Properties of Passion Flowers

With over 500 species in its genus, passion flower, from the family passifloraecae, is now grown worldwide as a commercial crop. However, due to its phenomenal growth rate, sometimes growing over 20 feet a year, the passion flower vine (passiflora) can become a pest plant. In the blooming season, the vine produces exotic, spiky flowers of varying colors and egg-shaped fruit, which can be eaten. This unique plant also has healing properties.

Medicinal Properties

• Mostly used medicinally as a remedy for nervous disorders, passion flower has powerful sedative properties. An infusion of the plant can calm overactive nerves and anxiety and offer relief to insomnia without producing negative side effects. Passion flower is used to treat depression and acts as a muscle relaxant.

  In addition to treating nervous disorders, passion flower has the properties of a painkiller. It works especially well in cases where emotional pain manifests in physical pain, e.g., headaches, nausea, sleep problems, and dyspnoea. It can also bring relief for spasmolytic conditions.

  Passion flower is used in some cases to treat circulatory conditions like arterial hypertension, as it causes a reduction in arterial pressure. Most medical treatments take the form of an herbal infusion.

Edible Properties

• Some names for passion flower fruit include maracuja, maypop, and granadilla. The term "Granada" comes from the Spanish word for pomegranate. Passion flower fruit is edible and only contains sixteen calories per fruit.

  Inside the fruit lies a wonderland of bright orange or yellow pulp and edible seeds. If you do not care to eat the seeds, simply use a sieve to strain them from the pulp. Great to add for flavoring, passion fruit works well in yogurt, desserts, drinks, and many other foods.

  Different species produce different forms of fruit. Some, like passiflora incarnata (also known as the purple passion flower), have fruit that can grow to the size of a melon. Others are smaller than avocados. Harvest fruit after it falls from the plant. It is best eaten when the surface of the fruit is wrinkled and deep purple.

How It Works

• As a sedative, passion flower works on the central nervous system thanks to the presence of flavinoids and alkaloids. Plus, it improves overall blood circulation in the body. The particular flavonoid apigenin lends to the passion flower its anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. Before taking passion flower or any herbal supplement for medical treatment, however, consult a doctor to make certain it will not interfere with your other medication.

  The fruit contains vitamins A and C, potassium and iron, in addition to riboflavin and niacin. All these make it a great health supplement with anti-cancerous properties, as well as a treatment for high cholesterol.