure, tetanus, shingles, neuralgia, dysmenorrhea, menstrual cramps and PMS, epilepsy, and as a pain reliever in various conditions.^(7-10) In Europe, it is employed for nervous disorders, insomnia, spasms, neuralgia, alcoholism, hyperactivity in children, rapid heart beat, headaches, and as a pain reliever and antispasmodic.⁽¹¹⁾ In South America, P. edulis is the species most used as a sedative, diuretic, antispasmodic, and anthelmintic (expelling intestinal worms) which is used to treat convulsions, paralysis, alcoholism, headaches, insomnia, colic in infants, diarrhea, gripe, hysteria, neuralgia, menopausal symptoms and hypertension.^{(8, 12, 13, 14)} In both South and North America as well as in Europe, Maracuja is used topically for skin disorders, inflammation, hemorrhoids, and burns; having an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.^(8,12)

Passion Flower has been the subject of much scientific research. After almost 100 years of study the sedative, antispasmodic and analgesic effects of Maracuja have been firmly established in science yet these effects have not been correlated to any one chemical or group of chemicals found in the plant. Passion flower contains two major groups of chemicals - glycosides and flavonoids as well as alkaloids. When these chemicals are isolated and tested individually they have demonstrated the opposite reactions for which the plant is commonly used for and only when the two are combined as a whole herb, do researchers observe the plant's sedative effect.^{(3, 15, 16)} The analgesic effects of Passion Flower were first clinically documented in 1897 while the sedative effects were first recorded in 1904.^{(3, 15)} Antispasmodic, anxiolytic and hypertensive actions were clinically validated in the early 1980's.⁽¹⁷⁾

Passion Flower is classified as "Generally Regarded as Safe" by the FDA, is the subject of various European monographs for medicinal plants and is generally regarded as safe even for children and infants.⁽¹⁸⁾ Herbalists usually recommend six grams of the herb daily in an infusion (tea).⁽¹⁸⁾

1. Balee, William., 1994 Footprints of the Forest, Ka'apor Ethnobotany - the Historical Ecology of Plant Utilization by an Amazonian People Columbia University Press, New York.
2. Duke, James and Vasquez, Rudolfo, 1994 Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton, FL
3. Mowrey, Daniel., 1986 The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, Keats Publishing, Inc New Canaan CT.
4. Bergner, Paul. 1995., "Passionflower" Medical Herbalism Vol. 7. No. 1-2 Spring and Summer 1995
5. Duke, JA, CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs 1985. Ed. CRC Press Boca Raton, FL
6. Hoffman, David, The Herbal Handbook. 1987. ed. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT
7. Lucas, Richard, M., 1991., Miracle Medicine Herbs, Parker Publishing, USA
8. Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., 1993. Herbal Tonic Therapies, Keats Publishing, Inc.New Canaan, CT.
9. Heinerman, John, 1996. Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Herbs & Spices. Parker Publishing Co. USA
10. Balch J.F. & Balch, P.A., 1990, Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Avery Publishing Group, USA
11. Bartram, Thomas., Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 1995. Ed Grace Publishers, Dorset England
12. de Almeida, E.R., 1993. Plantas Medicinais Brasileiras, Conhecimentos Populares E Cientificos. Hemus Editora Ltda. Sau Paulo, Brazil.
13. Bernardes, Antonio, 1984 A Pocketbook of Brazilian Herbs, Editora e Arta Ltda. Brazil
14. Kember Mejia and Elsa Reng, 1995. Plantas medicinales de uso popular en la Amazonia Peruana. AECI and IIAP, Lima, Peru.
15. Lutomski, J., 1960., "Alkaloidy Pasiflora incarnata L." Dissertation, Institut for Medicinal Plant Research, Pozan, 1960
16. Bruneton, J., 1995, Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants., Intercept, Ltd., Hampshire, England 1995
17. Lung. A., Foster, S. 1996. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients, (1996) ed. Wiley & Sons, NY, NY.
18. HerbClip: Passion Flower., "An Herbalist's View of Passion Flower" American Botanical Council, Austin, Texas April 10, 1996