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Passionflower is the official
wildflower of Tennessee.
Passion Flowers have been associated with
the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as well as the Passion of Christ. The latter
association led the missionaries to name the flowers “Passion Flowers.” The ten petals and sepals, to the Spanish, represented ten
disciples present at the crucifixion. The three stigma represented three nails
on the cross, the five anthers the five wounds of Christ.
The many fringes represented the crown of thorns in the passion story. Bosio
counted 72 fringes or filaments, which according to tradition, writes
Vanderplank, is the number of thorns in the crown of thorns. Interpretations
vary in literature.
A poet of the time explains that this flower was used to persuade Indians of the
power of the cross. The passion flower, he writes, was a witness at the
crucifixion.
 Read more Passionflower lore at
"The
Passionflower and the Kabbalah" (external site) and
Passion
Flower Religious Symbolism from
www.Passionflowershop.com
Passionflower is ruled by Venus and used
mystically to bring peace to problems and troubles in the home as well as
carried to attract friends and popularity. Information from
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Cunningham's Encyclopedia Series)
I'm sure its lovely
fragrance could attract many admirers!
Passionflower was not widely used until the
1890s. The dried flowering and fruiting tops were listed in National Formulary
from 1916 to 1936 as a sedative and sleep aid, but in 1978, the Food and Drug
Administration banned it from sleep aids after no evidence for its effectiveness
was presented during hearings.
Herbs for Health: Passionflower for Food, Health and Beauty My advice
is try it for yourself and see what you think!
Gather Passionflower above ground after some of the
fruit have matured, hang in bundles (under 1 inch wide at base, avoid crowding)
to dry for later use. Avoid drying herbs in damp areas, stagnant air or direct
light for best results. Use all of the aerial parts including stems; don't
discard them like you do with most herbs as they contain medicinal properties.
It seems to me that tea made with the stems is more potent than just the leaves
and flowers. Gather edible fresh, juicy, fruit when
soft and light yellow-green and store in refrigerator for up to a week.
Books
Passiflora: Passionflowers of the World
ADHD Alternatives: A Natural Approach to Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Overcoming Sleep Disorders Naturally
Flowers and Herbs of Early America
Web Sites
Garden
Guides - History of Passionflower
Passionflower Uses and Ratings - GHC.org
Plants for a Future - Passionflower
Drugs.com - Passionflower
Nature's Herbal
Passionflower Monograph - Deb Jackson's writings and beautiful scanned plant
images
Aphrodisiac activity of methanol extract of leaves of Passiflora
incarnata Linn in mice.
Passionflower - Medline Plus Supplement Information
Anticonvulsant effects of
aerial parts of Passiflora incarnata extract in mice: involvement of
benzodiazepine and opioid receptors.
A Double-blind,
Placebo-controlled Investigation of the Effects of Passiflora incarnata
(Passionflower) Herbal Tea on Subjective Sleep Quality.
Medicinal plants for
the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: a review of controlled clinical
studies
Suppression
of alcohol-cessation-oriented hyper-anxiety by the benzoflavone
moiety of Passiflora incarnata Linneaus in mice.
Anxiolytic
activity of aerial and underground parts of Passiflora incarnata.
Attenuation of
benzodiazepine dependence in mice by a tri-substituted benzoflavone
moiety of Passiflora incarnata Linneaus: a non-habit forming
anxiolytic.
Preoperative
oral Passiflora incarnata reduces anxiety in ambulatory surgery
patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Passion Flower
(Passiflora incarnata L.)--a reliable herbal sedative
Passionflower in the treatment of generalized anxiety: a pilot
double-blind randomized controlled trial with oxazepam |
